I sit in my modest room of my campus apartment. I relax and take in a basketball game on ESPN featuring two nationally ranked boys’ high school teams. The arena is packed to capacity as the game is hotly contested between the two squads. I think to myself, “Why is it that at sporting events the community is in full support but when it’s something academic, people are missing in action?”
This growing trend of ESPN Rise 150 high school ballplayers and one and done college “student-athletes” is rather prevalent in the black community. In the past five years, we have seen many so-called basketball and football players who have gone on to play professionally but once those days are over are unable to live like the common man. I feel as though the black community has failed as a whole as to why graduation rates are low, test scores are low and why dropout rates are rising every day.
The perfect example was the 2005 film, Coach Carter. Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the film was vilified by the community for cancelling basketball practices and games because his students failed to excel in the classroom. The message was quite clear: African-American athletes not only need to excel in their sport of choice but also from and academic standpoint. He wanted to show them that it was more to life than just basketball. It’s also not surprising why many athletes claim fame and riches but end up broke because of not having a plan B.
According to a February 2010 report by the Austin American-Statesman, Texas ranked 43rd in graduation rates. The rate has been sliding since 2001 which was at 65 percent. Vermont was the highest at over 90 percent. The graduation rate will only become worse if the community doesn’t do its part and make education #1 in households because it is irreplaceable. In addition, it will cost the state of Texas $9.6 billion dollars over their lifetimes for high school dropouts.
Division I colleges are no better. They recruit black athletes solely on athletic ability. If he can run a 4.2 in the 40 yard dash or has a 45 inch vertical, he gets a “free” education in which the “student-athlete” doesn’t take full advantage of because he assumes he will be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. Oh yeah, and he’ll major in something easy like general studies or sociology. The parents of these up-and-coming athletes should be cautious and more involved in their child’s education because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
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