Making the Honor Roll or Scoring a Touchdown? Ah, That Is the Question.
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NBA superstar Le Bron James
In 1988, Dr. Harry Edwards, Professor of Sociology at UC- Berkley, boldly affirmed, "The single-minded pursuit of sports, fame, and fortune is approaching an institutionalized triple tragedy in Black society." Edwards concluded that among the catastrophes, was, "the tragedy of cultural and institutional under development in Black society overall, partially as a consequence of the talent drain toward sports and away from other critically vital areas of occupational and career emphasis (medicine, law, economics, politics, education, the technical fields, etc)."
Nearly 20 years after Edwards' admission, educators are asking why a growing number of Black parents, are placing more emphasis on athletics than academics, resulting in more football players and fewer scientists and financial consultants. Sadly, in bringing this issue to the forefront, only a smattering of Black leaders have addressed this topic, which lead experts to contend, Academics vs. Athletics in the African-American Community has been suppressed in secrecy. Moreover, they argue it's time to bring this problem out of the closet, where it can be discussed candidly and without interruption.
As to why parents overemphasize athletics, experts maintain it boils down to one simple explanation, M-O-N-E-Y. African-Americans believe that only via professional sports, can a young Black male with poor academic skills, earn $10 million putting a basketball through a hoop.
As an individual who believes strongly in financial productivity, I understand the desire of many impoverished athletes to have lots of money, but under no circumstances should they rely solely on sports to strike it rich. This observation is shared by famed psychologist Dr. Alvin Pouissant. In a 1997 interview with U.S. News and World Report, the Harvard adviser was asked if Blacks place too much emphasis on sports. He stated rhetorically, "Too many Black students are putting all their eggs in one basket."
Historical Context
In 1946, Woody Strode and fellow U.C.L.A. All-American Kenny Washington, made headlines when they became the first Blacks to integrate the National Football League, courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams. With their prolific skills, the duo provided the stratagem, which made it possible for today's superstars to achieve athletic immortality. "For years Blacks were denied the opportunity to play sports. Now that we have been given the chance, we are criticized for encouraging our children in their pursuit of athletic excellence," says Coach Phyllis Kilpatrick. "There is something incredibly wrong with that perception."
Kilpatrick, a 39-year-old physical education teacher, believes racism and limited opportunity are the reasons behind the controversy. "Whether you agree or disagree, Caucasians have been known to obtain jobs based solely on their skin color, with Blacks it's just the opposite," she says. Kilpatrick noted that although it may be viewed as reverse racism, many believe that Blacks are athletically superior to Whites. "So it's only natural that if you're good at something, you should be financially compensated for your services," she says emphaticaly.
To reiterate, the emphasis on sports revolves around one pivotal incentive, money. Experts maintain that by delving into the academic aspect, more questions come into play. Such as does the average Black male believe he is more inclined to achieve economic success with his brain or athletic skills? Such logic brings to mind the controversy surrounding the 1994 best- seller The Bell Curve. Written by Charles Murray and Richard Hernnstein, the book implied that Blacks are intellectually inferior to other races.
No Education, But Plenty of Green Backs
"By refusing to stress the importance of a quality education, Blacks are saying that the theories inspired by The Bell Curve and other books of its genre, are correct in their assessment," Kilpatrick admits, adding that she has first-hand knowledge that many athletes are not making the grade when it comes to academics. "I get discourage when I ask a 16-year-old who can practically dunk a basketball with his eyes shut, to name the capital of Illinois, only to have him respond sarcastically, 'I don't know, and don't wanna know. Besides, I'm going to the NBA and get paid, so I don't need to know nothing about Illinois, the capital or anything that smells like Illinois."
Another problem confronting this controversy, is the belief that parents are unconsciously setting up their children for failure. Traditionally, youngsters who display exceptional talent in a particular sport, are encouraged to become the next Derek Jeter or Le Bron James. Experts maintain parents experiencing financial difficulties look at million dollar athletes and envision their children making similar fortunes.
But unbeknownst to them, parents are predetermining dreams that may never materialize, according to sports writer Scott Bakalar. "There are few people who have the talent of Michael Jordan. But there are high school seniors who feel they are capable of becoming superstars." Bakalar maintains he personally knows ten high school seniors who can barely read above the 4th grade level, yet they are placing all their aspirations on making it to the NBA and NFL. "But what happens if they are not drafted by any team?" he says.
Bakalar maintains there is nothing wrong with parents encouraging their children to play sports, but it must be done for the right reason. "Telling an athlete with poor academic skills to excel in sports as a means of becoming a millionaire is not idealistic," he asserts. " Anything can happen to stamp out that dream, including career ending injuries and other unexpected disasters. Then what do they (athletes) have to fall back on?"
To test the validity of this controversy, I conducted a random poll in which I asked 60 respondents if parents place more emphasis on sports than academics. The results were not surprising, with 83 percent agreeing that athletics is over emphasized and 17 percent disagreeing. So, should African-American parents stop telling their athletically gifted sons and daughters, that sports is their key to financial wealth? Just ask the thousands of athletes, whose dreams of becoming millionaires failed to materialize.
As for those who say that being rich and poorly educated is still better, in comparison to being smart and poor; experts argue that although they may have millions, money cannot buy intelligence. Unfortunately, when given a choice between attaining a quality education or earning $4 million running a football into the end zone. There is little doubt that an impressionable 17-year-old with dreams of Nike commercials, would gladly take the money. How sad, having $2 million in your bank account, but being unable to read a simple children's book, without getting confused by all the big words. Hence, to paraphrase William Shakespeare, Therein Lies the Tragedy.
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