Dispelling the Myth of the “Dumb Black Jock” in College Athletics

Despite the public’s perception of black college athletes as “dumb jocks” who are in college only to compete on the athletic field, the evidence is clear that black scholarship athletes actually perform better academically than black students as a whole. Overall, without reference to athletics, the latest data compiled by the National Collegiate Athletic Association show that only 38 percent of black men who enter college in this country graduate within six years. But 48 percent of black male scholarship athletes earn their diplomas within the six-year period. The two sports most criticized for fielding teams of “dumb jocks” — football and men’s basketball — have black graduation rates higher than the rate for black men overall.

For black women, the overall graduation rate is 48 percent, but the graduation rate jumps to 64 percent for black women who are scholarship athletes. The graduation rate for black women athletes actually is higher than the national average for all white male college students, including athletes and nonathletes.

It is likely that the financial aid provided by an athletic scholarship is a critical factor in enabling many black student athletes to stay in school.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Huston-Tilloston University to Establish Two Satellite Campus in California

Huston-Tilloston University, a historically Black educational institution in Austin, Texas, has announced plans to launch two new satellite campuses in California. The university has already received approval to begin offering online courses to California students in January.

Two Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Professorships at Ivy League Universities

The two Black scholars appointed to endowed faculty positions at Ivy League schools are Vaughn Booker at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorceta Taylor at Yale University.

Sanofi Grants $18 Million to Three Historically Black Medical Schools to Increase Diversity in Clinical Studies

Thanks to an $18 million investment from Sanofi, Meharry Medical College, Howard University, and Morehouse School of Medicine plan to expand their clinical research staff, pharmacy infrastructure, and training programs.

Kemeshia Swanson Receives 2024 Eudora Welty Book Prize

Dr. Swanson, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University, has been recognized for her new book, Maverick Feminist: To Be Female and Black in a Country Founded Upon Violence and Respectability.

Featured Jobs