Student athlete perceptions of the value of education, sport and purpose: “It’s like a business”

Empirical studies reveal that Black male student-athletes experience challenges throughout their academic experiences at Division I predominantly White institutions. Mindful of these struggles faced by the Black male Division I student-athletes, these phenomena warrant further discussion. Astin’s I-E-O Model explored the development of students in higher education. Although this theoretical framework is ideal when exploring a student’s development and academic outcome, Comeaux and Harrison’s Model of Academic Success for student-athletes considered a similar, more applicable concept: a cumulative process that influences academic success for Division I student-athletes. This qualitative study used an interview and survey method to explore how perceptions of others (i.e. faculty, non-student-athlete peers, and NCAA regulations) of eight student-athletes contribute their perceptions of values in higher education. Contrary to what the literature revealed, Black male student-athletes were positively impacted by the negative perceptions. The Black male student-athlete group demonstrated resilience. Particularly, they aspired to respond to these negative perceptions by proving them wrong. This result aligned closely with studies on the Black male successful student. The eight participants valued athletics at a high level when they entered higher education but shifted their values more towards academics as they experienced a college environment and became upper classmen. Ultimately this study enriched the narrative on the Black male Division I student-athlete and developed a model illustrating how values impact academic performance for this student group.