Participation in sport at elite levels requires long hours of intense and dedicated practice. Therefore, to rise to this level the participant must exhibit strong levels of commitment to their sport. The level of commitment necessary and importance the athlete assigns to their role as an athlete is critical to ascending to the level of an “elite athlete.” The degree to which the athlete identifies with, or view themselves in the role of an athlete has been termed Athletic Identity (AI) (Brewer, Raalte, & Linder, 1993). Historically the African American (AA) over representation in particular sports has been examined genetically, anthropocentrically, physiologically, and sociologically. The profusion of proposed explanations and examination of the idea of AA athletic superiority is a testimony to the complexity of this phenomenon. Title IX has brought to bear the importance of gender equity in opportunity to participate in sport and the quality of sport experiences for females. While athletic identity has been examined theoretically and empirically, few studies have explored the relationships and influence of race, gender. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between race, gender, athletic status and athletic identity. The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (Brewer, Raalte, & Linder, 1993) was administered to 324 college students. Analysis of variance of AI X race (2; AA, WA) X Gender(2; male, female) X athletic status (2, athlete, non athlete) yielded significant main effects of race (F(1,259)=9.880, p<0.002), gender (F(1,259)=12.584, p<0.000) and athletic status (F(1,259)=121.626, p<0.000). Additionally, there were significant interactions between race and gender (F(1,259)=5.136, p<0.024), race and athletic status (F(1,259)=4.796, p<0.030), and a significant 3-way interaction between race, gender and athletic status (F(1,259)=4.009, p<0.046). Results indicated an obvious outcome, that athletes had higher AI than non athletes. But interestingly that AAs had higher AI than White Americans (WA) regardless of athletic status. Overall, males had higher AI than females, but WA females had higher AI than AA females regardless of athletic status. Understanding the relationships between race, gender, athletic status, and athletic identity may yield revealing information that will help us to understand athletic superiority and participation patterns. Careful study of athletic identity has potential to provide yet another compelling perspective of these often debated issues.Keyword(s): athletics/sports, gender issues, multiculturalism/cultural diversity