Entrando en el juego: The Role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Fostering Educational and Athletic Outcomes for Latinx Athletes

Abstract

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) enroll the majority of Latinx undergraduate students and constitute the second-largest institutional type in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (D1). Yet, little is known about the role intercollegiate athletics play in fostering educational outcomes for Latinx students at HSIs. Under the guise of Latinx critical race theory, this qualitative study examined how HSIs operate both the federal designation and NCAA D1 membership in relation to athletic participation and completion outcomes for Latinx student-athletes. Document analysis was utilized to disaggregate data from various reports to identify the HSI-D1 institutions and their Latinx athletes’ participation, and graduation rates. These findings were then compared to the overall NCAA D1 averages. Among the findings, Latinx student-athletes graduated at higher rates than non-athletes from the HSI-D1s. However, as an aggregate, these institutions had below average graduation rates of Latinx students and student-athletes in comparison to the national rates across NCAA D1 membership. Furthermore, HSI-D1s provided limited athletic participation opportunities for Latinx athletes. The study concluded with the implications of findings and recommendations for future studies.