My long-cherished belief that young African American males should not only be viewed as athletes, but should be viewed as academically ambitious students. However, this belief is often challenged. Too many times I am asked, “Are you playing basketball or football in college?” There is a stereotypical assumption that young athletic-looking African American males only gain entry into college through athletic scholarships. As a person who takes pride in achieving academic success, this misconception inspires me to change other’s perception of young African American males, like myself.
I am a 6’4” tall African American male who has been playing sports including: basketball, football and track and field throughout my childhood and in high school. While playing sports has given me great joy, I know that getting a good education is most important. My parents have always made education a priority over sports, however, others don’t share the same vision.
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These are some of the things I would often hear from people. When people ask me about my grades it’s usually in the context of making sure I have the minimum requirements met in order to be eligible for an athletic scholarship. With so many people putting such an emphasis on sports, it almost made me second-guess where my focus should have been. Even when visiting colleges, I get the sense that people want to point me to the athletics department or say to themselves, “He must be a basketball player”. It’s not until the student ambassadors ask me what I plan on majoring in, and I tell them Finance, that I feel that people look at me in a different light. This is how I wish all African American males can be viewed and I will do my part to help make this