Race and Student-Athlete Status: Peer Appraisals of Academic Skills, Intelligence, and Favorability

This online experimental study examined the roles of race and student-athlete status in college student perceptions of peers’ academic and intellectual skills and favorability. College student participants (n = 376) were randomly assigned to view a photograph (i.e., Black student-athlete, Black non-student-athlete, White student-athlete, White non-student-athlete) then rated the academic skills, intelligence, and favorability of the respective condition target. Moderation analyses revealed that White student-athletes were appraised as having higher study skills, academic motivation, and problem-solving abilities than White non-student athletes. Moreover, Black student-athletes were rated as less intelligent and less favorable than Black non-student athletes. Results suggest student-athlete status may be an advantage for White studentathletes, but a disadvantage for Black student-athletes in terms of peers’ academic, intelligence, and favorability appraisals relative to same-race, non-athlete peers. Findings imply that Black and White student-athletes likely face different campus experiences, wherein student-athlete status may pose risks of prejudiced peer evaluations and a potentially hostile campus climate for Black students.