First and foremost, I am not anti-sport, but research data and various educated voices (i.e., Harry Edwards, Louis Harrison) have indicated organized sport has not favored color boys kindly. In the last few months, I’ve begun to view sport through a more critical lens also. For example, like many Americans, I theorized that sport builds character in its participants. I held this long invested belief that its effects altered lives in a positive manner. Nevertheless, since reading the literature, I could not find a consensus of evidence that sport builds character in its participants. This was sobering news; I have coached youth and high school football believing the myth for years, I was taken back. This was just one fallacy I discovered with sport.
I am a proponent that African-American males’ participation in organized sport may affect their academic, social, and psychological characteristics in adverse ways. Specifically, youth, high school, and college sport may influence Black male participants to foreclose on alternative endeavors (e.g., academics, music, science) in hopes of sport stardom. This is not a new charge about sport and Black male athletes. However, The Human Lottery Syndrome is my theoretical paradigm that suggests some parents, coaches, school administrators, and Black male athletes themselves implicitly or explicitly promote sport achievement over academics. Each group work voluntarily to circumvent the educational process in the hopes of being ”The Next Big Sport Thang” (i.e., LeBron James, Derrick Rose).
I read empirical evidence, study trends, and publish sentiments as well as theories on Black males and sport as a hobby. The Invisible Dragon will cover this subject as it is dear to its heart. Subsequently, I would like Black male athletes, parents, and non-parents to get off the ‘Sport Drug’. I played football on all levels and to pronounce sport does not build character is considered blasphemous, but it is true. Again, I am not anti-sport or bitter, nevertheless, sport is speculative in the manner of building great young men. In sum, I theorize too, sport is not beneficial enough to maintain Black males’ high investment. We must eradicate the myth that sport is a legitimate savior to Black boys’ upper mobility. I will submit conjectures on my twitter account (stickwithitFB) and facebook/raw280 also.
