Written by Taylor Treacy, creator of The Virago Project. Learn more about Taylor at the end of this article.

The public outcry for justice and equality is as loud as ever. There is no place for discrimination or ignorance towards oppressed groups of people in America in 2020. Change needs to occur not just at the federal, state, and local levels, but also within communities that transcend political lines. 

Let’s talk sport.

Coaches, athletic staff, and players no longer have the excuse of “not wanting to go there” when it comes to discussing social injustices and human rights issues. Sports organizations have the responsibility to educate and show up for the members of their communities who carry the weight of oppression. 

Failing to do so could cost a team their reputation and any hope for future success.

Here’s why.

Social movements like Black Lives Matters, LGBTQ+ rights, and others do not only impact the lives of adults. Schools in the U.S. are now teaching students about the importance of diversity and inclusivity as early as the fourth grade.

Consequently, students are making far more thoughtful choices about whom they associate with, where they spend their money, and what institutions they’ll look to for educational opportunities.

So what does this mean for the college recruiting process and how will up-and-coming athletes from minority populations decide where they’ll play for the next four years?

Answering these questions requires looking into the mind of the underrepresented athlete. Before committing to a prospective school, the recruit who values diversity and inclusivity will be looking to colleges that provide safe and welcoming environments. 

Players want to know that their school, athletic department, and team will extend the same opportunities, interactions, and understanding to them as they would to anyone else.

As a recently graduated, bi-racial, (and very impassioned) Division I student-athlete, diversity, inclusivity, and equality played a role in shaping my college decision-making process and experiences as both a collegiate and professional player. 

Athletes need to know that the expectations we set for our society are taken seriously by the communities, institutions, and teams they commit to.

Geographic Reputation

Growing up on the outskirts of Columbia, South Carolina exposed me to a lot of prejudiced thinking and outdated beliefs. Black people didn’t receive the same respect as white people in my childhood community, neither did immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, nor women. 

As a volleyball recruit, I wasn’t thrilled to visit schools in South Carolina, and I had good reason for it. 

To start, I was very familiar with the social landscape of my home state at the time. The Confederate flag waved on top of our state capitol building until 2015. Queer and trans students were social outcasts at my high school, and my third-grade boyfriend broke up with me in a note saying he didn’t want to “have black babies.” 

If the lawmakers in my state and the kids at my high school planned to take those beliefs to in-state colleges and universities, I didn’t want to be there.

Which brings me to my next point.

Institutional Support

Societal change can take a long time, but recruits are looking to universities to challenge discrimination now. A lack of public support extended to minorities will show students how much a school values inclusivity and diversity.

The University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center reports that only 55% of black male student-athletes graduate from Power 5 institutions, as compared to a 69.3% graduation rate of all student-athletes (1). Athletic departments are responsible for leading the efforts to close these gaps. 

An honest commitment from teams and universities to voice their support for minority communities, create programs, and ensure that all student-athletes are competing on an even playing field will help earn a recruit’s trust. 

Minority Representation and Team Dynamics 

Something I’ve always loved about sports is its ability to bring people together from all backgrounds. While most athletes are open to connecting with new people and cultures, being the only person on a team who looks, thinks, or acts differently from everyone else can feel very isolating. This is why I, and many other student-athletes, consider diversity and minority representation before committing to a team.

Think about the music you listened to as a kid, the TV shows you watched, the jokes you laughed at, the brands you bought, the foods you ate, and the traditions you had with your family. It’s normal to feel a sense of nostalgia and comfort while reminiscing on the cultural touchstones that helped shape you into who you are.

Now imagine going off to college as a student-athlete and being the only minority on your new team. Imagine sharing a locker room with fifteen people who unanimously prefer different warm-up music, movies for bus rides, social events, and traditions. This isn’t to say that either party wouldn’t enjoy or appreciate the other’s culture, but the truth is that the majority usually define how culture is represented in team settings.

Final Thoughts

Being a collegiate student-athlete is tough, but being a minority collegiate student-athlete is even harder. 

If unfair bias and discrimination is something you’ve faced your entire life, you are going to look for playing opportunities in places where these judgments are less prevalent. You are going to pay close attention to how prospective schools are responding to social justice and human rights issues, and the reforms they are implementing to advance equality. You will gravitate towards teams with diverse rosters to ensure that you are comfortable and understood for the next four years. 

Athletic departments that fail to recognize the importance of these issues will suffer great losses of talent and reputability in the future.

Sources

 (1) Harper, Shaun R. University of Southern California Race and Equity Center, 2018, Black Male Student-Athletes And Racial Inequities In NCAA Division I College Sports.

Taylor Treacy - The Virago Project

As an opposite hitter at UNC Chapel Hill, Taylor Treacy helped lead Carolina to two ACC championships (2014, 2016), an Elite Eight finish (2014), and a Sweet Sixteen finish (2016). Her personal accolades include All-American Honors (2015), three-time First Team All-ACC Honors, ACC Player of the Week (2016), ACC Honor Roll, Minnesota All-Region Team (2014), and a 2015 selection to the USAV Collegiate National Team. In 2016, Flo Volleyball recognized Taylor as the #9 ranked Opposite Hitter in the country. As a professional athlete, Taylor was a six-rotation opposite hitter for the Finnish FIVB team Polkky Kuusamo, where she helped lead the team to its most successful season in history, placing third for the Finnish Cup.

Connect with Taylor and The Virago Project on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Taylor was a guest on the Get The Pancake podcast, click here to listen!