Edwards, Harry. 2000.

“Crisis of Black Athletes on the Eve of the 21st

The article, “Crisis of Black Athletes on the Eve of the 21st Century”

discusses the issues that face black athletes as well as the black community.

Dr. Edwards offers his unique and professional perspective on this dilemma

in addition to possible resolutions. This article is descriptive in nature and

therefore did not contain any specific research or research components.

Dr. Edward’s begins the article discussing his passion over the last two

decades exposing the relationship between black youths and sports. Black

families and black youth have viewed sports as the primary vessel of

achieving economic prosperity and self- fulfillment. This has resulted in

black youth being pushed towards success in sports as a career; therefore,

which often results in the neglect of other aspects of development such as

personal and cultural.

Dr. Edward’s outlines three reasons for the development of these

circumstances. “(1) a long-standing, widely held, racist, and ill-informed

presumption of innate, race-linked black athletic superiority and intellectual

deficiency; (2) media propaganda portraying sports as a broadly accessible

route to black social and economic mobility; and (3) a lack of comparably

visible, high-prestige black role models beyond the sports arena”(Edwards

2008: 9). The result of these circumstances affects the youth, the black

community, as well as society. Countless black youth spend time and energy
striving to achieve a level in professional sports that only small amounts

actually ever achieve. This causes them to be under developed culturally as

well as personally which in turn, negatively affects the black community and

society as a whole, because they are not able to contribute fully to either one

due to underdevelopment.

While young black athletes and their families are pushing them to

achieve in sports as a means to achieve wealth, Dr. Edwards points out that

important factors such as the black community, social issues, and higher

institutions of education are not aligned; therefore, causing imbalance,

uncertainty, and limited opportunities. The infrastructure of the black

community is damaged and hence has contributed to the deterioration of life

chances and choices for black youth. Traditionally and historically the black

community has been held together by the functionality of institutions such as

the black family and black church, and education (Edwards 2008). However,

when these institutions fail and join with, “Legacies of anti-black racism and

discrimination in America, the erosion or elimination of civil rights gains such

as affirmative action, and structural economic shifts in the broader society to

generate the epidemics of crime, drugs, violence, gangs and gang warfare”

(Edwards 2008:9), the effects are dire to black youth as well as the black

community. They create an environment of despair, depression, and

hopelessness that currently surrounds large segments of black society.

black males. Black males in the age group 16 to 29 nationally make up 25%

under the control of courts. In this same age group, one-third of all deaths

are homicides. The ages between 16 and 29 normally represent the time for

career establishment and personal growth and development; however, black

males in this age group are declining, “As a proportion of the population in

virtually every institutional setting (e.g. higher education, the workforce, the

church) save the prison system” (Edwards 2008: 10). In essence, this affects

the participation of black athletes in sports as well as life.

There have been two significant regulations at the collegiate level that

also affects the participation of black athletes, Proposition 48 and Proposition

42. It has already been established that black athletes normally concentrate

on sports and consequentially do not achieve academically and are not able

to compete when it comes to the classroom. Proposition 48 requires that

before any athlete can participate at the division I level, a minimum SAT

score of 700 or ACT score of 17 and achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in high

school in at least 11 core courses (Edwards 2008). This essentially reduced

the number of black athletes that would be eligible to participate in sports at

the collegiate level.

Statistics show that during the first two years of Proposition 48

enforcement (1984-1986), “92 percent of all academically ineligible

basketball players and 84 percent of academically ineligible football players

overwhelmingly the athletes that are affected are black athletes.

Proposition 42 was passed in 1989 by the N.C.A.A. and essentially

supported and made stronger what was began with Proposition 48.

Proposition 42 denied financial aid during the freshman year of college to

any athlete who did not meet eligibility requirements under Proposition 48.

As Dr. Edwards (2008) states, “This regulation disproportionately affected

black athletes, since they numbered disproportionally among Proposition 48

causalities”. The significance of both of these regulations is as Dr. Edwards

(2008) declares, “Limit the opportunities-both educational and athletic- that

would otherwise be available to black youths”.

The trend of declining black participation in sports is also discussed.

Due to increase ticket prices, ticket sales to professional sporting events by

blacks have decreased over the years. This results in young black athletes

especially from low socioeconomic backgrounds not being able to watch or

have access to professional sports. The ultimate effect is decline in interest

and participation in the sport. This point is crystallized in the profession of

professional baseball. Dr. Edwards (2008) estimates that approximately 14

to 17 percent of major league baseball players are black. Also, ticket sales

to major league baseball games by blacks is only one percent. Surprisingly,

on the fiftieth anniversary celebrating the race barrier broken by Jackie

Robinson his, “Former team had the same number of black players on its
roster as it did the day that he fast stepped on the field in a Dodger uniform-

ONE”(Edwards 2008: 12)!

The picture that Dr. Edwards has painted thus far is grim for the young

black athlete, and in general to the young black. He has illustrated that the

“golden age” of black participation in sports is near if not possibly over. This

is exemplified by the rate of disqualification, jailing, and death of potential

black athletes and possibly career professionals. However, he does offer

resolutions to the dilemma.

Dr. Edwards believes that any possible solution must include improving

the state of the black community and create more opportunities for black

youth in society. Any proposal that falls to include both of these elements is

unsatisfactory and sure to fall short of success. He also outlines four other

proposals. The first is to have access to sports programs in communities.

This includes having parks and community recreational areas that are safe,

secure, and supervised for children to participate in sports. Second, the play

areas referenced previously should have mentors such as counselors,

teachers, religious leaders, etc. to advise and tutor the youth. Third, obtain

job and apprenticeship opportunities through networking with government

and private companies. Last, have students that can come in and express

and discuss with the participating children how sports can help achievement

in other areas of life and goal attainment (Edwards 2008).

constructively, and proactively pursue sports involvement” (Edwards 2009:

12). Most importantly, he cries out for black youth and their families to

realize the potential dead end of sports participation. To grasp that just as it

is a vessel to overcome poverty, it can also be a vehicle driving on a dead

end street.

This article is best related to the subfield of sociology of sport. It clearly

draws attention to the problems that are faced by black athletes. They are

being put at a disadvantage by their communities, schools, and society.

Issues in American society that possibly shaped this article include the small

amount of blacks in sports such as baseball or the declining amount of black

college graduates compared to the amount that are in the penal system.

In closing, the article was highly informative on the current condition of

the black athlete as well as the black community. It highlighted key areas for

improvement and emphasized the fact that textbooks should prevail over

playbooks. In the article, Dr. Edwards did not reference one specific

theoretical perspective. However, I feel the central issue in the article is

discussed from the conflict perspective. Societal and institutional forces as

illustrated by Dr. Edwards have played a major role in the declining state of

the black athlete.