Authors
Sayvon JL Foster – University of Kansas
John N Singer – Texas A&M University
Joseph Cooper – University of Massachusetts, Boston
Abstract
Scholars have explored Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their athletic spaces to better highlight the uniqueness of these institutions. In doing so, many have illuminated longstanding challenges within these athletic spaces in comparison to their Historically and Predominantly White Institution (HPWI) counterparts. With the recent development of Ray’s (2019) Theory of Racialized Organizations, there is now a theoretical framework available to explore and understand how HBCUs are positioned within the broader college sport landscape (CSL). We achieve this by using Ray’s framework in conjunction with existing scholarship to apply a cohesive theoretical foundation through a diversly investigated topic. Based upon Ray’s suggestions for organizational change, we posit that the current rise of HBCU athletics and athlete empowerment will lead to noteworthy change when supported by scholarship and practice that actively interrogates the racialized structures within college sport.
