Black Women in Sport Leadership: An Exploration of the Sport Intersectional Model of Power (SIMP)

Abstract

Black women are underrepresented in sport leadership positions (Lapchick, 2017). However, research (Armstrong, 2007; Armstrong & O’Bryant, 2007; McDowell &Carter-Francique, 2017) has revealed that Black women offer stories that express qualitatively different leadership opportunities and experiences in intercollegiate athletics than those reported by White women or Black men, based on the manner in which race often intersects with gender, age, social class, and other identities. While research has examined the manner in which intersectional forces influence Black women’s leadership opportunities and experiences, research has failed to address the role of sport organizational cultures, i.e. values and assumptions that are widely displayed by organizational members that create a system of shared meaning held by its members and spark the feeling of this is “what it’s like to work here” (Hawk, 1995, p. 32; Robbins, 1996; Scott, 1997; Wallace & Weese, 1995). The purpose of this study was to situate intersectionality in the context of organizational culture. More specifically, this study sought to utilize the preliminary Sport Intersectional Model of Power (SIMP) (Simpkins & Armstrong, 2017) to explore Black women’s sport leadership. The elements of the SIMP that served as the focus of this study were: (a) policies and practices, (b) diversity resistance, and (c) legitimate power. The SIMP was explored through the theoretical lens of Black feminist thought.

The methods consisted of document analyses (review of resumes), organizational audits (review images, narratives, or activities that explicitly conveyed a position regarding diversity and/or inclusion), and structured interviews. Using a purposive snowball sampling procedure 10 women from across Divisions I, II, and III who held mid to high-level ranking positions within their athletic departments were selected to participate in this study. The sample consisted of five women from Division I (FBS. FCS, non-football) level, one woman from Division II level, and 4 women from Division III level. The results of the document analyses revealed that the majority of women did not major in sport management or a related discipline, several had obtained Master’s degrees, and half of them were pursuing a terminal degree. The document analyses also revealed that the women had personal and professional networks. Their professional networks in sport were entities that focused on diversity and inclusion, notably regarding race and/or gender. The organizational audits revealed that all 10 of the institutions and five of the athletic departments espoused positive sentiments about diversity and inclusion.

The interviews revealed that the women’s experiences were not congruent with the positive sentiments about diversity and inclusion espoused by their institutions. The interviews also revealed that the women were not personally impacted by their departments’ recruitment and hiring practices, yet they saw the need for improvements to be made in order to ensure diverse candidate pools and were often engaged in making those changes. The women were not impacted by a racially gendered workday, but found it necessary to maintain work-life balance. Additionally, the women experienced feeling unwelcomed and unwanted within various intercollegiate athletic departments. Lastly, the women’s authority as leaders was often challenged because they did not ‘fit’ the perceived idea/image of a leader. The importance of networking, having role-models, and the need for identity negotiation also impacted the women’s leadership opportunities and experiences. The preliminary SIMP was revised to capture the unique insights obtained from the interviews, and practical implications were noted.