Education in Athletics and Professional Sport

Annotated Bibliography 

Beamon, K., & Messer, C. (2014). Professional Sports Experiences as Contested Racial Terrain.  Journal of African American Studies,    June , 18 (2), 181-191. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43525544 

The article talks about the experiences that professional athletes and sportspersons, specifically the African-American males who dominate the field go through. Several scholars, according to the article, think that fame and fortune lures a majority of these athletes into sports professionalism. The article quotes the opinions several educationalists some of whom have a belief that sports distract African-American men from other occupations such as law, medicine, and other technical fields that can elevate their social statuses and enhance their social mobility. It describes qualitative research that was carried out in the study of the experiences of African-American professional athletes who played various types of sports at different levels. The study was carried out on fourteen African-American men as part of a larger sample of twenty (n=20) who were former Division 1 athletes.

The participants in the study were African-American males aged between 22 and 47, had experience in professional sports either in the National Football League, National Basketball League, or Arena Football League, and were intensely interviewed for a period of between one to three hours. The results in the study indicate that many of the participants were not impressed by their experience in professional sports and felt like property. Some were unemployed during the time of the study while others indicated during interviews that even though a lot of athletes make money while in the profession, most often end up with empty hands upon completion of their careers in sports. The study also found that professional athletes barely have control over their lives and careers, felt disrespected by their coaches and management of the teams, and were often treated as children. At the same time, there were elements of racism against them in their groups as one participant considered the National Football League as a form of modern slavery. Politics also interfered with their success. Therefore, the authors conclude that while the media portrays sports as an easy way for young African-Americans to be successful, most of them might never even play collegiate or professional sports.

Gaston-Gayles, J. L. (2004). Examining academic and athletic motivation among student-athletes at a Division I university.  Journal of College Student Development , February, 45 (1), 75-83. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joy_Gayles/publication/236725653_Examining_Academic_and_Athletic_Motivation_Among_Student_Athletes_at_a_Division_I_University/links/5618732408ae044edbad2412.pdf 

The article describes the influence of athletic motivation on the academic performance of student-athletes while putting into consideration, several independent variables that, in one way or another, affect the performance of students. Over the years, student-athletes were observed and recorded as having poor graduation rates, which prompted the author to carry out the study. The study applied a quantitative method of research. The data collection method for the study was a survey named where respondents were required to fill the Student-Athletes’ Motivation toward Sport and Academic Questionnaire. The questionnaire designed by the author was meant to evaluate the academic and athletic motivation of student-athletes.

Selection of the study participants was carried out from Division I of varsity sports teams. To consider the gender factor, ethnicity, and other forms of sports; the sample was stratified into males and females, majority and marginalized groups as well as the different sports domains. Two hundred and thirty-six subjects (n=236) participated in the study, from whom data was collected. The participants were handed the Student-Athletes’ Motivation towards Sports and Academics Questionnaire to assess their academic motivation, sporting motivation as well as career sporting motivation. The independent variables considered during the study included levels of parental education, gender, and race, all which often have effects on the academic performance of students in general. According to the results, higher American College Test and academic motivation scores were a prediction of higher GPAs, which was high in white student-athletes as compared to minority student-athletes who participated in the study. The author thus concludes that there is a need for further research to expand the literature and inform administrators regarding the fundamentality of academic motivation in predicting the academic performance of college athletes.

References

Beamon, K., & Messer, C., (2014). Professional Sports Experiences as Contested Racial Terrain.  Journal of African American Studies,    June , 18 (2), 181-191. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43525544 

Gaston-Gayles, J. L., (2004). Examining academic and athletic motivation among student-athletes at a Division I university.  Journal of College Student Development ,  February , 45 (1), 75-83. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joy_Gayles/publication/236725653_Examining_Academic_and_Athletic_Motivation_Among_Student_Athletes_at_a_Division_I_University/links/5618732408ae044edbad2412.pdf