Extending the Scholar Baller Model to Support and Cultivate the Development of Academically Gifted Black Male Student-Athletes

Abstract

Professional athletes and entertainers are often identified as the source of emulation for young males, especially Black males. With far less romanticized career representations than those in the athletic arena, many Black families foster, knowingly and unknowingly, a polarized path to elusive goals of a professional athletic career. Explicitly focusing on academically gifted Black males who are also athletically talented, gifted education teachers have an opportunity to support and cultivate dual identity development complement both athletic and scholar identities, acknowledging the cultural significance sport and athletics play. This article seeks to provide gifted education teachers with a framework to fulfill these goals—the Scholar Baller Model. Through its integration into the curriculum, gifted education teachers can enrich the pre-college experiences of academically and athletically gifted Black males, resulting in more positive convergence of their academic and athletic identities that will, in turn, cultivate more positive educational outcomes and career options for collegiate-level Black athletes.