The HBCU movement IS A REAL..iLLUSION
While viewed as a step below, the negro baseball league competed with the MLB, talent-wise. Similarly, the HBCU’s when compared to division one college schools. However, a recent five-star commitment may change that. While other highly rated recruits will likely commit to HBCU’s in the future, is this the movement the black community wants? Find out why the HBCU movement is a real illusion.
In February of this year, our article “Branding, not talent, separates the XFL from the NFL” received blacklash from some viewers. This statement rings even more true for division one top 25 colleges and HBCU’s in terms of sports. It would be foolish to assume that only the best players make it to the best colleges.
In 1994 86 HBCU players were starting on opening day rosters in the NFL; since then, the numbers have steadily declined.
Yet the most famous HBCU player and Washington Redskins senior personnel executive Doug Williams has this to say in a 2016 article;Â
“No. 1, I think we as a league and as scouts have to pay a little more attention to the historically black colleges, maybe not like in the past before integration, but I still think you’re still going to come up with one, two, three or four guys that can play at this level.
“I know, since I’ve been in the administration part of it, that some of these scouts are inclined to give a guy at an FBS school who has not played at all more of an opportunity than a guy who’s played four years at a historically black college,” said Williams, who had a nine-year NFL career and was the MVP of Super Bowl XXII in 1988 while playing for Washington.
“I think what we have to do is don’t judge the school. We’ve got to start judging the player. It’s all about opportunity.”
With five-star basketball recruit Makur Maker signing to Howard recently, Professional scouts may begin to judge the player and not the school. However, is this what the black community wants? Yes, HBCU’s are in need of funding, and tv contracts would help alleviate them financially. HBCUs rely heavily on tuition to operate, but covid’s social distancing has made a financially fragile situation worse.
What other solution is there for HBCU’s to generate money besides generating income through sports? Is raising tuition a sound idea when the student loan crisis is a pandemic within itself?Â
On the surface, HBCU’s getting tv contracts for NCAA competition seem like a win. One, It helps financially struggling universities not depend on donations and tuition to operate. Also, the sense of comradery amongst blacks would foster and advance black empowerment.
On the other hand, HBCU’s are the last line of defense for the black community to show we’re more than entertainers And athletes. While Maker has bought national attention to the university, Howard is already one of the few Ivy league black schools.      Â
However, excelling at sports and entertainment hasn’t solved poverty, crime, racism, education, or any other issues plaguing our communities.
Take, for instance, the growing STEM field. During the science march of 2017 in Cleveland, ohio., Only a handful of black people were in attendance, while thousands of whites lead the procession. And when I say a handful, I mean that literally.Â
Or Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson using tax money to renovate the Q arena and rebuilding school gyms rather than put money in schools.
America has tricked black people into believing that sports and entertainment are more rewarding than learning a craft and getting an education. Yet we’re the last group of people that should follow this indoctrination. And remain on the bottom economically and politically despite our spending power. And this is why the HBCU movement is an illusion.
In conclusion, being a prisoner of the moment is often the fault of the youth—misaligned priorities. False arrogance from the child and elder division give us the drive to never reach our destination that we so desperately want. Black ivy league school is the last leg to showcase our intellectual and visionary brilliance that thousands of years of history already reveals. Let’s not trade it in for 15 minutes of fame or a hit of dopamine.
How can HBCU’s remain profitable without sports? Let us know in the comment section below.