Recently, Critical Race Theory (CRT) has come under attack
in the mainstream media due to President Obama’s affiliation with the late
Professor Derrick Bell; one of the founders and key contributors of this
theoretical framework. In a nutshell, CRT seeks to expose the pervasiveness of
white supremacy in various institutional arrangements (legal system, education,
sport, etc.) in this country that have categorically disadvantage people of
color, in general, and Blacks, specifically. Yet, it has been misinterpreted by
modern day white supremacist, tea partiers, and other conservatives as being a
dangerous dogma that seek to bring the white majority into submission.
At the recent College Sport Research Institute Conference at
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, a session examined CRT and college
sports. This session was led by Dr. John Singer of the University of Texas
A&M providing a review and overview of CRT. It also consisted of scholars
presenting on how CRT has informed their research and practice in college
sports. For example, Joseph Cooper of the University of Georgia and Albert
Bimper of University of Texas – Austin both provided examples of how CRT has
informed their research on Black male athletes; while Dr. Akilah
Carter-Francique of the University of Texas A & M and Dr. Fritz Polite of
the University of Tennessee presented examples of how CRT informed their work
in developing programs to mentor Black female athletes (see Sista to Sista
program created by Dr. Carter-Francique) and the program Dr. Polite has
initiated to mentor of Black male athletes and empower them to be mentors to
young aspiring athletes.
Therefore, CRT, in its infancy in the context of college
sports, is being used as a tool of analysis and explanation, as well as a tool
to inform how programs are develop to empower Black male and female
athletes. It can also be used as a
proactive revolutionary theory for athletic reform that further empowers Black
athletes. For example, interest convergence, one of the tenets of CRT, simply suggests
that the interests of Blacks will be accommodated when it converge with the
interests of Whites and where Whites stand to benefit.
In college athletics, Black male athletes play a significant
role in the revenue generating sports of college football and basketball. They
make up over 60% of the athletes who generate over 90% of the NCAA annual
revenue. Furthermore, they make up the majority of starters on the majority of
the top ten teams across the nation. Since predominantly White NCAA institutions
are benefiting the most from the athletic labor of Black males, it would be in
their best interest to support and promote the interests of Black male athletes.
Therefore, having this knowledge compels Black athletes to better understand
their individual power to negotiate and their collective power to make demands
that insure their academic success and physical safety as athletes, while
reducing the exploitation of their talent and likeness.
