ABSTRACT
Just as Black women are faced with multiple discriminatory practices in their world of work, the male-dominated athletics environment is rife with racist and sexist stereotypes that can dissuade Black women from coaching and administration. Though the study of women and sport has recently gained more attention, additional attention should be paid to the experience of Black women coaches. To examine their experience, I collected data from Black women head coaches, associate head coaches, assistant head coaches and coordinators from Division-I and Division-II sports programs, mainly women’s basketball, volleyball, and track. Using the social dominance theory, I used a chi-square analysis to address the central research question: What is the difference in racialized/gendered expectations to comply with mainstream appearance between Division-I programs and Division-II programs? To examine dynamics that are not captured in quantitative work, I posed a second research question: How do Black women coaches perceive their acceptance in their respective sports programs? The chi-square analysis revealed no difference between Black coaches’ experiences in Division-I and Division-II athletics. The qualitative content analysis revealed five themes: angry Black woman, more Black women needed, gender discrimination, team mammy, and lucky to have a good work environment.
