Playing the Game, Self-Presentation, and Black Male College Athletes: A Critical Understanding of the Holistic Experience

Black male college athletes are among the most recognizable individuals within a collegiate setting--particularly in relation to their athletic abilities. Consequently, the knowledge shared of this population’s experiences is often constrained to those athletic pursuits, which can minimize and delegitimize their holistic experiences, including encountering anti-Black racism, identity development and negotiation, and the navigation of their varied environments. Playing the Game, Self-Presentation, and Black Male College Athletes: A Critical Understanding of the Holistic Experience by Jonathan E. Howe addresses the limitations of this singular focus by providing a critical comprehensive overview of Black male college athletes’ lived experiences through self-presentation. Grounded in empirical research, the text outlines the theory and associated process of self-presentation for Black male college athletes. The theory of self-presentation for Black male college athletes incorporates critical insights accounting for multilevel factors (e.g., macro, meso, and micro), varied social and personal identities, and individualized psychosocial developmental processes. These processes for Black male college athletes include a dynamic relationship between internal and external factors and the ability of Black male college athletes to make meaning of their identities in relation to their desired self-presentation outcomes. The nuanced analyses and self-presentation model for Black male college athletes have vital implications for higher education institutions, college athletic departments, and Black male athletes.

Jonathan E. Howe is assistant professor in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University.