The influence of race on attitudes about college athletics

The questions of whether college student-athletes should be paid and/or allowed to unionize have generated a wide-ranging national debate. Public opinion on these issues is starkly divided along racial lines, with African-Americans dramatically more supportive than non-African-Americans. We posit that the race gap stems from fundamentally distinct mindsets. African-Americans view pay for play and unionization as mechanisms to enhance educational experiences and hence as a form of affirmative action. Non-African-Americans, in contrast, focus on the extent to which they enjoy the consumption value of college athletics. We present results from a nationally representative survey experiment that supports our expectations. We also find that non-African-Americans can be swayed to employ a more race-based lens on these issues, although this re-framing does not diminish the attitudinal race gap. We conclude with a discussion about race, sports and public opinion.