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November 15, 2005
Panel discusses roles and responsibilities of Black male student athletes
The Black male athlete is everywhere in American societyąin advertisements, on MTV’s Cribs, creating scholarships, making movies, and, of course, playing sports. But who are Black male athletes? Why are there so many? How did the portrayal of black male superiority in athletics evolve? These are some of the questions that the members of the NCORE Network sought to answer at a panel discussion last Monday entitled “The African-American Male Athlete: Talented Athlete, Cherished Hero or Spoiled Celebrity.”
The panel was comprised of LaRue Pierce, Assistant Dean of Students at St. Olaf College; Larry
McKenzie, basketball coach at Patrick Henry High School; Erick Goodlow, a HU alumnus (’93) and former football player; Kwame McDonald, a local sportswriter and host of a cable sports TV show; and R.J. Allen, a basketball player at Concordia College.
The discussion proceeded as film clips were shown and commented on by the panel members. One of the prominent themes drawn from the discussion was an idea that sports are portrayed as the only means that a young Black man can make himself successful.
McKenzie said “ultimately, those young men want to be the best that they can be, and they see the best that they can be as Kevin Garnett, making $126 million a year.” The idea was also brought up that young men will look to sports as a way to fit in, and to make themselves more than just another number in the school system.
Another common theme throughout the presentation was the tendency of both the American public and press to be overly critical of Black men in high-profile leadership positions within a team, such as quarterback or center. The notion that white managers who control teams are shaken when Black athletes think of new and better ways to play the game was addressed by McDonald. He said, “We’ve got to start thinking for ourselves. Think independently and [don’t] let ourselves be put [into] a little box.”
Allen addressed the final theme by saying that academics often take a back seat to athletics in American colleges, especially for Black athletes, saying, “[the coaches] take advantage of you; you have to take advantage of them and get your education.”
The panel was in a general consensus that the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the students to see that they make the most of their college experience. McKenzie said “There are more penalties for missing lifting weights than there is for missing class.” He continued by cautioning Black athletes to “use the game; don’t let the game use you.”
The evening didn’t focus entirely on the panelčthere was substantial audience participation in the evening’s discussion. When time constraints forced the formal discussion to close, many audience members stayed and were able to talk with the panelists.
Whether or not the audience decided what role Black male athletes should have or how they should be portrayed is difficult to say, but the topic is by no means stagnant.
Posted by msveum at November 15, 2005 11:48 AM
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