The African American male student-athlete occupies one of the most peculiar positions in American society. While lauded for their sport performance, they are often viewed as problematic in the broader society. While their performance generates millions of dollars for universities and the NCAA, for most, their labor often produces comparatively little personal gain. While they are recruited as student-athletes, they soon realize that the demands of their athletic commitment renders them athlete-students. Many outside of sport would argue that this is a choice and an informed decision. But we argue much of this is a consequence of the mis-education of the African American student-athlete. We examine this phenomenon through the lens of Critical Race Theory to provide an alternative view of the issues faced by African American student-athletes and suggest an alternative pedagogy that might be investigated to meet their needs.
Search Results
The Mis-Education of the African American Student-Athlete
Louis Harrison Jr., Albert Y. Bimper Jr., Martin P. Smith, and Alvin D. Logan
Neighborhood and PA: Neighborhood Factors and Physical Activity in African American Public Housing Residents
Rebecca E. Lee, Scherezade K. Mama, Kristen P. McAlexander, Heather Adamus, and Ashley V. Medina
Background:
In the US, public housing developments are typically located in lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods that may have poorer quality street level conditions, placing residents in neighborhoods that are less supportive for physical activity (PA). This study investigated the relationship of detailed, objectively assessed street-level pedestrian features with self-reported and measured PA in African American public housing residents.
Methods:
Every street segment (N = 2093) within an 800 m radius surrounding each housing development (N = 12) was systematically assessed using the Pedestrian Environment Data Scan (PEDS). Participants completed an interviewer administered International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Short Form and wore a pedometer for 1 week.
Results:
Women reported significantly less vigorous (mean = 1955 vs. 2896 METs), moderate (mean = 733 vs. 1309 mets), walking (mean = 1080 vs. 1376 METs), and total (mean = 3768 vs. 5581 METs) PA on the IPAQ compared with men (all P <.05). Women took fewer pedometer steps per day (M = 3753 vs. 4589) compared with men, but this was not statistically significant. Regression analyses showed that for women, lower speed limits were associated with vigorous; higher street segment density was associated with more moderate PA; lower speed limits, fewer crossing aids, and more lanes were associated with more walking; and, fewer lanes was associated with more overall PA. For men, fewer sidewalk connections were associated with more moderate PA; lower speed limits were associated with more walking; and, lower speed limits was associated with more overall PA.
Conclusions:
Neighborhood factors influence physical activity; in particular, lower speed limits appear most commonly linked with increased physical activity in both men and women.
Complexity of Exercise Behavior Among Older African American Women
Maria Kosma, David Buchanan, and Jan Hondzinski
, 2016b ). Moreover, disparities in levels of physical activity continue to exist. Based on the most recent National Health Interview Survey on all age groups ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2016b ), 43.6% of African Americans
Addressing Disparities in Physical Activity Participation Among African American and Latino Youth
Rebecca E. Hasson
al., 2008 ; Whitt-Glover et al., 2009 ; Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2009 ). Self-reported physical activity levels indicate that African-American and Latino adolescents age 9–13 participate in less leisure-time physical activity than their White counterparts ( Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
Preschool-Based Physical Activity Interventions in African American and Latino Preschoolers: A Literature Review
Sofiya Alhassan, Christine W. St. Laurent, and Sarah Burkart
prekindergarten programs; Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2017 ). Compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts (63%), a higher percentage of African American (68%) children spend a significant portion of their day at preschool centers ( Federal Interagency Forum on Child and
Successful Physical Activity Maintainers: Strategies and Characteristics of Young African American Women
Chloe S. Jones, Cristina S. Barroso, Lindsey A. Miossi, Eugene C. Fitzhugh, and Lyndsey M. Hornbuckle
). Only 16.5% of non-Hispanic Black women (referred to as African American [AA] women henceforth) 18 years or older meet the 2018 national PA Guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening PA, which is significantly lower than non-Hispanic White women (24.3%) and lower than Hispanic women (18
Active Living Education: Leveling the Playing Field for Black or African American Students
Stacy Imagbe, Baofu Wang, Yang Liu, Jared Androzzi, Xiangli Gu, and Senlin Chen
units focused on sports, games, or fitness activities. The students, enrolled in six different classes, who self-reported their race as White or Black/African American were included as the participants for the study. The sample ( N = 335) consisted of 168 White and 167 Black students (165 boys, 162
“It’s My Time to . . . Fight Some of These Battles”: The Life History of an Exemplary African American PETE Faculty Member
Richard F. Jowers and Matthew D. Curtner-Smith
-Smith ( 2013 , 2014 ) wrote the life histories of two physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members, one with a disability and one an African American employed at the University of Alabama, Dr. Archie Wade, marginalized by race. These researchers also used the approach to describe the trials and
Feasibility and Validity of Assessing Low-Income, African American Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Through Ecological Momentary Assessment
Jaclyn P. Maher, Kourtney Sappenfield, Heidi Scheer, Christine Zecca, Derek J. Hevel, and Laurie Kennedy-Malone
older adult racial minority groups such as African Americans ( Evenson et al., 2014 ; Sebastião et al., 2018 ; Yang et al., 2019 ), suggesting the need to better understand the antecedents of physical activity and sedentary behavior among diverse samples of older adults. Ecological momentary
Adiposity and Slow Stepping Rate Are Related to Under-Estimating Steps per Day in African American Women
Brian Tyo, Rebecca Spataro-Kearns, and David R. Bassett Jr.
African American women have higher rates of obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI; BMI ≥30 kg·m −2 ) ( Flegal, Kruszon-Moran, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2016 ; Ladabaum, Mannalithara, Myer, & Singh, 2014 ; Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014 ). For example, according to National Health and
