The purpose of this qualitative research was to investigate the relationship among self-identified Black male National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) athletic directors and their lived experiences of career attainment through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). In addition to document analyses, this study used a phenomenological approach to answer two research questions. The first research question--referred to as "Factors Impacting Career" ("Factors")--asked what are personal, professional, social, and institutional factors that impact the individual career trajectories of Black male athletic directors? The second research question--referred to as "Strategies to Overcome Barriers" ("Strategies")--asked how do Black male athletic directors limit any actual or perceived barriers to their career development? Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were used to collect information from all (N = 12) of the FBS Black male athletic directors regarding their perspectives and perception of their credentials, and lived experiences. The results of the study revealed themes developed from the Gioia methodology. The finding of the study revealed three overarching dimensions that impacted the athletic directors' career trajectory. Allyship and nepotism were the two dimensions associated with "Factors" while networking with other minority leaders was the dimension associated with "Strategies". Pertaining to the "Factors" research question, the allyship dimension was supported by the emergent themes of mentorship and diverse network while the nepotism dimension was supported by the emergent themes of lack of privilege and cultural differences. Pertaining to the "Strategies" research question, the dimension of networking with other minority leaders was supported by the emergent themes of intrinsic motivation, gathering extensive experience, and being intentional about networking. Overall, the three overarching dimensions (i.e., allyship, nepotism, and networking with other minority leaders) and the seven emergent themes (i.e., diverse network, lack of privilege, mentorship, cultural differences, intrinsic motivation, gathering extensive experience, and being intentional about networking) advance the sport management field and CRT research by providing a deeper understanding of the perceptions and perspectives of some of the most powerful men in the sport industry who also happen to be Black. The study results may be used to understand the difference in opportunities in experience for Black athletic directors compared to white athletic directors. Implications reveal insights regarding Black athletic directors' challenges and limited opportunities--which confirm the hegemonic situation in sport leadership--and strategies for overcoming barriers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]