Educational Malpractice and the Economic Exploitation of Black Student-Athletes 公开

Baitey, Gebereal (Spring 2019)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/sj139289s?locale=zh
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Abstract

This thesis draws on the experiences of black student-athletes at Division I NCAA institutions to argue that these young men are economically exploited by the NCAA for the highly-profitable labor they produce and simultaneously under-educated by their respective universities. Amateurism statutes that enable such exploitation are predicated on a notion that these student-athletes are not to be paid because they are students above all else, but the frequent occurrences of academic misconduct and the plight of black student-athletes at the Division I level reveal that such notions are patently false. I first argue this point by way of a literature review which recounts the inception of the conflation of amateurism with morality, the use of the Southern industrial school as a means of exploiting black people through faux educational training, and Southall and Weiler’s (2014) company-town metaphor as a lens through which to view the current Division I NCAA model. Next, I move on to a case study of two student-athletes in the 1980’s who matriculated through their respective universities despite being functionally illiterate, using educational malpractice theory to advocate for their institutions to take responsibility for their adverse life outcomes. Lastly, I provide an analysis of five interviews I conducted with student-athletes at NCAA Division I institutions. Invoking Adler and Adler’s (1990) role engulfment theory, I shed light on the bolstered role of academic advisors on Division I football and basketball teams, the primacy of athletic performance in developing player-coach relationships, and the isolation of student-athletes from the general student body. I use my findings to make suggestions for improving the holistic development of student-athletes within the NCAA Division I athletics model going forward.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………….........1

Chapter 1: “Student”-athletes………………………………………....17

Chapter 2: Educational Malpractice………………………………….33

Chapter 3: More Than Just Athletes………………………………….51

Bibliography………………………………………………………….........74

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