Out of Bounds explores the trajectories and challenges of exceptional men and women athletes who later became outstanding academic scholars. The book reports findings from participatory, qualitative research, and problematizes ways we have come to think about the separation and integration of athletic and academic practices – embodied in both institutions and individuals, and reflected through intersecting categories and experiences of race, gender, and social class. Through the provocative and surprising narratives of gifted athletes who became prolific scholars, this book offers significantly new ways of thinking about the connections, contradictions, and possibilities of sports and schools.