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Black to the Future

Posted in New Posts, News on March 25th, 2012 by Jerald Wrightsil

Earl Monroe :Winston-Salem State 1967

 

The Aftermath:   Historically Black Colleges & the NCAA

 

On the eve of the NCAA Basketball’s Showcase, globally known as March Madness, brackets are established and the lines of competition are formally drawn.  One annual line item that is a consistently intriguing question for me is: “Why is it that the Historically Black Colleges always placed in a position that seems destined for failure?”  When is the last time that an HBC school won two (2) games in the NCAA tournament?  When is the last time that an HBC advanced into the round of 16?  Is that possibility even within the realm of being realistic in today’s sports climate?  The answer to that question is the obvious “NO”!

In an era of high stakes, complex economic, major tv rights NCAA sports, we must come to the realization that the NCAA has no economic value in even the existence of the once prominent list of Historically Black Colleges.  Sixty (60) years ago schools such as Grambling, Morgan State, Florida A&M, Howard, and Winston-Salem were the driving factor for every young African American aspiring athlete’s path to success.  Now, and its very well documented, that time has long passed these schools as the once off-limit universities finally realized that big time athletes equate into big time financial success for institutions across the nations.  Race is secondary to dollars!!!

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“Dough” To Go “Pro”

Posted in New Posts, News on January 20th, 2011 by Troy Miles

It’s a long arduous journey from little league performer to college athlete. It takes discipline, dedication, not to mention a heaping measure of talent and passion. After all, by the time an individual dons the jersey of his or her respective college institution, they have established themselves  as a top performer in their field.  Only the top 2% of  those participating at the high school level earn college scholarships.  Imagine what they would typically command (in salary) for being the top in any field– particularly when gaudy revenue numbers can be attributed to their association with the organization.  However, most college athletes are bereft of the opportunity to cash in on their chart-topping abilities– unless of course they are fortunate enough to play sports professionally.  What about the academic opportunity you might ask? Let’s talk about it.

Watch:  Pay for Play and        “Outside the Lines”

I absolutely believe a  full ride scholarship can be a powerful tool to help any individual upward mobilize. Unfortunately many student-athletes (athlete-students) are required to give an inordinate amount of energy toward their respective sport in order to maintain “scholarship” status–which goes beyond physically demanding practices.  For the vast majority, this takes away from their ability to maximize their academic and overall college experience.  Often times athlete-students are away from campus for days at a time representing and let’s face it… making money for the school.

If the scholarship is the so-called equitable compensation for their contributions to the athletic department, overall campus budgets and school brand, then there should be a system in place that allows for athlete-students to flourish in both milieus.

What if athletic scholarships were not concurrent with athletic eligibility?

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