Ezinne Ofoegbu

Investigates how Black women athletes at predominantly white institutions experience identity, belonging, and interpersonal relationships within often unwelcoming athletic and academic environments. Reveals that these athletes actively build community and supportive networks to resist isolation and sustain their well-being while navigating racialized and gendered expectations.

Interrogates how exploitation in college athletics is understood, particularly how existing scholarship may overlook the lived experiences of Black student-athletes and the relational dimensions of harm. Argues that exploitation in college sports is not only structural but also embedded in everyday relationships and interactions, requiring a Black feminist lens to more fully capture and address these dynamics.

Examines the experiences of Black student-athletes at predominantly white institutions and how they respond to racial isolation, marginalization, and institutional constraints. Shows that Black student-athlete organizations function as counterspaces that provide support, cultural affirmation, and collective empowerment while challenging dominant campus and athletic environments.

Explores how individuals and communities sustain resilience and well-being during periods of intense uncertainty and social disruption. Illustrates that the pursuit of joy and happiness can function as a coping strategy that helps people endure hardship while fostering connection, meaning, and emotional strength.

Analyzes how college athletics programs publicly responded to the murder of George Floyd and the broader racial justice movement, focusing on the messages they communicated and the expectations they set. Reveals a gap between institutional statements and meaningful action, showing that many responses relied on symbolic messaging rather than sustained structural change.