Similarly, African American men
have the highest rates of incarceration.
African American college athletes
graduate at rates 20-30 percentage points lower than their White counterparts
playing football and basketball.
Only half of all players in the NFL have graduated from college. Less so in the NBA.
As ESPN's 30-30 film Broke details, many professional
athletes are financial bankrupt within five years of the end of their
careers. And, though there are
plenty of examples of White men who end up broke, the majority on the list and
featured in Broke are African
American.
The NFL and NBA, leagues dominated
by African American men, are plagued by violence (in the last several months Jovan Belcher shot and killed the mother of his
child before committing suicide and Josh Brent (Dallas Cowboys) got into a car
accident while driving drunk that killed his teammate Jerry Brown). Gun crimes are high (including Plaxico
Burress who served time for shooting himself and Gilbert Arenas for bringing
his gun into the Washington Wizard's locker room). Child custody and support
actions continue among professional athletes. I note that Antonio Cromartie has
not only fathered 10 children with 9 different women but he had to get an
advance on his paycheck from the Jets in order to pay his child support. Terrell Owens is begging for work in
order to pay his more than $30,000 a month child support to several different
families, and former NBA star Dennis Rodman awaits a court ruling in the case
of his delinquent child support payments.
Yet, when a player is not only
successful on the field, but also stays out of trouble, has not been arrested, has
not fathered children all over the country, and took advantage of the college
education he could earn by virtue of his athletic scholarship, he is accused of
not being black or at least not Black enough.
That's right, Rob Parker a former
ESPN analyst said on Thursday, December 13, 2012 that Washington Redskin's star
rookie quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin, III is not black
enough. Why? Because he is articulate? As any college graduate should be. Because he hasn't thrown his money away buying a fleet of
cars and homes with bowling alley's and jewelry (bling-bling) he can't
afford? Because he isn't out
shooting up the club or "making it RAIN"
at 2 AM or beating up his fiancà © or fathering children all over the D.C. metro
area with different women?
It is one thing for White
commentators to continue to be captivated by this African American man who
projects a different image than the negative stereotype of the Black Athlete
(e.g. Cromartie, Burress, Dez Bryant), but when African American commentators
also seek to confine African American male athletes to a box that is
characterized by illegal behavior and insist that they behave as "thugs" in
order to hold on to their racial identity then something is very, very wrong.
Obviously R.G. III is new to the
league and there is plenty of time for him to get into trouble, which I hope he
doesn't. But from where I sit,
what I see is a young man who is an ideal role model for all youngsters hoping
to parlay athletic talent into a college scholarship and a professional career. R.G. III's message can be: get the
education you deserve, strive for success on the field, stay out of trouble,
invest your earnings wisely and you will be able to control your own destiny
rather than being controlled by it.
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