An Ethnographic Exploration of the Culture of Sport Consumption at a Historically Black College/University: Elucidations of Blackness

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to: (a) identify and examine ways in which culture was signified, expressed, performed, and manifested in sport consumption at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and (b) explore the manner in which culture motivated HBCU sport consumption. There is very limited refereed research on HBCU sport consumption. However, while the available research (Armstrong, 2002a, 2002b) has demonstrated that elements of culture impact Blacks’ HBCU sport consumption, such research has failed to examine and specifically determine: (a) what culture is in the context of HBCU sports, (b) how culture is produced, performed, and/or experienced at HBCU sports, and (c) how and why culture matters to the HBCU sport consumption experience (i.e., what makes culture meaningful to HBCU sport consumption). Therefore, a gap in the understanding of the culture of HBCU sport consumption exists. This study aimed to fill this gap. More specifically, unlike previous research on this topic, this study employed a qualitative ethnographic approach to identify the elements and attributes that comprise the ‘cultural charisma’ (Armstrong, 2013) of HBCU sport consumption.The findings elucidated an overarching theme of a culture of Blackness that was expressed in three sub-themes: (a) Blackness in consumers’ Africentric cultural taste preferences (for Africentric food, Africentric music, and Africentric vendors); (b) Blackness in the celebration of the cultural habitus that was created by the HBCU band’s performance, tailgating, a sense of community and family togetherness, and a sense of protection and safety; and (c) Blackness underlying the participants’ cultural affinity to HBCUs and HBCU sports, based on the tradition, pride, love, and loyalty to HBCUs, and the sentiment that HBCU sports are more than just a game. Although the predominant findings of this study substantiated the salience of the culture of Blackness to the HBCU sport consumption experience, an interesting finding was also revealed illustrating the nuanced balancing of cultural affinity and psychological attachment to sports. For most of the participants, the culture of the event was most meaningful such that it buffered the negative outcome of the event when the team loss. However, in other instances for participants who were psychologically attached to the team, the game mattered and the event was most meaningful when the team won. Thus, the determination of event satisfaction or dissatisfaction was based on whether the participants' attachment was anchored to elements of Blackness (i.e., reflecting a cultural disposition of consumption) or to the outcome of the competition (i.e., reflecting a sport disposition of consumption). The findings resulted in the creation of the Culture of Blackness in Sport (COBIS) model depicting the varied ways in which Blackness was expressed in the HBCU sport consumption setting and influenced the HBCU sport consumption experience. Although the results are not generalizable beyond this particular setting, a number of practical implications for marketing HBCU sport are gleaned/presented. Like previous research, the findings reinforced the notion that HBCU sport events offer Black consumers a culturally empowering experience (Armstrong, 2002a; 2013a). However, unlike previous (quantitative) research, this (qualitative) study was significant in that it offered cultural specificity to the empowering essence of HBCU sport consumption, and gave voice and vitality to the unique relationship Black consumers have with the culture of HBCU sports.