Balling Onward: Athlete To Successful Business Person

Headline of The Future: Athletes Make Powerful Change

2020; Year of Change. In response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic, the NBA announced they would end the 2020 season. This announcement impacted everyone in the world, including all major sports teams and even some of the NBA players and their families. Months after the season ended, the NBA decision-makers decided they would try to resume their season with the playoffs starting in July. Shortly after the NBA announce bringing teams back to play on a unique schedule to accommodate health pre-cautions, the University of Alabama, who had opened their facilities for football players to workout in preparation for the upcoming season, experienced another spread of the Coronavirus, which caused more chatter around the safety of resuming sports.

About 3 months into the Coronavirus Pandemic, the United States experienced tragic events of police brutality against Black citizens captured on video. Injustice and disgusting events were caught on film of a Black man, George Floyd, being killed by the hands of an officer. The officer held his knee on his neck for over 8 minutes while the victim yelled out once more, “I CAN’T BREATH.” This event happened after consecutive killings of Black individuals like Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbery and many other Black young people who lost their lives as victims of police brutality. In support of the Black Lives Matter movement, the world responded with roars of protests. Despite dealing with the Pandemic brought upon us by the Coronavirus, the Pandemic of racism that has existed for centuries, was evidently much more important to many. The streets were crowded with protestors, demanding change! For the first time in history, all 50 states in the United States and over 20 foreign countries around the world protested for change. NBA players, NFL players, MLB players and other professional players were not silent during this movement. EVERYONE wanted to see change desperately. 

NBA players were excited to start their NBA season after being stuck in the house for so long under stay-at-home orders resulting from the Coronavirus. Although they were excited to begin their season, they knew that their voices were being heard and were powerful. They made a strong statement when some of the best All-Stars to play the game declined the offer to resume their playoff season. They decided to continue protesting after realizing that their voices were powerful, but their actions were even stronger.

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Similarly, student-athletes entering college realized how much control they had as well, even only as a college athlete. The most scouted, big-time players made a statement. 15 of the top recruited Black student-athletes committed to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  They too realized how much control they had. The NCAA revenue in 2019 was around $995 Million. When student-athletes commit to larger universities like Kentucky, UCONN, Michigan or Duke, that largely benefits the university. It gives them publicity, increases their overall student enrollment, and essentially increases their overall metrics in many ways.  The student-athletes who were fed up with injustice decided to change the narrative and contribute their talents to HBCUs.

Let’s rewind and think about this…

In one season, the NBA made about $8 billion in revenue. Their streams of revenue come primarily from television, merchandising, sponsorship and tickets. The NBA not playing creates a disruption. A disruption causes recognition, recognition causes reaction and potentially a model for other large revenue generating businesses.  For once in history, professional athletes have the ability to let their message be heard. In prior years, they exercised their freedom of speech by wearing shirts or taking a knee while the National Anthem played. The response was usually extremely negative due to responders being ignorant to the topic or the meaning behind the statements being made. This time around, many are listening to what we all knew to be true about the systemic racism and social injustice in America.

Despite the hard work and dedication NBA players have demonstrated, they have been treated like products and traded like slaves, as referred to in the book entitled, 40 Million Dollar Slaves, by William C. Rhoden. Now, the NBA players are taking the initiative and using their platform to make a difference. In taking a stance, these players will adversely affect business pertaining to trades and revenue generated for the NBA. They would be making a huge statement in support of what so many of us in America are fighting for. There would be no distractions from the reality of systemic racism.

NCAA student-athletes, who are going to college, are also a big contributing factor in making a difference. They are in control of changing the common practice of big-time players committing to big-time institutions for good! The school that you go to does not give you your talent. You develop at the school you commit to, but you are recruited because of the skills that you bring. With that being said, big-time student-athletes often commit to Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) and don’t even consider HBCUs. Well now, hopefully with the dramatic wakeup call we have all experienced, our young players entering college can recognize and acknowledge the voices that they have. If you think about it, as a student-athlete, you commit to these larger Division-I colleges and receive a scholarship, while these Presidents and CEOs (normally white) can make up to $900K or more from the university. Your scholarship is worth maybe around $30K.  When you are done playing in college, and your services as a student-athlete are complete, you become an alumnus like every other student.  Considering the dedication and sacrifice made at an institution for 4 years, why not support a Black organization and a Black CEO or President? To empower our community to move forward, we make choices different than what we have in the past. In two of the highest revenue-generating college sports (basketball and football), most of the student-athletes are Black. You have the chance to make an impact and send a message that will be heard.