MINNEAPOLIS | Last week, Richard Lapchick, the head of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, released yet another study detailing the graduation rates of America’s big-time college basketball programs.His stats and the media interpretation of those stats painted the stereotypical bleak picture of black athletes and the universities that grant them basketball scholarships. The study pointed to a wide academic disparity between black and white basketball players at the schools that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.A year ago, when Lapchick’s group released the exact same study, Lapchick said “higher education’s greatest failure is the persistent gap between African-American and white basketball student-athletes in particular, and students in general.”I like Richard Lapchick. He’s bright and well-intentioned. But he and his studies are not advancing an intelligent discussion about higher education and race. He’s spitting out inflammatory stats and subtly sending the message that it is the sole responsibility of traditionally white universities to educate black athletes.His studies invite the uninformed to author ridiculous editorials and columns blasting the NCAA and college basketball coaches for institutional racism as it relates to graduating black athletes.Lapchick’s studies ignore, avoid and seemingly disdain context.On Friday, shortly after Kansas knocked off North Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament, a sports writer for Minneapolis’ African-American newspaper asked me to comment on Lapchick’s latest study. I’m speculating, but based on the line of questioning, the reporter seemed to believe Lapchick’s report proves that the top basketball schools fail black athletes academically.Never mind that the stats showed black athletes graduate at a higher rate than black non-athletes at the same schools.Re-read that sentence. Think about it for a minute. I’ll wait.Participation in Division I college basketball makes it more likely that a black college student will graduate. But college basketball programs are unfairly abusing black athletes academically?Let’s examine some additional context.On Saturday, Kansas coach Bill Self answered questions about junior Tyrone Appleton returning to Gary, Ind., for the funeral of a friend who was murdered. Appleton missed Saturday’s practice but will be back for today’s game against Dayton. Rick Telander, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, asked Self if as a society we’ve come to expect young athletes to deal with the murder of friends and family members.“It happens far too often,” Self said. “Of course once is way too much. Last year we had two individuals (Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart) who had family members that were murdered in drive-bys the same week.”Now, let’s take a moment to be bone honest. I don’t have to identify the race of Appleton, Jackson and Stewart. Whenever there is a story about athletes and murder, it’s relatively safe to assume they’re black. Peyton Manning’s boyz from the ’hood are unlikely to be gunned down.Many of the black athletes playing big-time college football and basketball have been recruited from at-risk environments — tough neighborhoods and single- or no-parent families.I don’t know the stats on this. They’re never published by Lapchick or anyone. When it comes to academic studies, we always tend to break things down along racial lines. I’d love to see the stats broken down along parental lines.

Posted on Sat, Mar. 21, 2009 10:15 PM

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College athlete graduation rates aren’t all black and white

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His stats and the media interpretation of those stats painted the stereotypical bleak picture of black athletes and the universities that grant them basketball scholarships. The study pointed to a wide academic disparity between black and white basketball players at the schools that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

A year ago, when Lapchick’s group released the exact same study, Lapchick said “higher education’s greatest failure is the persistent gap between African-American and white basketball student-athletes in particular, and students in general.”

I like Richard Lapchick. He’s bright and well-intentioned. But he and his studies are not advancing an intelligent discussion about higher education and race. He’s spitting out inflammatory stats and subtly sending the message that it is the sole responsibility of traditionally white universities to educate black athletes.

His studies invite the uninformed to author ridiculous editorials and columns blasting the NCAA and college basketball coaches for institutional racism as it relates to graduating black athletes.

Lapchick’s studies ignore, avoid and seemingly disdain context.

On Friday, shortly after Kansas knocked off North Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament, a sports writer for Minneapolis’ African-American newspaper asked me to comment on Lapchick’s latest study. I’m speculating, but based on the line of questioning, the reporter seemed to believe Lapchick’s report proves that the top basketball schools fail black athletes academically.

Never mind that the stats showed black athletes graduate at a higher rate than black non-athletes at the same schools.

Re-read that sentence. Think about it for a minute. I’ll wait.

Participation in Division I college basketball makes it more likely that a black college student will graduate. But college basketball programs are unfairly abusing black athletes academically?

Let’s examine some additional context.

On Saturday, Kansas coach Bill Self answered questions about junior Tyrone Appleton returning to Gary, Ind., for the funeral of a friend who was murdered. Appleton missed Saturday’s practice but will be back for today’s game against Dayton. Rick Telander, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, asked Self if as a society we’ve come to expect young athletes to deal with the murder of friends and family members.

“It happens far too often,” Self said. “Of course once is way too much. Last year we had two individuals (Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart) who had family members that were murdered in drive-bys the same week.”

Now, let’s take a moment to be bone honest. I don’t have to identify the race of Appleton, Jackson and Stewart. Whenever there is a story about athletes and murder, it’s relatively safe to assume they’re black. Peyton Manning’s boyz from the ’hood are unlikely to be gunned down.

Many of the black athletes playing big-time college football and basketball have been recruited from at-risk environments — tough neighborhoods and single- or no-parent families.

I don’t know the stats on this. They’re never published by Lapchick or anyone. When it comes to academic studies, we always tend to break things down along racial lines. I’d love to see the stats broken down along parental lines.

To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.

Posted on Sat, Mar. 21, 2009 10:15 PM

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