Title

A Day in the Life of a Male College Athlete: A Public Perception and Qualitative Campus Investigation

Authors

Authors

S. M. Lawrence; C. K. Harrison;J. Stone

Abbreviated Journal Title

J.Sport Manage.

Keywords

RACIAL STEREOTYPES; WHITE; THREAT; PERFORMANCE; FACULTY; RACE; MEN; Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism; Management; Sport Sciences

Abstract

Perceptual confirmation paradigm (PCP) rooted in social psychology, can be implemented to frame sport science research questions (Stone, Perry, & Darley, 1997). Public perception of college athletes' lives has been scarcely investigated in the sport sciences (Keels, 2005) using the PCP to prime stereotypes. The purpose of this study was to prime stereotypes about a day in the life of a college athlete by using qualitative inquiry to assess college students' (N = 87) perceptions. Participants provided written responses about a day in the life of a college athlete. Two different college athlete targets were used "Tyrone Walker" (n = 44) and "Erik Walker" (n = 43). Four major themes and one minor theme emerged which are descriptive of the participants' perceptions. Findings were related to the leadership responsibilities of sport management practitioners in higher education. Future research inquiries and relevant suggestions were articulated for sport management scholars in the 21st century.

Journal Title

Journal of Sport Management

Volume

23

Issue/Number

5

Publication Date

1-1-2009

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

591

Last Page

614

WOS Identifier

WOS:000269754300003

ISSN

0888-4773

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