“COUNTING MORE THAN POINTS: THE INFLUENCE OF ATHLETIC IDENTITY FORECLOSURE ON BLACK MALE STUDENT-ATHLETES’ ENGAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS”

Abstract

This qualitative multi-case study examines how athletic identity foreclosure (AIF) influences Black male student-athletes’ (BMSAs) engagement, confidence, and performance in secondary mathematics. While existing research on AIF largely centers collegiate athletes and post-sport transitions, far less attention has been given to adolescence—a critical developmental period when academic identities and mathematics pathways begin to solidify. This study explores how BMSAs participating in revenue-generating sports, such as football, basketball, and baseball, in Louisiana high schools experience and interpret mathematics within the context of strong athletic identity development.Data was collected from 11 current and former Black male student-athletes through surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Guided by Dawkins, Braddock, and Celaya’s (2008) academic–athletic typology for analyzing the connection between sports participation and academic engagement among BMSAs, data was analyzed using thematic analysis to examine how AIF shaped mathematics value, engagement, performance, and future aspirations of the BMSA participants in high school. Findings revealed that AIF influenced whether mathematics was perceived primarily as an eligibility requirement or a developmental resource. Participants with stronger athlete-first identities tended to approach mathematics instrumentally, investing minimal effort beyond eligibility requirements. In contrast, participants with lower AIF demonstrated more integrative identities, connecting mathematics and athletics to long-term goals and career aspirations, particularly in STEM-related fields. The study also found that family expectations, coach influence, and institutional athletic/academic support and services significantly shaped participants’ movement across typologies. However, existing athletic/academic supports—especially study halls—often prioritized eligibility maintenance rather than the development of mathematical confidence or identity. This study extends AIF scholarship by demonstrating that the academic consequences of athletic identity foreclosure emerge during secondary mathematics experiences, not solely in collegiate or post-athletic transitions. The findings suggest that secondary schools and athletic programs must move beyond compliance-driven academic supports and instead cultivate environments that intentionally integrate athletics and mathematics learning. Implications include designing athletic study halls that support conceptual understanding in mathematics, an expansion to the typologies used to describe BMSAs’ mathematic engagement when participating in athletics, engaging coaches and families in reinforcing academic identities beyond compliance regulations, and developing programming that helps student-athletes recognize connections between athletics, mathematics, and future career pathways.