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More Than an Athlete: A Qualitative Examination of Activist Identities Among NCAA Division I Student-Athletes

Kluch, Yannick
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522976466361136

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Media and Communication.
Despite the recent re-emergence of the athlete activist into public consciousness, activism among athletes remains non-normative behavior. However, because sport can be a powerful platform for social change, it is important to analyze experiences of the few athletes who identify as activists for social justice causes. As the first empirical study to explore how NCAA Division I student-athletes construct activist identities, this research contributes to knowledge on athlete activism and identity construction in sport by analyzing the student-athlete activist experience through participants' definitions of activism, their constructions and negotiations of activist identities, and barriers to activism. Drawing from interviews with 31 NCAA Division I student-athlete activists from across the U.S., and informed by the communication theory of identity and cultural contracts theory, this dissertation identifies five different conceptualizations of activism: activism as doing something, championing change, being authentic, speaking up, and public protests. Findings document changing notions of athlete activism and reveal nuanced forms of situational activism that do not rely on public expressions of resistance but rather arise from specific situations in athletes' everyday lives. Regarding identity constructions, six higher order themes emerged from the data: motivations for activism, enactments of activism, student-athlete activists' identity negotiations, relational influences, communal influences, and mediated influences. Data also revealed six barriers to student-athlete activism: strict regulation of athletes' schedules and lack of time, isolation from the wider campus community, stigma attached to activist identities, emotional exhaustion, team cultural norms, and institutional barriers. Participants indicated they engaged in activism that does not explicitly challenge institutional power and, by extension, relied on the intercollegiate sport system to create change from within. Finally, this dissertation presents implications for key stakeholders in student-athlete activism in the contemporary cultural climate: student-athletes, coaches/athletic administrators, and governing bodies behind intercollegiate sport, including athletic conferences and the NCAA. By embracing the multiplicity of student-athlete activist identities, this dissertation advocates for scholars and intercollegiate athletics professionals to enhance student-athletes' power to change cultural identity scripts and anchor activism and inclusive leadership in the social description of student-athletes for generations to come.
Lara Martin Lengel, Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair)
Raymond Schuck, Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair)
Sandra Faulkner, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Nancy Spencer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Vikki Krane, Ph.D. (Other)
369 p.
American Studies; Communication; Higher Education; Sports Management
sport communication; athlete activism; student-athlete; identity; identity negotiation; communication theory of identity; cultural contracts theory; social justice; sport for social change; qualitative methods; interviewing; NCAA

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Citations

  • Kluch, Y. (2018). More Than an Athlete: A Qualitative Examination of Activist Identities Among NCAA Division I Student-Athletes [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522976466361136

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kluch, Yannick. More Than an Athlete: A Qualitative Examination of Activist Identities Among NCAA Division I Student-Athletes. 2018. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522976466361136.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kluch, Yannick. "More Than an Athlete: A Qualitative Examination of Activist Identities Among NCAA Division I Student-Athletes." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522976466361136

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1522976466361136
472
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.