The Community College Athletic Pathway: An Examination of Community College Athletes to an NCAA Division I Institutions

Objective: This study is guided by Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework and examines community college choice for athletes who eventually transferred to an NCAA Division I institution. Specifically, we aimed to answer the following research question: (1) What factors influenced college athletes’ decisions to enroll at a community college? (2) What experiences impacted community college athletes’ decisions to transfer to NCAA Division I institutions? Methods : Using a case study design, we interviewed 11 college athletes to understand their academic and athletic transfer pathway to a NCAA Division I institution. Based on our interviews, the following themes emerged: (1) college sports opportunities , (2) athletic steppingstone , (3) athletic transfer network , and (4) family influence. Results : Specifically, we found resistant capital was evident in our participants’ responses because their decision to enroll in community college was largely due to their desire to participate in sports after high school. Another central finding of this study is how many participants enrolled at community colleges with aspirations of playing at Division I institutions. Regarding our second research question, this study found how experiences with community college athletic personnel provided our participants with navigational capital. Our findings also reveal how familial capital influenced our participant’s decision to enroll in community college athletic programs and continued education at a 4 year institution. Conclusion : The authors provide recommendations to researchers and practitioners to further support and explore how community college athletes access NCAA Division I institutions.