Why racism is still an issue in college sports

It is 2016, and society as a whole has been working for decades to systematically erase the racism that has so long plagued our country. So unless you are affected by racism, it often passes unnoticed and as something that simply isn’t an issue anymore. Sadly that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Recently, an article was published, detailing the reflection of two MSU professors, Robert and Amy McCormick, and the racism that they witnessed on campus in the early 2000s. They took special notice of Charles Rodgers, a first round draft pick and extremely talented wide receiver, who was struggling to have his basic needs met while he went through school here.

Despite helping to rake in millions for the school through his athletic ability, he couldn’t afford a new bike or any other fundamental items that are often taken for granted. He was on a scholarship that did cover his school and housing, but left him with no money to spend on food or other basic needs. And anyone who follows college sports knows the ban of allowing athletes to hold jobs.

While some athletes are able to get by off of money that they have saved or other sources of cash, impoverished, and typically minority players such as Rodgers, do not have that luxury. The near ironic part of the McCormicks’ observations was that while these African American players were a clear minority in the student body, they were a near encompassing majority on the football field. The same held true on the other big money sport: basketball.

These keen observations hold true to this day at essentially any university across America. The African American athletes provide money and entertainment for predominantly Caucasian colleges. White people are thriving both socially and monetarily off of the sweat and efforts of African American athletes. It baffles me that this issue which can be assessed by a quick glance around any sporting events, nearly all black players sitting on the bench and nearly all white enthusiasts sitting in the stands, is so overlooked in our society.

Most people likely do not even realize that this is an ongoing issue unless they are directly affected. It is terrifying that we have been so brainwashed into believing that it is okay, especially considering that this apartheid is not going on behind closed doors. The proof of this atrocity is on prime time television every weekend. And yet we go on believing that racism isn’t an issue.

But those who are affected, experience it every day. When one MSU athlete was asked if they felt affected by racism in their sport, they said “Of course there is racism in athletics. I feel it every day whether I am in class or at the mall, but it is especially heightened when I look into the stands and see a predominately white fan base, and very few people that look like me.”

One particularly hard hitting quote from the McCormicks’ article was: “In 2010, Amy and Robert co-authored a law journal article titled ‘Major College Sports: A Modern Apartheid,‘ arguing that revenue-producing campus football and men’s basketball hold black athletes in ‘legal servitude for the profit and entertainment’ of whites. ‘These are sharp words,’ they wrote, ‘but the facts are indisputable.'”

This quote draws college sports parallel to a systematic form of racism that we are horrified to even remember. The terrifying part is that it is true. These African American athletes spend their time making money for white executives and are banned from any source of personal income. It is so close to the definition of servitude, it is disgusting.

It is horrifying that racism is still such an issue in 2016. It seems that such a base practice would have been eradicated by now, especially in tier one universities. Measures need to be taken to rightfully reward all athletes for their talents and the notoriety that they bring their schools, rather than exploiting them for a profit.