Shayna Byers on racism in college softball at Oklahoma State

Shayna Byers on racism in college softball spoke with D'Asya Collier-Williams about unequal treatment at Oklahoma State University, racist remarks from teammates and a coach, and why she did not feel safe reporting what happened. Byers said she transferred to another school and only later began to recognize the impact of her experience.

Why did Shayna Byers choose Oklahoma State University?

Shayna Byers verbally committed to Oklahoma State University at 17 after a coaching change at the University of Tulsa, where she had first committed at 15. The chance to attend a school in a major conference appealed to her, but she said she had not considered whether the program would support her as a person.

Growing up and committing to the University of Tulsa

Byers grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and played high-level softball throughout her childhood. She said players around her were making college commitments at 12 or 13, a practice she noted the NCAA no longer allows. At 15, she committed to the University of Tulsa.

At the time, she knew more about schools in conferences such as the Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 Conference than she did about historically Black colleges and universities. She was also used to being the only Black girl, or one of two Black girls, on a team. She said she did not initially think of her race as a factor in choosing a college.

The move to Oklahoma State University

When the coaches who had recruited her left Tulsa, Byers reconsidered. A new coaching hire at Oklahoma State made it an appealing opportunity, and she verbally committed there at 17. Looking back, she said the significance of committing to a major-conference school outweighed questions she might otherwise have asked about the environment.

Her expectations went beyond playing time. Byers wanted support as she grew from an 18-year-old into an adult, and she was considering physical therapy school. She said she wanted to know whether the program would still care about her if she could no longer play softball. Byers put that expectation plainly:

You don't just see me as an athlete, you see me as a human being.

What did Shayna Byers say about her treatment on Oklahoma State softball?

Shayna Byers said she felt isolated from the beginning of her time at Oklahoma State, where she described herself as one of the first Black women to play softball in roughly 15 years. She said she faced harsher reactions than white freshmen who did the same things and received little acknowledgment when she performed well.

Byers described being yelled at in a way that felt personal rather than like ordinary coaching at practice. She also recalled entering the locker room without being spoken to and feeling as though people were acting like she did not exist. Over time, she said, the treatment began to affect her mentally.

Success did not change how she felt she was treated. Byers said she played well in fall games and scrimmages and was doing well in school, yet sensed that those achievements made little difference. What she had expected to be a place that helped her develop as both an athlete and a person did not meet that expectation.

What did Shayna Byers say about racist comments from teammates?

Shayna Byers said some Oklahoma State teammates made racist remarks to her face, including one occasion when a teammate used the N-word. She said it was the first time she had encountered people who were outwardly racist toward her, and that raising the issue with coaches did not lead to the response she needed.

Some teammates had grown up in rural Oklahoma communities and, Byers said, had not spent time around Black people. She had known that racism existed while growing up in Kansas, but described direct remarks from teammates as a different experience.

Byers said that when she brought a teammate's language to the coaching staff, she was treated as though she was bringing up race unfairly. She could not reconcile that reaction with what she said had been spoken to her. In her account, the lack of action made the remarks harder to address and contributed to her sense that the program was not listening.

What did Shayna Byers say an Oklahoma State coach said about Donald Trump?

Shayna Byers said a female assistant coach remarked during a team-bonding trip that Black people unhappy with Donald Trump could go back to Africa. Byers said the comment came in a van with several teammates shortly after Trump's election, leaving her stunned and unable to contact her mother until the trip ended.

The remark on the team-bonding trip

Byers was sitting in the back of the van with about eight teammates when, she said, the coach made the remark while talking to an older player. The van fell silent, and the others looked toward Byers. She recalled struggling to believe what she had heard from a member of the coaching staff.

Returning to campus without having called home

Phones had been taken away for the camping trip, so Byers said she could not call her mother that weekend. Once she returned to campus, she did not plan to tell her mother herself. Her best friend, who was also a teammate, did so instead.

The coach's position mattered to Byers. She had already described feeling singled out within the team; now, the person whose remark she needed to challenge was an adult with authority over her. Byers said that imbalance made speaking up feel uncomfortable.

Why did Shayna Byers feel unsafe reporting racism to Oklahoma State staff?

Shayna Byers said she did not feel safe bringing racist behavior to Oklahoma State's coaches or athletic director because of the power they held over her and their responses when concerns were raised. After her mother contacted the athletic director about the coach's van remark, Byers said she was told to speak to that coach herself.

Her mother's call and the meeting with the coach

Byers said her mother contacted the athletic director after hearing about the trip. According to Byers, his response was that she needed to address the assistant coach directly. She recalled going into that conversation frightened, with her voice shaking.

Byers said the coach denied meaning the remark and defended herself by pointing to her relationship with a Black man and the possibility that she would have Black children. Byers did not describe that response as reassuring. She saw it as another example of why the relationship between a young player and a coach made it difficult to raise concerns.

Recognizing the impact after transferring

Byers said the athletic director also minimized what had happened and urged her to be the bigger person. She began minimizing her experiences herself, she said, and did not fully take in their impact while she was still at Oklahoma State.

After transferring to another school, Byers started opening up about what she had gone through. Other people's reactions helped her recognize how troubling those experiences had been. She said there had been no point at Oklahoma State when she felt she had a safe place to express what was happening.