Black College Football Research Paper

College football, as an “amateur” sport, produces nearly $3.5 billion dollars a year, but the young men who play the game, primarily African American, don’t see a penny of revenue. Yes, student athletes get tuition, room and board, and lots of Nike, Adidas or Under Armour gear, but they’re really free labor. The world refers to them as “student athletes,”. There are three different levels of competition under the NCAA. Division I, Division II and Division III are the three levels associated with the NCAA. In this essay, I’ll focus solely on Black College Football and why it’s becoming a lost but rich history. Some of the greatest NFL football players came from HBCUs such as, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton and Steve McNair. Sadly, we’ve forgotten about the

N.C. A&T for example, possesses that one in every twenty year player who just wows his teammates, opponents and the world. Black college football possesses some of the best athletes in the country but these athletes often come with baggage. Baggage meaning, there’s a lot that comes with this specific player whether it’s his performance in the classroom or who he is as a person. Big time college football programs must deal with this problem as well but its higher chance of coming across a HBCU football coach’s desk than an SEC coach’s desk. Recruiting is an important factor in any college sport but most definitely in football. With HBCU football programs possessing a negative image this unfortunately veers young athletes to take another route. People don’t want to watch 1 star athletes play football, harsh statement but true in its validity. HBCU football programs are starting to appear on TV more than it has in the past and this is a great thing to see as an HBCU football player. We understand we aren’t the most popular but we’re doing the same thing they’re doing just not in the spot