A personality profile of the Black athlete in college football.

55 college football players were categorized by race (Black, White), position (offensive lineman, offensive back, wide receiver, linebacker, defensive lineman, defensive back), and classification (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). Each S completed a battery of psychological tests comprised of the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the California F-Scale of Authoritarianism, a locus of control (LOC) scale, and an ad hoc test on attitudes about mental determinants of athletic competition. Statistical comparisons showed that White Ss scored higher on the vigor dimension of the POMS, Black seniors tended to be more authoritarian than White seniors, and Blacks were more likely to be external and chance oriented on the LOC than Whites. It was also shown that Black Ss attributed less significance to the mental aspects of athletic competition than did Whites. Blacks more than Whites believed that physical rather than mental factors dictate success in athletic competition; this finding was consistent with Black Ss' predilections toward external chance perceptions of causality. Blacks were seen as more likely than Whites to ignore internal emotional and motivational referents and deal with competitive situations in isolation. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

A personality profile of the Black athlete in college football. Academic Article