From my experience in the professional space, I find that although people LOVE professional athletes and admire us, it is always hard to be taken seriously beyond the sport. I've always said sports is the universal language of empowerment, unless you are actually an athlete then somehow your voice and experiences seem to matter less.
In my pursuit to compete professionally on both the world stage and in the corporate setting, I have had to consistently work twice as hard as my counterparts (non-athletes) to prove I deserve to be in that space—even with an Ivy league education and impressive resume of accomplishments. Don't get me wrong, there are many people in these spaces who clearly see my work ethic and value my ability to transfer my skill set but for most people it is impossible to see me as equally capable at both—and at the highest level. I experienced this as a student-athlete at Columbia as well, despite my academic accomplishments (Capital One Academic All-American) the moment someone found out I was also one of the top athletes in the NCAA for my event (4-time NCAA All-American), I somehow became less capable of being a great student in their eyes.
Over the years however, I have learned that not everyone will see my value and or appreciate my talent. That said, that shouldn't affect how big I dream and my drive to do more and do it well. There are people out there like myself who are multi-talented and able to succeed at the highest level in various things simultaneously and we should not be faulted for that simply because of someone else's inability to see that it is in fact possible. Thoughts?
@Imani Oliver @Akua Obeng-Akrofi @Ashley Kelly
I think one reason may be because of the stereotypes of athletes that are passed around. For example.. athletes are dumb, athletes get into schools only because of their sport, teachers pass athletes because they are the star of the team, that person was only hired because of their athletic accomplishments, etc. These all lead people to believe that athletes are incapable of doing anything well outside of sports.
I also think it is because society so consistently portrays people from 1 dimension and sticks people into groups. You can't be an Olympian, AND a scholar, AND an artist, AND a social activist... that's too many different groups. Choose 1 and we will label you as that. So when you excel in sports, people view that as the only thing you can do because of stereotypes they've heard/seen and also because that is the label they want to use for you. How can you be an athlete and a CEO? Impossible. But if you do somehow end up doing both those things, society will say you are only a CEO because your athletic accomplishments got you there, not because your research, work ethic, passion, talent, and energy in that field.
I think the more athletes that portray themselves as more than their sport and excel in multiple areas, the more that people will see us as multidimensional and believe that we are capable of excelling outside of sport also.
So let’s have an honest conversation as to why the idea of a uni-dimensional athlete is actually is way more offensive and trifling when compared to other professions and arenas-and why the continued failure to assume an athlete‘s identity as just that- is an intentional mechanism of racism in this country.
It’s quite typical for someone to a compartmentalize or judge based on tradition or schemas of the roles people play in the world and in society. Psychologically, it is the way people take in information and judge inputs that inform perceptions and behaviors. In short, I don’t think it’s offensive for people to perceive individuals in this way, at least upfront. What is truly offensive is the denial of humanism in athletes, particularly black athletes. Truth be told, when it comes to perception, white athletes do not face the same challenges. It is not uncommon for a sports announcer to make notice of a high achieving performance of a white athlete versus a black athlete. It’s not unusual to hear of a white athletes philanthropic efforts or charities compared to their black counterparts. What is at play here is the true persistent denial of black people’s humanity and individualism. In the United States, black people make up the majority of athletics in this country. The continued effort to ignore black individuals is another mechanism of race in this country.
There is a huge myth about the talent and abilities of elite athletes and many times people do not want to see the full person and potential when engaging with an athlete. It has been incredible to see the efforts of athletes involved in the More Than A Vote initiative and I'm hopeful that these types of campaigns can not only achieve their stated mission but also change the perceptions of athletes and their full impact in all spaces they use their talents!
Okay, let’s unpack this because I feel like there’s levels to it.
Firstly, most of us have been told that as a person of color you’ll have to work twice as hard to get half as far in comparison to our white counterparts. So like someone else mentioned, I think that struggle specifically has more to do with racism and privilege than anything else. Corporate America systematically favors the white man regardless of ones capabilities or qualifications.
Which brings up my second point - we are women (at least in reference to the people who have commented so far). And the uncomfortable truth is that we are still not seen, represented or treated as equal in the workplace.
In regards to not being taken seriously as athletes, I think that has more to say about the individual who views us in that light. Those who aren’t able to comprehend the idea that others ARE capable of excelling in multiple roles simultaneously are only exposing/trying to deflect their own incapabilities.
When I was working in corporate America, I didn’t experience the same struggles and the fact that I was an athlete didn’t hinder my upward mobility. I think that’s simply based on the fact that the company I was working for was owned and operated by women and people of color.
I agree with much of what has been said. I think a large part of it stems from the fact that we are viewed from the lens of entertainers. We are performing in ways/at a capacity that your average person can’t and it‘s that aspect that makes us seem so amazing in this space. BUT once we step out of the spaces of competition, employers measure people against commonplace skills largely based on experience. Unfortunately, the strict qualifications that are mapped out in the workforce don’t leave room to connect how the skills we pick up as an athlete are transferable.
What I found interesting was that when I first started interviewing for positions after college, the only people that valued my student athlete experience were other former student athletes. For this reason and the numerous stereotypes about college athletes, I removed my athletic experience from my resume. It’s a shame because I know that there are employers out there that understand the importance of being a student athlete, but at the end of the day it’s a bit of a catch-22.
It's interesting. I think the further removed you are from your athlete experience the less you lean on it in corporate settings as a way to differentiate yourself and get yourself in the door. From my experience I think at that point your athlete background or relationship/interest in sports can be something that can help you share common ground with those you are interviewing with or that you have as colleagues, because at the end of the day we are all still people and it can just become one of many points or interests to grow relationships with colleagues beyond just professional, and I do believe there is that desire to connect with those you spend so much time with beyond what can be just a unidimensional work perspective.
I've experienced comments from colleagues and professionals who have voiced beliefs that athletics is the sole reason minorities and people of color are even capable of making it into elite institutions and prominent professional opportunities. I truly believe that that kind of limiting view towards student and professional athletes has more to say about that individual, and their lack of exposure to diverse and multi talented individuals that know how to practice and exercise discipline to finetune their skill sets, elevate it, and apply it to any setting where there is that expectation to perform - athletic or otherwise. I think it's up to you how you want and choose to capitalize on your athletic experiences with the skills and method of execution it has instilled in you for how you deliver in any setting.