“I’m Sure He’ll Know His Stuff”: Student Perceptions of Critical White Allyship in Sport Management Education

Sport management researchers in the United States continue to study the social divisions shaping the field. This includes issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in sport management education, as undergraduate programs remain predominantly White and male in terms of students and faculty. This lack of diversity underscores the importance of promoting intersectional and multicultural perspectives within curricula. Given the demographics of the field, White male faculty play a crucial role as allies. However, to date, there has been scant investigation of student perceptions of critical White allyship through instruction and its effectiveness. Therefore, this article presents qualitative research on student perceptions of a White male faculty member’s instruction of a Women in Sport course. Results indicate student engagement with the deliberate ways the instructor worked to denaturalize his privileged identity and offer what students perceived as a credible pedagogical experience. Findings offer insight on how White male faculty can assess, critique, and improve their critical allyship.