Just a few years after sports at historically Black schools were were thriving, many now are merely surviving.
The commissioners of four major historically Black conferences have sent a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus requesting a meeting and voicing concerns that the growing push to make athletes school employees could potentially destroy HBCU athletic programs if it continues.
The letter says a growing patchwork of state laws are creating disparities, and HBCUs worry they will need to make massive cuts if forced to put hundreds of athletes on their payrolls. They say their programs do not generate significant revenue and rely heavily on school appropriated funds and donations.
“To ensure that college sports broadly – and HBCU sports especially – can continue to thrive, it’s essential that Congress allow for consistent and nimble national governance and affirm that student-athletes are not designated as employees of their universities,” the letter said.
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) cover 48 Division I and Division II HBCU programs and 15,000 athletes. The letter says new rules have “all but eliminated a level playing field” for them.
“The disparate laws and increasing court decisions have made it difficult for conferences like ours to continue to provide developmental and competition opportunities for member institutions and student-athletes,” the letter said.
The Congressional Black Caucus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Just a few years ago, Deion Sanders’ success coaching Jackson State drew national interest in HBCUs, and the rise in social awareness that followed George Floyd’s murder fueled a spike in donations that helped several programs.
In 2023, The Associated Press contacted 46 Division I and D-II HBCUs and five conference offices about the trend of schools adding sports over the previous decade. Twenty schools responded, saying they had added at least 42 NCAA championship or emerging sports since 2016, including at least 32 since 2020. Morgan State’s addition of men’s wrestling, with Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday as coach, was one of the bigger moves.
Now, those additional programs could create a larger issue for the schools if more states consider the athletes employees.
“While there have been historic changes recently in collegiate sports to support student-athletes overall, opportunities for our predominantly Black students at our institutions are at risk,” the letter said. “Pending regulatory decisions and litigation threaten to change the face of college sports devoid of our input and, more importantly, without the voices of our student athletes.”
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
