How Systemic Racism Shapes Access to Interscholastic Sports and Why It Matters

Abstract

ABSTRACT Interscholastic sports are an important resource that provides access to social, cultural, and economic capital; however, not all students have equal access to sports in public high schools. Utilizing theories of systemic racism, this study shows how racism affects housing and property taxes, which shapes resources provided in public schools. The authors use the example of interscholastic sports as a school resource to highlight another form of resource inequality in public schools. Findings reveal that public schools with more White students have more sports while schools with more Black students have fewer sports. Findings also reveal that public schools with more students on free lunch have fewer sports than schools with fewer students on free lunch. The authors argue that the lack of access to interscholastic sports is another way in which racial and class inequality is perpetuated in Miami-Dade County, Florida.