Jemele Hill, most known for her feud with President Trump which led to problems for her at ESPN, published a new article at the Atlantic arguing that it’s time for “black athletes” to “leave white colleges.”
Hill argues that “predominately white universities” have lured black athletes away from historically black colleges or universities with newer facilities, larger fan bases, and a better chance of boosting their own name recognition.
“Black athletes have attracted money and attention to the predominantly white universities that showcase them,” she writes. “Meanwhile, black colleges are struggling. Alabama’s athletic department generated $174 million in the 2016–17 school year, whereas the HBCU that generated the most money from athletics that year, Prairie View A&M, brought in less than $18 million. Beyond sports, the average HBCU endowment is only one-eighth that of the average predominantly white school; taken together, all of the HBCU endowments combined make up less than a tenth of Harvard’s.”
Hill goes on to call the decision for black athletes to choose a “predominately white” university over a HBCU “obvious” citing “their chances of making it to the pros,” and “winning lucrative endorsement deals.” However she posits the question, “what if a group of elite athletes collectively made the choice to attend HBCUs?”
She answers that question explaining that if it were to happen, it “would have potent downstream effects,” including “boost[ing] HBCU revenues and endowments,” “stimulate the economy of the black communities,” while also “amplify[ing] the power of black coaches.”
Hill, who was previously at ESPN, was caught in hot water while at the network after she called Trump a “white supremacist” on social media during the height of the president’s feud with the NFL over kneeling during the national anthem. She also called for a boycott of the Dallas Cowboys after team owner Jerry Jones threatened to bench his players if they knelt, which led to her being suspended by ESPN.
