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Past research is held to indicate a consistent relationship between participation in interscholastic athletics and educational orientations. This research is said to focus specifically on the "athletic success". Athletic success should be a stronger facilitator of the mobility attitudes of black youth, it is argued, because sports is fast becoming a viable avenue of mobility for blacks in the U.S. The data for this study come from a statewide probability sample of Louisiana high school seniors, collected in 1970. Variables incorporated in the analysis include socioeconomic status, scholastic performance, significant-other influence, athletic success, and educational aspirations. The results of a partial correlation and regression analysis are said to indicate that athletic success is significantly related to the educational aspirations for only the black respondents. This finding, along with others, is considered to lead to the conclusion that the student-athlete role provides behaviors that lead to higher-status educational orientations primarily for black youth; white youths' aspirations appear to develop more so in terms of relationships posited in current models of status attainment. Some suggestions are presented which modify achievement models for black athletes, and several alternative research strategies are outlined. (Author/JM)