The Embodied Experience of a Football Championship Subdivision Student-Athlete
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2376-5267.2017.1.2.49-74Keywords:
student-athlete development, student-athlete experience, FCS, football championship subdivision, athlete identity, student-athlete stereotype, intercollegiate football,Abstract
Many scholars feel that due to the intensity of college sport, student-athletes are confined to borders, being denied a well-rounded experience (Potuto & O’Hanlon, 2007). Although past research has focused on the educational experiences in regards to the general student-athlete population, few studies have focused on the culture that constructs the overall student-athlete experience. This study utilized the narrative methodology, revealing the genuine human experience and assisting in mobilizing action for progressive social change (Riessman, 2008). This study utilized semi-structured interviews and journals to examine the embodied in-season experience of an athletically gifted Cuban FCS football student-athlete. Open coding revealed two major themes that will be discussed: football, identity, social support, and stereotype. This study is one of the first to explore the experience of a FCS student-athlete and sheds light on a Cuban football student-athlete’s experience.
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