Your Black Education: Student Athlete Pimps Ready For Another Season

The Sports MCs Present: The Saturday Huddle

By: The Sports MCs

BASN

Reprinted From Black Athlete

The approach of autumn leaves and pom - poms can mean only one thing: college football is back for another season of Pigskin Pimpin'.

And the prognosticators and perpetrators will, no doubt offer their take on which institution will get paid the most BCS money come January.

But what always seems to get lost in the sauce is the fact the machine that is college football keeps it crack - a - lackin' for everyone; except those most responsible for its success - the student - athletes.

Enter the MCs.

In our endeavor to flip the script, we plan to show some of the inner workings of this machine - and hopefully address some big - picture issues that will get some of the capitalist pigs to move over in the trough -- or least think twice before they oink!

Each week during the B.S. (that's BCS) season, we will touch on one aspect of the season. And since no time's better than the present:

The Sports MCs Present the "Flop Ten"

Thanks to the courtesy of our friend and colleague, Dr. Richard Lapchick, the vital statistic not showing up on game - day broadcasts is the graduation success rates of the 120 schools that comprise the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division 1 - A).

Dr. Lapchick, director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) out of the University of Central Florida and his staff have tracked and provided graduation rates for all the FBS schools for years, and publish reports as to progression and regression periodically.

The most recent report presented a study by TIDES entitled, "Keeping Score When It Counts: Assessing the 2007 - 08 Bowl - bound college Football Teams - Academic Performance Improves but Race Still Matters."

The findings do provide a good news / bad news scenario: In 2007, 88 percent of the schools that participated in bowl games had a graduation success rate of 50% or greater, up from 86 percent of schools since the previous study in 2006 - encouraging, indeed.

Now the bad news: a wide gap remains between white and African - American student - athletes, in spite of the upward numbers. "Quotes Lapchick, from this study: "Each year the most disturbing information in the grad rate study is the disparity between the graduation rates of African - American and white football student - athletes.

"While the graduation rates for African - American student athletes have improved, the disparity has persisted for years."

So why are the MCs looking to put this out on Front Street? To illustrate and emphasize one intrinsic truth - these cats need to get paid.

But not just paid; respected, as well. Another consistent theme Lapchick touched on in similar studies is the reality African - American student - athletes are not necessarily welcomed with open arms while at some of these schools.

Unlike at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) where a modicum of comfort and familiarity prevail in the learning process because certain goals are expected and accepted, a family with a talented student - athlete may want to consider schools where the striking a balance between athletics and academics is an inevitability instead of a vague possibility.

But, if after all that, you wanna see your kid on prime - time television 5 or 6 times a season...then gooooooooood luck, brother! Caveat emptor is in effect...

The Flop 10:

Here, in descending order, are the ten worst schools and their graduation success rates which participated in bowl games last year:

10. California (49%) Gummy Bears forget to wipe the Stick - um off their textbooks; we thought Cal - Berkeley was an academic jewel in the West - wrong!

9. Oregon State (47%) "Ward, honey - I think you were a little hard on the Beavers - in the classroom!"

8. Houston (46%) Don't envy Brother Man's situation down there; we hope new head coach Kevin Sumlin can garner some wins on the field and in the classroom.

7. New Mexico (45%) "How will the Wolf survive - when Los Lobos' student - athletes lose their eligibility?"

6. (Tie) Utah (41%) The "Runnin' Utes" seem headed in every direction except class.

6. (Tie) Alabama (41%) Looks like the Crimson Lied - about getting an education.

4. Michigan State (35%) Remember the Spartans? They failed World History!

3. Nevada - Reno (31%) Looks like the only Wolves at their door are teammates -- to pick up their playbooks.

2. Texas (30%) Hey - for a 10 million dollar payday, what's a few lives, more or less? "Hook 'em" indeed...

And, the Number One school in our Flop 10:

1: Georgia (29%) Number One in the pre - season BCS polls, these Dawgs have no bone to pick when addressing the sorry number of brothers graduating from their football team; because they're busy workin' their day job in that Red Clay of Sanford Stadium.

Flop 10 Matchups

Whooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Nellllly! Have we've got a rock 'em - sock 'em double dip of College Football this weekend:

Regional Flop 10 Coverage featuring the Michigan State Spartans versus the California Golden Bears:

Out West, the #4 ranked Spartans will be in their green and white (School gets the green while more of the white players graduate) and #10 Cal - Berkeley is resplendent in their blue - and - gold (Blue when the Brothas realize they've pissed their eligibility away; gold in the school's pockets).

But the marquee matchup for this week pits the Clemson Tigers against the #6 Crimson Tide of Alabama (more like Low Tide after you've peeped at those graduation rates)

Remember, College Football may live here; but higher education doesn't!

At BASN - Buttressing Academics is Second Nature!

sportsmc@blackathlete.com

Black College Football Coaches Are Gone

Dr. Boyce Watkins
http://www.boycewatkins.com/

I am sending out this article because the NCAA should be held accountable for the fact that African Americans are giving their lives and bodies on the field, but not given opportunities to be involved on the sidelines and in the administrative offices. The article below highlights this issue, as Miami's Randy Shannon is now one of only 3 African American coaches remaining in D-1 men's college football (the lowest total since 1993). Excuse my french, but this is a damn shame. With all our community gives on the field (the NCAA earns at least $1B per year from uncompensated African American labor), there should be opportunities off the field as well.

The NCAA has much work to do when it comes to fairness and equity. Please join our fight.

To join our Money advice list, please click here.

Boyce
http://www.boycewatkins.com/

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Miami's Shannon will be only black BCS coach, says things haven't changed

ESPN.com news services

Of the 65 coaches leading programs affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series, Miami's Randy Shannon is about to stand alone.

A week from now, he'll be the only black man in the group.

Miami coach Randy Shannon says mandating a graduate assistant job for minorities would help provide a more diverse base.

After Sylvester Croom resigned Saturday from Mississippi State, along with the recent firings of Kansas State's Ron Prince and Washington's Tyrone Willingham -- who'll coach his final game with the Huskies on Saturday -- Shannon is one of three black coaches left in major college football, and the only one at a BCS school.

The last time there were only three black coaches at the Division I-A level was 1993, and Shannon, who waited many years before getting his first legitimate chance at becoming a head coach, simply can't understand the lack of progress in bridging the sideline race gap.

"It's sad that we keep talking about the same things," Shannon told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Maybe Sylvester was tired. I know a year or two ago he had surgery on his hip or back. But after a while, you say to yourself, how much longer can we keep going just talking about this? We can't keep talking about the same issues every year."

And yet, at this time every year, the issue keeps coming back.

Bowl season hasn't even started, but already, some marquee jobs have come open -- and, in some cases, apparently been filled.

Tennessee will name Lane Kiffin as Phillip Fulmer's replacement on Monday, and ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel is reporting that sources say Clemson will promote interim coach Dabo Sweeney as soon as contract details are worked out.

One of the few black candidates believed to have legitimate interest from a BCS school that's changing coaches is Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who has been mentioned as a replacement for Greg Robinson at Syracuse. Buffalo's Turner Gill -- who, along with Shannon and Houston's Kevin Sumlin, is one of the three black coaches who have jobs for '09 -- is also thought to be a Syracuse candidate.

The only other prominent black assistant to be mentioned so far is Notre Dame offensive coordinator Michael Haywood, who reportedly was interviewed by Washington to replace Willingham.

Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches and Administrators, has said many times he'd like to see the number of black college football coaches get to at least 10 -- but now the total is headed the other way, even though nearly half of the players at the level formerly known as Division I-A are black.

Shannon, though, knows there's no easy solution. But he likes one idea.

"If they want to give minority coaches more of a chance, they should let there be three graduate assistants and one of them has to be a minority," Shannon said. "At least then, you'd be giving a minority coach a chance to develop. If you want to address the issue, allow a third spot to be a minority position and if you can't fill it, then you can't fill it. But give them a chance."

Gill told The Buffalo News for a story published Sunday that he always heard the same thing when he interviewed for various jobs before moving to western New York.

"Not the right fit," Gill told the newspaper. "The words 'not the right fit' can be looked at in several ways. Not to say that you weren't qualified but maybe they want a guy who's going to be there for four [or] five years or has a different offensive or defensive philosophy. There's so many different dynamics to the word 'fit."

In South Florida, diversity seems to fit.

Not only does Miami have a black football coach, it has a woman -- Donna Shalala, who served as secretary of health and human services under President Bill Clinton -- as university president. And, a black men's basketball coach in Frank Haith.

A few miles away at Florida International, Cuban-Americans serve as university president (Mitch Maidique), athletic director (Pete Garcia) and football coach (Mario Cristobal).
"It's a diverse community," Shannon said. "You can see every ethnic group in Miami. Coach Cristobal, he does a good job, and white, black, Hispanic, we've been this way for years in Miami.

It's a melting pot more than anything."

It's hardly that way everywhere. According to a recent BCA hiring report card, only 12 of 199 vacancies between 1996 and 2006 went to blacks.

But the need to label -- and track the number of -- minority coaches is still puzzling to Shannon.

"I think we all should be treated as coaches equally," Shannon said. "But it's just how society is. The minority deal is always going to be there."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report..

Will Swap The Black President For These Things

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Barack Obama’s voice booms high into the clouds as our nation’s president. But it is also a voice that is sometimes muted by policy, distorted by conflicting agendas and distracted by the complexities of the world in which we live. I find myself mildly disturbed by the excessive celebration within our community, as if winning this political popularity contest has somehow finally validated us as a people. It is scary when the measure of a Black person's success is captured by the degree of favor he has obtained with his historical oppressors. I will never believe that winning the White House is the greatest achievement in Black History, nor was it the greatest sacrifice. The greatest achievements were made by those who worked for us to be truly empowered and the sacrifice was made by those who died to clear President Obama’s path. Achieving prominence on the plantation is not nearly as meaningful as achieving independence.

Before we conclude that we live in a post-racial America, we must remember that many of the men and women who voted for Barack Obama would not be happy to see your Black sons dating their daughters. While we see that the White House has a Black face, we must remember that the majority of our nation’s most esteemed universities still only bring in Black people to dribble basketballs (if you went to college, count the number of Black Professors you had during your 4 years who were not in an African American studies Department). Most of the media outlets you watch on TV are controlled by people who are not Black, yet they consistently impact the self-perception of Black children by bombarding them with negative Black imagery (i.e. DL Hughley's new show on CNN). Most of our nation's wealth is controlled by the descendants of slave masters, with poverty being inherited by descendants of slaves. There is a lot of work to do, we can’t forget that.

So, while having a Black President is a wonderful thing, it’s not the most wonderful thing I can think of. I would GLADLY trade a Black President for any of the following:

Another Malcolm X – Malcolm is likely the most under-appreciated American in our nation’s history, since his legacy is not as amenable to the excessive commercialization and mainstream comfort of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King achieved political gains and Barack gave us the White House, both of which can be taken away in an instant. Malcolm gave us something far more permanent – our self-respect and desire for economic independence. Since America will never give Malcolm much respect, it is up to us to remember that he is every bit as significant as Barack Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr. We should all memorize Malcolm's birthday right now.

10 Black Warren Buffets – my good friend and wildly successful money manager, Bill Thomason, brought up an undeniable point: if we as African Americans do not get ourselves together financially, we will never have true power. America is a capitalist democracy, and we cannot forget that money makes this world go round. Rather than teaching our children to get jobs, we need to teach them how to CREATE jobs. Rather than trying to wiggle our way up the corporate ladder, we should be creating the buildings that the ladders lean against. Wealth is more powerful than racism any day of the week.

An era of enlightened and educated professional and college athletes – The Black male athlete possesses many keys to the economic and social liberation of Black America. Many HBCUs can’t pay the light bill, but Black Athletes earn at least $2 Billion dollars per year for universities that don’t hire Black coaches or Black Professors (March Madness, for which athletes are not paid, earns more ad revenue than the Super Bowl and the World Series COMBINED). The powers that be know the potential influence and reach of an educated and empowered Black athlete, which is why they work overtime to keep them uneducated: when many athletes come to college, coaches pick their classes for them and some can’t even read at graduation. They keep them focused on the bling so they will take their eyes off the prize. These young men are taught like sheep to embrace intellectual mediocrity so their handlers can earn fortunes at their expense. They are granted the greatest power in our society as long as they prove that they are unwilling to use it. If these men were to ever wake up and fight for something bigger than themselves (as Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown once did), it would be absolutely earth shattering.

A Quality Public Education System – Rather than declaring a War on Terror, we should declare War on inferior inner city education. Instead of bailing out the rich guys on Wall Street, we should be bailing out our children who are stuck in the preschool to prison pipeline. Hundreds of thousands of potential Barack Obamas are being tossed in an educational landfill every year, as Black boys are 5 times more likely to be placed in Special Education as White kids (I was one of those boys). This is a damn shame.

Complete Overhaul of the Prison System – If you ever want to see slavery in the 21st century, one only need look as far as our nation’s prisons. There is little effort to rehabilitate, and the impact on the physical health and socio-economic stability of the Black family has been devastating. President Obama and others should confront the prison industrial complex immediately and stop the human rights abuses taking place in our nation's prisons.

Now that people are saying that President Obama’s success implies that there is no more racism, our job becomes much more difficult. President Obama and others must be consistently asked to pull their weight so that we can get a return on our investment in the Presidential popularity contest. But while we expect President Obama to lead us, we must also remember that it is important to lead him as well. The fight is just beginning.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” For more information, please visit www.BoyceWatkins.com. To join the Dr. Boyce Money list, please click here.

Your Black World: Usain Bolt Fires Back At IOC President

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt showed he has a tongue almost as quick as his feet when he struck back at International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge for criticizing his showmanship.

Rogge chided Bolt for gesturing before he crossed the finish line when he broke the 100 metres world record last Saturday, saying he should show more respect to other athletes.

"The crowd loves it. They look for me to see me coming out. I just go out and give them a show," said Bolt, who won his third gold medal of the Games with another world record in the 4x100 relay on Friday.

"I always enjoy myself after the races and people love us. It's a great thing.

"It doesn't matter what anybody thinks or comments, 'cause I know I'm a fun lover and it's what I do.

"I please the fans and the fans love it. What I do I do for myself, my coach and the fans. I'm just showing my personality."

Bolt ran the third leg in Friday's relay, letting Asafa Powell carry the baton across the line, but he did not let his team mate hog the spotlight.

"Three gold medals and my three world records!," Bolt said.

"I asked the guys to give it to me and they came through.

"I told them 'let's go, we can do it' and they said 'we got your back.'

"All I can say is yo, Jamaican sprinters (are) taking over the world...

"We've always been the sprinters but we're going to tell them (the world) we're taking over forever."

Powell, who lost the individual 100 world record to Bolt this year, was also in a bubbly mood after Jamaica won five of the six sprint titles in Beijing.

"We're very excited to take the world record back to Jamaica. Jamaica is the sprint capital and we're going to keep every record," Powell said.

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