Judging a Book by Its Cover: Examining the Role of Race in the Intercollegiate Athletic Recruitment Process
Amanda L. Paule, Ph.D.

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the role of race in the Division I intercollegiate recruitment process. How does a person’s skin color impact whether or not he or she is recruited to play collegiate sport? Further, does the race of the coach factor into this process at all? Through in-depth qualitative interviews with 25 Division I head and assistant coaches, insight was gained into this important issue. The interview transcripts were analyzed in line with Patton’s (1990) strategies for data analysis. Triangulation was employed to ensure trustworthiness of the results. The results showed that while majority of the coaches said the recruitment process was “raceless”, there were some coaches who discussed this issue. Differences in the predominance of athletes of color on teams, the issue of Whiteness, stereotype threat, and stacking in the recruitment process were all explored in this study.

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