Crossing The Line: Comparing The Experiences of Black Student-Athletes at Predominantly White Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Abstract

This thesis investigates the dual realities of Black student-athletes at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), revealing how their experiences are shaped by racial stereotypes, social exclusion, and systemic commodification. Through a combination of historical analysis, scholarly literature, and over a dozen interviews from Black student-athletes themselves, this study uncovers the structural dynamics that influence how Black student-athletes are perceived, supported, and utilized by their institutions. At PWIs, athletes often face spaces, highlighting a pattern of conditional inclusion rooted in racial assumptions. In contrast HBCUs offer cultural affirmation and a greater sense of community however, they are often hindered by chronic underfunding and limited resources which inevitably affects the quality of athletic and academic support.

Drawing on the works of scholars such as Billy Hawkins, Pierre Bourdieu, Elijah Anderson, Shaun Harper, and others, this thesis frames college athletics as a modern continuation of historical systems of labor extraction, where Black bodies are commodified for institutional gain. Key concepts like social capital, the “cosmopolitan canopy,” and habitus help explain how exclusion and exploitation are embedded in the fabric of higher education. Through interviews with student-athletes from both institutional types, the research offers an ethnographic window into the day-to-day realities, emotional tolls, and strategies of resistance that define their collegiate journeys. The thesis concludes by calling for structural reforms that move beyond symbolic gestures and instead center the holistic development, academic achievement, and personal agency of Black student-athletes. In doing so, it reimagines college athletics not only as a site of competition but as a potential platform for equity and transformative change.