The Importance of Culture: Understanding Black Female College Athletes’ Health and Well-Being

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to illuminate how culture affects Black female college athletes’ (BFCA) experiences of well-being. In 2014, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), released the Mind, Body, and Sport Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Wellness manual as a way to address student-athlete health and wellbeing. Health and well-being have multiple definitions, for example the World Health Organization states that health encompasses well-being as it is “the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 2000). Identifying Black female college athletes health and wellbeing is necessary as BFCAs remain marginalized and silenced within institutions of higher education and sport. Their experiences are demarked by social (e.g., racism, sexism, and classism) and political barriers (e.g., access, representation); affect her ability to cope with an oppressive institution and society; and manage her health and well-being. Employing a Black Feminist Thought lens, BFCAs’ contemporary cultural realities will be examined to promote inclusivity and equity of best practices and treatment within college sport.