"Sometimes we are smart and athletic": A qualitative investigation of the social construction and psychological impact of media representations on African American intercollegiate female athletes

Author

Jenny Lind Withycombe, University of Tennessee

Date of Award

5-2009

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Leslee A. Fisher

Abstract

The historical, socio-cultural, and psychological construction of the African American female identity is one which has endured a 250-year legacy of slavery, discrimination, and oppression. The advent of the Civil Rights and Feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s changed the lives of all women forever, especially the lives of women of color. Despite the progress of these movements there remains both overt and covert sexism and racism within American society, the realm of athletics being one of many of these domains. Therefore, eight Division I African American female athletes were interviewed regarding their perceptions of media portrayals of themselves and other African American female athletes against their own identity constructions using a semi-structured interview guide and a text analysis of campus media guides.The rationale for interviewing African American female athletes was based on previous research by Crenshaw (1993) which suggested that women of color are frequently marginalized and their perceptions and experiences framed in terms of singular exclusion, that of woman or of person of color. As stated by Crenshaw (1993), "racism and sexism [intersect] and factor into Black women's lives in ways that cannot be captured wholly by looking at the race or gender dimensions of those experience separately" (p.1244). Findings suggested that gender and athletic identities were far more salient for African American female athletes than race. Surprisingly, it was also found that an additional aspect of identity was important in determining whether African American female athletes drew empowerment or disempowerment from their athletic experiences, and that was the various ways coaches and institutions construct identities for their athletes.Future research should explore these identity constructions and the impact they have on African American female athletes in more depth to ensure all athletes leave with positive experiences that reaffirm their senses of self and lead toward empowerment.

Recommended Citation

Withycombe, Jenny Lind, ""Sometimes we are smart and athletic": A qualitative investigation of the social construction and psychological impact of media representations on African American intercollegiate female athletes. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2009.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/6000