The Black College Athletes’ Burden: A Critical Analysis of Race, Civic Engagement, and Activism of National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes

The purpose of this manuscript is to examine racialized differences in National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes’ involvement in civic engagement, activism, and racial justice efforts during and post summer of 2020. The summer of 2020 was a period of widespread civil unrest regarding the prevalence of anti-Black racism and social injustice in the United States. International protests ensued, including several athletes across all levels of sport being engaged in efforts to change the current legal and political systems in the United States. One prominent group of activists and advocates during this period was college athletes. In 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association published a landmark report titled Student-Athlete Activism and Racial Justice Engagement Study. The study included 24,974 student athletes from all three divisions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association report provides insightful descriptive statistics, but what is missing is a nuanced theoretical analysis of the findings. Using critical race theory, colorblind racism, and a resistance typology, we explore the racialized meanings of the college athlete data and present implications for institutions of higher education, intercollegiate athletic programs, and college athletes.