UMass Boston

Sport management, gender and race in sport, racism and other forms of oppression, higher education, qualitative research

PhD, Kinesiology, Sport Management and Policy, University of Georgia

MA, Exercise and Sport Science, Sport Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

BA, Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

BA, Recreation Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Cooper, J. N. (2019). From exploitation back to empowerment: Black male holistic (under)development through sport and (mis)education. New York, NY: Peter Lang. https://www.peterlang.com/view/title/68803?format=PBK
• Cooper, J. N., Corral, M. D., Macaulay, C. D. T., Cooper, M. S., Nwadike, A., & Mallery, M., Jr. (2019). Collective uplift: The impact of a holistic development support program on Black male former college athletes’ experiences and outcomes. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 32(1) 21-46.
• Cooper, J. N., Macaulay, C., & Rodriguez, S. (2019). Race and resistance: A typology of African American sport activism. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 54(2), 151-181.
• Cooper, J. N., Porter, C. J., & Davis, T. J. (2017). Success through community cultural wealth: Reflections from Black female college athletes at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) and historically White institution (HWI). Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 10(2), 129-156.
• Cooper, J. N., Nwadike, A., & Macaulay, C. (2017). A critical race theory analysis of big-time college sports: Implications for culturally responsive and race-conscious sport leadership. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 10, 204-233.
• Cooper, J. N. (2017). Strategic navigation: A comparative study of Black male scholar athletes’ experiences at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) and historically White university (HWU). International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 31(4), 235-256.
• Cooper, J. N., Grenier, R., & Macaulay, C. (2017). Autoethnography as a critical approach in sport management: Current applications and future directions. Sport Management Review, 20(1), 43-54.
• Cooper, J. N. (2016). “Focus on the bigger picture:” An anti-deficit achievement examination of Black male scholar athletes in science and engineering at a Division I historically White university (HWU). Whiteness & Education, 1(2), 109-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23793406.2016.1272627
• Cooper, J. N. (2016). Excellence beyond athletics: Best practices for enhancing Black male student athletes’ educational experiences and outcomes. Equity & Excellence in Education, 49(3), 267-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2016.1194097
• Cooper, J. N., & Cooper, J. E. (2015). “I’m running so you can be happy and I can keep my scholarship:” A comparative study of Black male college athletes’ experiences with role conflict. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 8, 131-152.
• Cooper, J. N., & Dougherty, S. (2015). Does race still matter?: A post bowl championship series (BCS) era examination of student athletes’ experiences at a Division I historically Black colleges/university (HBCU) and predominantly White institution (PWI). Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 8, 74-101.
• Cooper, J. N., and Hall, J. (2014). Understanding Black male student athletes’ experiences at a historically Black university: A mixed methods approach. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10, 46-63.
• Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2016). An anti-deficit perspective on Black male student athletes’ educational experiences at a historically Black college/university. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 19(5), 950-979. DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2014.946491.
• Cooper, J. N., Cavil, J. K., & Cheeks, G. (2014). The state of intercollegiate athletics at a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs): Past, present, & persistence. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 7, 307-332.
• Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2014). The transfer effect: A critical race theory examination of Black male transfer student athletes’ experiences. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 7, 80-104.
• Cooper, J. N. (2014). The value of qualitative approaches in the examination of Black male student athletes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 7(3), 361-376.
• Gawrysiak, E.J., Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. J. (2013). The Impact of Baseball Participation on the Educational Experiences of Black Male Student-Athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Race, Ethnicity, and Education,18(5), 696-722.
• Cooper, J. N. (2013). A culture of collective uplift: The influence of a historically Black college/university on Black male student athletes’ experiences. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 6, 306-331.
• Cooper, J. N., Gawyrsiak, J., & Hawkins, B. J. (2012). Racial Perceptions of Baseball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 37(2), 196-221.
• Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. J. (2012). A Place of Opportunity: Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at a Historically Black University. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 5, 170-188.
• Cooper, J. N. (2012). Personal Troubles and Public Issues: A Sociological Imagination of Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at Predominantly White Institutions. Sociology Mind, 2( 3), 261-271.

Joseph N. Cooper is the inaugural Dr. J. Keith Motley Endowed Chair of Sport Leadership and Administration at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston. Prior to UMass Boston, Cooper served as an associate professor at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the Sport Management program in Department of Educational Leadership and Neag School of Education. Cooper earned his undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Recreation Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), master's degree in Sport Administration in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science from UNC-CH, and doctorate in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport Management and Policy from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). His research agenda focuses on the intersection between sport, education, race, and culture with an emphasis on sport involvement as a catalyst for holistic development. He is also the faculty founder of Collective Uplift (CU), an organization designed to educate, empower, inspire, and support individuals to maximize their holistic potential both within and beyond athletic contexts. He has presented research at international, national, and regional conferences and published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, edited books, and op-ed contributions. As a result of his research, he has been cited in various media outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe, ESPN, Le Monde, ABC News, Yahoo, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. He is the author of From Exploitation Back to Empowerment: Black Male Holistic (Under)Development Through Sport and (Mis)Education (Peter Lang).

Honors/Awards

• 2019 UConn National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Youth and College Chapter Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2018 Sociology of Sport Journal (SSJ) Outstanding Early Career Research Award
• 2018 50th Anniversary H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center University Faculty Award
• 2016-2017 UConn National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Youth and College Chapter Image Awards Faculty of the Year
• 2016 Outstanding Early Career Scholar Award – UConn Neag School of Education
• 2014-2016 Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (JIIA) Article of the Year Finalist

Editorial Boards

• Coeditor – Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (JIIA) (2017-present)
• Member – International Journal of Sport Communication (IJSC) (2018-present)
• Member – Journal of Athlete Development and Experience (JADE) (2018-present)
• Member – Journal of Intercollegiate Sport (JIS) (2016-present)
• Member – Sport Management Education Journal (SMEJ) (2014-2017)

Associations/Committees/Outreach

• North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS)
• North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)
• American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)