Black Male Community College Student-Athletes

With Warren Hartenstine’s article in The Baltimore Sun, he is responding to Paul Marx article “Athletes New Day,” with stating the disagreement of facts that Mr. Marx represents about the graduating student athletes. The explanation of the article explains all of the resources student athletes have to succeed while playing the sport. The graduation rate in 2011 was up by 59 percent, 61 percent were women and 56 percent were men (The Baltimore Sun). With these facts there is an explanation that some student are enrolled as “exceptional admits” but there are tutoring programs and the success rate shows that it is working. While in school Hartenstine has the insight to this topic just because he did play Division I football and had the inside look to graduation and success rates as a assistant dean. With more explanations of how the NCAA has scholarships that pay for rooms, tuition, books, and even money for laundry every month. Warren Hartenstine wants players to have discipline and success while being college athletes and within this article he tries showing this explanation.

In the book titled Race, Sports, and the American Dream, it discussed how sports helped change the place of African-American in society. “Sports was well segregated deep into the 20th century” (Smith 9). How college football looked in America in the 1950s was exactly how American society looked in the 1950s, segregated and racist. African-American athletes in college football helped fight and negate stereotypes because it showed that they are equally as good

In 2010, the United States Secretary of Education Mr. Arne Duncan demanded that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) clean-up their act due to the declining graduation rate for athletes, particularly African-American males. According to the Harper’s study, at 50 of the most prominent colleges, on the average, African-American males made-up approximately 2.8% of the undergraduate class overall (Harper 4). However, they made-up approximately 57.1% of the football players and approximately 64.3% of the basketball players (Harper 4) with an average completion rate of six-years (Harper 4). As a result, many college coaches and academic administrators started to encourage African-American male athlete-students to major in less demanding degree

Next, “There is a large debate regarding why Black males are overrepresented in categories associated with negative behavior. The experiment conducted on this negative stereotype explored the influences on environmental lack of economic resources, social and political aspects related to academic performance of black males. The environment and culture can help shape the male’s performance. Resolutions to the many issues listed above are a work in progress. Organizations which include educators, parent and youth service providers are combining their energy to diffuse and redirect the matter. “The Trouble with Black Boys: The Role and Influence of Environmental and Cultural Factors on the Academic Performance of African American Males”, (Noguera ,2015 p.1).In brief, on the

Being able to see an African American athlete on T.V sounds unbelievable. A high percentage of the youth go through their entire childhood hoping and dreaming of becoming a legacy just like the people on T.V. Unfortunately, not everything they see on T.V is true and becoming like those people on T.V is nearly impossible. Therefore, the representation of African Americans in professional sports has had a positive impact in the trajectories of black adolescent’s academic readiness and pursuits. This is due to professional athletes serve as an example to young African American men. In addition, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requires players to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, African American athletes

Black student-athletes are taught to value sports over academics at a young age because it is seen as the “only way out”. Black student-athletes are heralded for their athletic prowess from middle school up, so they begin to focus less on their education and more on their sport. Unfortunately, so do the teachers. Black student-athletes are more often than not just given passes, as schools value what their athletic abilities could do for them over the academic success of the athlete. Even normal black students can be seen the same way just because of the perception that they might be an athlete. The sad truth is that the athletes that don’t make it to the professional level are left without the education needed to be successful.

The role of the family value system in influencing Black male athletes appears to be less important than that of White male athletes. Although the Black community makes up 12% of the collegiate population, only 3% of those have a Ph.D. and only 6.7% have a Bachelors degree, (Hu, 2004:1). The value system in African American families appears to be focused more on immediate gratification, rather than education, which seems to be a bigger value in White families. Basketball players White vs. Black have some goals to meeting in order to become successful in the sport of basketball. There are some influences that make some of the White and Black

Jolley, D. (2009). Academic Achievement Is Improving for College Athletes. In C. Watkins, Sports and Athletes (pp. 71-78). Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

When looking at the topic of academic success of African American student athletes you need to look at all the factors involved. The problems that African American student athletes face are much the same that all African American students at higher education institutions face but the student athletes have other stressors that the normal students do not have. Such as In addition to the daily student routine (attending classes, going to the cafeteria, and participating in social events), student athletes also have their sport-related activities (practicing every day, visiting the athletic trainer for injury treatment, traveling for away games, studying team plays) (Watt, Moore 2001).

Literature surrounding athletic participation and its impact on the college experience is well documented (LaForge & Hodge, 2011). Many scholars purport that athletic participation enhances the academic experience, while others argue that it creates a divide between colleges’ missions and student-athletes lived campus experiences. To support this claim, Lawrence, Henedricks & Ott (2007) found in their study that nearly one-third of faculty who responded to their survey indicated that they believed that academic standards are lowered to achieve success in the sports of football and basketball. One question that is often posed by

For these students, their academic pursuit is warded off by negatives such as being underprepared for college and not ready for the rigor of college academics (Reynolds, Lacey, Dawlah Fisher, and Kenyatta Cavil). A large portion of young black children are not going to be prepared for college life because of the athletic environment that they are placed in at a young age. College is commercialized in every aspect of the experience. Thus, for millions of black youth who aspire to becoming a professional athlete as a major goal, education matters only to the extent that maintaining eligibility to participate in sports in elementary and secondary schools through college is necessary in order to fulfill externally imposed requirements (Marvin, Dawkins). Today’s generation of a good grade is a 70 or higher. A child can carry that type of mind-set throughout their entire school experience until college approaches. The school systems are settling for mediocre and colleges are expecting exceptional. School, media, and surroundings of the young generation create this visual of these hopeful children getting into a college through athletics and mediocre academics.

This study sought to support and add to the literature related to African American Male Theory (AAMT). I have a strong desire to see all students succeed, but I have an even greater desire

There are these ongoing stereotypes that student athletes are “dumb,” “lazy,” and “privileged.” It’s understandable that people believe these stereotypes, news magazines and reports are always talking about how athletes are “coddled” and “cheat” their way to success. Though it is nowhere near true for the majority of student athletes, a select few situations encourage this negative categorization of us, thus putting student athletes under even more pressure to perform. Student athletes are constantly misjudged and the assumptions are affecting us.

The researchers included both a hypothesis and research questions. They stated a hypothesis, however it is a research hypothesis versus a null hypothesis. A research hypothesis explains there is correlation between two or more variables. A null hypothesis is a classification of hypotheses that states there is no connection between the independent and dependent variables. Statistical testing is performed to determine whether the statement is acceptable or not. Whereas the research question is an analysis statement detailing the variables and population of the specified research study (Adams, 2015). The hypothesis, the authors were hoping to prove, was whether the use of music would reduce pain and anxiety in postoperative pain in a particular patient population during a defined time frame (Allred et al., 2010). An example of a null hypothesis for this study would state music would have no effect on postoperative pain in a particular patient population during a defined time frame. There were four research questions the researchers attempted to answer. Three of the four questioned the effect of music on the patient’s pain, anxiety, and physiologic parameters. However the fourth question pertained to the impact of music on the amount of opioids taken from the beginning of the intervention until six hours later (Allred et al., 2010). The clinicians had not mentioned this component of the study before

These days, teachers pass school athletes in order for them to continue playing. They don’t care whether or not if they do the homework or actually understand what is being taught, as long as they keep the school wining in that certain sport then they will pass. Henry Gates stated, “The failure of our public schools to educate athletes is part and parcel of the schools’ failure to educate almost everyone”. Most young black athletes can’t read or write but they still get passed year to year. It’s know that 26.6% of black athletes at the college level earn their degree, which means that they didn’t have enough pass knowledge to continue to excel in higher education and they still didn’t make that goal of being a professional athlete.