David K. Wiggins.
In the midst of the excitement of March Madness, David Wiggins is taking time out to examine another — not so pleasant — side of NCAA athletics.
Assistant dean of Mason’s School of Recreation, Health and Tourism in the College of Education and Human Development, Wiggins will discuss “Strange Mix of Entitlement and Exploitation: The African-American Experience in Predominantly White College Sport” in the next Vision Series lecture.
He will give the talk on Monday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center Gregory Family Theater on Mason’s Prince William Campus.
Admission to the lecture is free and no tickets are required. An informal reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation.
The first African-Americans to participate on predominantly white university campuses in the late 19th century experienced much success on the playing field, in the classroom and in their later careers, Wiggins says, though they confronted the same kinds of racial insensitivity and discrimination as did other members of the black community during this time period.
Later, when a win-at-all-cost mentality developed in college sports, African-Americans were exploited for their athletic abilities while enduring social isolation and being denied sufficient academic support to realize a quality education, Wiggins explains.
Beginning in the 1980s and continuing up to the present, the NCAA has responded with legislative reforms that “seemingly bring some sanity back” into intercollegiate athletics and establish more stringent academic guidelines for all athletes, Wiggins says. However, he argues that the reforms serve to maintain eligibility rather than to ensure a quality education.
Wiggins is an expert in the history of sport, particularly as it relates to the involvement of African-Americans. He is the author or co-author of “Glory Bound: Black Athletes in a White America” (1997); “The Unlevel Playing Field: A Documentary History of the African American Experience in Sport” (2003); “Sport and the Color Line: Black Athletes and Race Relations in Twentieth-Century America” (2004); “Out of the Shadows: A Biographical History of African American Athletes” (2006); and “Rivals: Legendary Matchups that Made Sport History” (2010).
Wiggins, who has a PhD from the University of Maryland, is also co-director with John Nauright of Mason’s new Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure in Society.