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In general, there are two ways
to be successful in America. One is through the use primarily of one’s
mind. The other is through the use primarily of one’s body. During almost
the entire four centuries that blacks have been in America, their only opportunities
for success have been limited to the use of their bodies. Indeed, the measurement
of a black American’s worth has historically been based almost exclusively
on their physical abilities.
The “best” male slaves could pick the most cotton and chop the most
wood. The “best” female slaves could do the most chores and deliver
the most live births. Various personality traits were also important. The “best”
slaves were docile, cooperative, and only as smart as they needed to be to pick
cotton, chop wood, or to have and care for babies.
The most intelligent slaves were usually the most worrisome slaves. Aggression
could be beaten out of most slaves and cooperation could often be beaten into
them. But a knowledgeable slave knew when to be docile and when to be cooperative.
A knowledgeable slave also knew the most opportune time to try to escape or
to plan a slave revolt. This, of course, was the reason that it was illegal
to educate slaves. As a slave owner, it was permissible to beat a slave, to
rape a slave, to cut off a slave’s foot, or to work a slave to death.
However, it was illegal to arm a slave or to teach a slave to read and write.
White America clearly understood the relationship between knowledge and power.
And proponents of Slavery knew that the perpetuation of Slavery depended, first
and foremost, on their ability to keep black Americans as uneducated and ignorant
as possible.
During 246 years of Slavery, America declared that black Americans had no value
except for their physical abilities. Not only did they say it, for twelve successive
generations they demanded that black Americans accept as fact that they had
no intellectual aptitude. How did this affect the mindset, and even the psyche,
of black America during Slavery? Did black Americans also come to measure their
worth based primarily or solely on their physical abilities?
If this indeed was the mindset of black America after Slavery ended, the Jim
Crow era, from 1866 to 1968, did little to change it. Although educating black
Americans was not illegal during the Jim Crow era, it certainly was not one
of America’s priorities. At best, black Americans could attend segregated
schools that were measurably inferior to white schools. Nor could black America
afford to make formal education its highest priority. Black Americans had their
hands full just trying to make do in a world where white Americans routinely
did all they could, legally and illegally, to try to keep black Americans “in
their place.” Under these circumstances, education had to be secondary
to day-to-day survival.
For the small percentage of black Americans who managed to obtain a quality
formal education during the Jim Crow era, opportunities were limited in an American
society characterized by racism and segregation. Still, there were a number
of black American successes. However, most of these successes, especially the
ones that most black Americans heard about, were not successes as a result of
intellectual pursuits. They were successes that were the results of the physical
abilities of black Americans.
The Jim Crow Era : Making So Much From So Little
In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first black American to win the heavyweight
boxing championship of the world. In 1974, Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth’s
career home run record. During that time span, there were also the illustrious
careers of Jesse Owens, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson,
Bob Beamom, and Willie Mays. The list also includes Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain,
Jim Brown, Ernie Banks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali, and a host of other
celebrated black athletes.
Bert Williams, the first great black American entertainer, was earning one hundred
thousand dollars a year by 1915. In 1963, Sidney Poitier became the first black
American actor to win an Academy Award. During that time span, there were also
the distinguished careers of Lincoln Perry, Josephine Baker, Hattie McDaniel,
Tim Moore, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong. The list also
includes Billie Holiday, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, Pearl Bailey, Della
Reese, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and a host of other renowned black entertainers.
There were, of course, black Americans who were not athletes or entertainers
who also left their mark on history during the Jim Crow era. However, if one
is looking for celebrated successes by black Americans during the Jim Crow era,
the overwhelming majority will be found in areas requiring physical ability
rather than formal education and knowledge.
This assertion can be tested by compiling a list of one hundred black Americans,
not including athletes and entertainers, who were “famous,” “influential,”
or “role models” during the Jim Crow era. Compiling such a list
would be difficult for the average American. On the other hand, compiling such
a list of white Americans would be relatively simple, starting with the twenty
white men who served as president of the United States from 1866 through 1968.
How is this disparity to be explained? Is it the result of America’s self-fulfilling
expectation that black Americans can only excel in physical and not intellectual
endeavors? Is it the result of black Americans buying into this notion after
having it drummed into their heads for hundreds of years? Is it simply the results
of Jim Crow era racism that limited opportunities for black Americans to the
sports and entertainment fields? Can the disparity be explained as a combination
of these and other factors? Whatever the answer, the Jim Crow era ended four
decades ago. Today, the relevant question is, how difficult would it be to compile
a list of one hundred black Americans, not including athletes and entertainers,
who were “famous,” “influential,” or “role models”
during the Equal Opportunity era that began in 1969?
Determining the answers to these and other questions is of critical importance.
Doing so may help to dispel a myth that is largely a product of the Jim Crow
era. This myth is that pursuing a career in professional sports or the entertainment
field is an effective, viable, or even a reasonable way for black Americans
to try to attain success in America.
A Ticket Out Of The Ghetto
It is true that one hundred or even as little as fifty years ago, the limitations
imposed on black Americans by a racist society made the pursuit of success through
the use of one’s physical abilities a reasonable alternative. Note, however,
that it was never a great alternative. But, given the barriers and limited options
for success, it was a reasonable alternative for black Americans to depend on
their physical abilities – in the sports or entertainment fields, or just
working in a steel mill or a factory.
However, in the 21st century, the idea of being successful in America by using
one’s physical abilities is increasingly out of step with the economic
realities of the 21st century. And no where is this more evident than in black
America’s continuing belief that a career in sports or the entertainment
field is a good or even a reasonable career option. This myth is clearly a reflection
of the mindset imposed upon black America during Slavery and the Jim Crow era.
Black America must immediately do all that it can to dispel this debilitating
myth. In the Equal Opportunity era, attempting to use sports or entertainment
as one’s “ticket out of the ghetto” is a nonsensical proposition.
In the Equal Opportunity era, it is more straightforward and infinitely more
attainable for a black American to become a successful accountant or small business
owner than to become even a lowly-paid minor league professional athlete or
to eke out a living as a professional entertainer. In the Equal Opportunity
era, it is more straightforward and infinitely more attainable for a black American
to become a successful, wealthy physician or attorney than to become a well-paid
professional athlete or entertainer.
Hoop Dreams ($$$$$)
The average salary in the NBA (National Basketball Association) for the 2007
– 2008 season was 5.3 million dollars. This was the highest average salary
of the major American sports leagues. The minimum salary in the NBA ranged from
$427,000 to 1.2 million dollars, depending on a player’s length of time
in the league. Michael Jordan’s record NBA salary during the 1997 –
1998 season was 33 million dollars.
At 23.7 million dollars, Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics had the highest
salary for the 2007 – 2008 season. In fact, approximately twenty-five
percent of total NBA salary is paid to the top twenty players in the league.
An example of this disparity in salaries was the payroll of the 2007-2008 Boston
Celtics. The combined salaries of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen
totaled 56.1 million dollars, seventy-five percent of Boston’s 75 million-dollar
team payroll. The remaining twenty-five percent, 19 million dollars, was paid
to the eleven other players on the team’s roster. This sheds light on
the fact that the NBA’s “average salary” is skewed by the
large salaries paid to a few superstars. That is, the “median salary”
was considerably less than the 2007 – 2008 5.3 million dollars average
salary.
In any case, the financial rewards for being a NBA superstar may be impressive,
but no more so than winning a multi-million dollar lottery jackpot. One difference
is that becoming a NBA superstar requires talent, dedication, sacrifice, hard
work, and a great deal of luck. Winning a multi-million dollar lottery jackpot
only requires a great deal of luck. The other difference is that thousands of
Americans become millionaires each year as a result of winning the various state
lotteries. Of the sixty new players who are currently drafted by the NBA each
year, less than half are likely to earn more than a couple of million dollars
during their entire NBA careers.
Welcome To The NBA
Whatever one’s financial rewards are for playing in the NBA, one must
first make it to the NBA. And after years of hard work, sacrifice, and unwavering
dedication, the final step is the annual draft of college players.
In varying degrees, these athletes are very familiar with this selection process.
Almost all of them were the best or second best players on their junior high
school teams and were the only ones selected to play on their high school teams.
Of the thousands of high schools with basketball programs, there are only a
few very good teams. These are the teams that win most of their games, win their
divisions, or win their state championships. Again, since there are many times
more high schools than colleges, only the one or two best players from these
teams are selected to play on college teams. And, by the end of their college
careers, there will only be the one or two best players on the best teams who
will have demonstrated that they may have enough talent to play basketball on
a professional level.
These “best of the best of the best” athletes make up the hundreds
of players who are eligible for the NBA draft each year. However, of these hundreds
of the best basketball players in America, only the best one hundred or so are
even remotely considered for employment by the NBA. Of these, only the best
five or ten are deemed “can’t miss” prospects and can be expected
to earn much more than the league’s minimum salary. In fact, after the
thirty NBA teams have all made their first round and second round selections,
any other player selected is considered fortunate to have been drafted. And
except for those players selected early in the first round, most draftees either
do not make their teams or they do not last for more than a season or two in
the NBA.
The root of the problem is the number of jobs available in the NBA and how much,
if any, consideration is given to this number by those who aspire to play in
the NBA. There are thirty teams with a maximum of fifteen players on each team
– twelve active players and up to three inactive players. At an average
of fourteen players per team, there are about 420 players in the NBA at any
given time. On the other hand, there are 435 members in the United States House
of Representatives. Therefore, in terms of available job slots, it is just as
easy to become a U.S. Representative as it is to make it to the NBA. Adding
the one hundred U.S. Senators to the equation means that there are twenty-five
percent more members of the U.S. Congress than players in the NBA.
Finally, it should be noted that making it to the NBA is only half the battle.
Staying in the NBA can be even more difficult. With the exception of the best
three to six players on a team, players live with the very real possibility
that they may not be re-signed when their contracts end. There is always the
next annual draft of college players and the influx of rookies desperate to
make their marks. And, of course, management is always looking to reduce costs
by replacing the players they have with players who are just as good but with
lower salary demands. Although the media induces fans to focus most of their
attention on the superstars who play for ten or even fifteen years, this is
not the norm. As a result of injuries, as a result of being replaced by equally
talented but younger and lower salaried players, and as a result of just “losing
a step,” the average length of a NBA career is less than four years.
“Doctor J” – Versus – “Julius
Irving, M.D.”
Although making it to the NBA is largely a physical pursuit and becoming a physician
is largely an intellectual pursuit, these two achievements have much in common.
They both require a tremendous amount of dedication and an enormous amount of
work. Anyone aspiring to play in the NBA must be prepared to spend two to four
hours per day, everyday, practicing, conditioning, and learning all there is
to know about basketball. Anyone aspiring to be a doctor must be prepared to
spend two to four hours per day, everyday, reading, studying, and learning all
there is to know about medicine. It is a safe bet that many of the players who
make it to the NBA, and many of those who do not, could have become physicians
if they had been as dedicated and worked as hard to become physicians as they
did to make it to the NBA.
Just as a goal of becoming a doctor and a goal of playing in the NBA have some
things in common, there are also major differences. Perhaps the most significant
difference is what happens to the comparatively small percentage of individuals
who aspire to but do not become doctors versus the incredibly high percentage
of individuals who aspire to but do not make it to the NBA.
Individuals who do not achieve their ultimate goal of becoming physicians still
almost always graduate from college with a quality education. And because they
had planned to attend medical school, the idea of earning an advanced degree
is already firmly established in their minds. Nor is it the end of the world
for individuals who attend medical school but do not graduate or they graduate
but do not become physicians. They are able to find rewarding, challenging,
well-paying jobs in the field of medicine or elsewhere.
Individuals who do not achieve their ultimate goal of playing in the NBA do
not fare nearly as well. Many of them were pushed through the educational system
because of their athletic abilities and they are not prepared for the intellectual
requirements of college. Some lose their athletic scholarships, flunk out, or
simply leave college long before they graduate. Others, who do graduate, having
focused on their athletic careers, are not prepared to meet the challenges they
must face when basketball is no longer their claim to fame. One is not likely
to come across a forty year-old black man with a mediocre job – sitting
in a neighborhood barbershop, telling stories of how excellent his grades were
in college – explaining that if it were not for a knee injury he would
have become a physician or an attorney.
Another significant difference between aspiring to play in the NBA and aspiring
to become a physician is that once an individual has successfully completed
medical school, he or she is eligible to become a doctor. There is no fixed
limit on the number of individuals who can become doctors. This is one of the
reasons why there are approximately 900,000 physicians in America. With only
four hundred or so jobs in the NBA, one can be the five hundredth best basketball
player in America and not even be close to making it to the NBA.
Of course, the one difference that most people tend to focus on involves the
salaries that are earned by NBA players versus the salaries earned by doctors.
However, they also tend to overlook or downplay the most obvious problem with
the comparison. The size of a salary is not a critical factor if there is virtually
no chance of getting the job. And while it may be difficult to become a doctor,
by comparison, the odds of making it to the NBA are astronomical. With the population
of the United States approaching 400 million, only about one American in a million
can possibly play in the NBA. With the number of physicians approaching one
million, almost one out of every four hundred Americans is a physician.
There is another consideration that is often overlooked when comparing the salaries
of doctors, lawyers, and other degreed professionals to the salaries of professional
athletes. While it is true that the average annual salary of a NBA player may
be significantly higher than the average annual salary of a physician, it must
be remembered that average salary in the NBA is heavily skewed by the multi-million
dollar contracts of a handful of superstars. It must also be remembered that
the average length of a NBA career is less than four years. In contrast, most
doctors practice medicine for twenty, thirty, or forty years. It is this lifetime
earning potential that makes the high cost of medical school a worthwhile investment
for anyone’s future.
Jim Crow Is Dead – But Not Yet Buried
In any discussion of physical endeavors versus intellectual pursuits, it should
be acknowledged that the lines between the two are not always so clearly drawn.
Becoming a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or an accountant is physically demanding.
And becoming a football player, a hip-hop artist, or a ballet dancer requires
knowledge and intellect on many levels. This is why most successful athletes
and entertainers usually possess a balanced combination of physical ability
and intellect.
This was certainly the case for the black entertainers and athletes who were
successful during the Jim Crow era. They are to be greatly admired for having
the talent and the courage to be successful at a time when racist Americans
cringed at the success of any black American. And they certainly are to be honored
for what they accomplished. Their achievements, as much as any other factor,
helped to bring an end to the Jim Crow era.
However, in spite of the great contributions that black Americans have made
and will continue to make in the sports and entertainment fields, successful
athletes and entertainers can not save black America. The most obvious reason
is that there simply are not enough available jobs in these fields to make a
significant impact on black America’s economy.
Secondly, in spite of perceptions that are the results of media focus on a few
high-profile black athletes and a few superstar black entertainers, the percentage
of black professional athletes and entertainers is more or less equal to the
percentage of black Americans in the general population. That is, the rest of
America is just as competitive and just as successful in the sports and entertainment
fields as black Americans. In any case, another ten Muhammad Ali’s can
not save black America. Another one hundred Halle Berry’s can not save
black America. Nor can another one thousand Michael Jordan’s save black
America.
Who can save black America? Hundreds of thousands more black CEO’s and
CFO’s can save black America. Hundreds of thousands more black attorneys
and judges can save black America. Hundred of thousands more black doctors,
dentists, and other medical professionals can save black America. Hundreds of
thousands more black engineers and architects can save black America. Hundreds
of thousands more black accountants and information technology professionals
can save black America. And, in fact, it would be easier to produce these hundreds
of thousands of black professionals than it would be for black America to produce
another one thousand superstar athletes.
The Situation (The Problem And The Solution)
Black Americans are now, as they have always been, the least educated and the
least knowledgeable segment of the American population. This would be expected
to be the case during the Slavery era from 1619 until 1865. It is also understandable
that this would be the case during the Jim Crow era from 1866 until 1968. And
it would be acceptable if measurable progress had been made to reduce the disparity
in education and knowledge during the first four decades of the Equal Opportunity
era that began in 1969. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.
It can be argued that the disparity in the level of education and knowledge
between black Americans and the rest of America has actually increased in the
more than fifty years since the landmark Brown Supreme Court decision of 1954.
A better case can be made that the degree of the disparity has essentially not
changed. But there are no valid data, statistics, or measurements to make the
case that the disparity has been significantly reduced.
Any number of measurements can be used to make the case that little or no progress
has been made in eliminating the disparity in the educational levels of black
Americans and other Americans. For example, based on percentages of population,
white Americans still earn almost twice as many college degrees as black American.
And using college graduation rates is appropriate because the mean income of
a person who earns a Bachelor’s degree is almost twice the mean income
of a high school graduate. And this percentage increase in income level is one
of the highest that results from an increased educational level. Also, in the
technology based global economy of the twenty-first century, a Bachelor’s
degree will become the minimum requirement for a reasonable chance of having
a meaningful, sustainable, economically rewarding career.
The Problem
Black Americans will never attain economic parity in America until black Americans
reach educational parity in America. And black Americans will never reach social
equality in America until black Americans reach educational parity in America.
Knowledge is power. And as long as black Americans remain the least educated
and least knowledgeable people in America, they will remain the people with
the least amount of power in America.
Understanding The Problem
Black Americans have apathetic and negative attitudes towards formal education.
These attitudes are a product of black America’s history. During 246 years
of Slavery, twelve successive generations of black Americans were socially engineered
to believe that formal education and intellectual pursuit were the sole purview
of white Americans. Black America came to disrespect and even disdain formal
education and the seeking of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. And black
Americans also came to fear the consequences of the pursuit of knowledge, initially
at the hands of racist white Americans, but eventually also from other black
Americans.
It was, of course, necessary to keep black Americans as uneducated and as ignorant
as possible in order to perpetuate Slavery. However, it was also important to
ensure that black Americans were the best slaves they could be. This was accomplished
in part by socially engineering black Americans to believe that their only value
encompassed their physical capabilities. Indeed, black Americans were engineered
to believe that, as sub-par human beings, they were put on earth by the all-knowing
Creator to use their bodies and not their brains.
The social engineering of black Americans to be a physical people and not an
intellectual people did not end with Slavery. The 103-year Jim Crow era, which
spanned another five generations, did little to change long held beliefs regarding
the physical versus the intellectual capabilities of black Americans. In fact,
it can be argued that the Jim Crow era reinforced these beliefs in the minds
of many white Americans and the subconscious of many black Americans. That is,
even after Slavery ended, black Americans continued to be a physical rather
than an intellectual people.
Of course, the explanation for this was that simply passing a law that abolished
Slavery could not reverse two and a half centuries of social engineering. And
laws or no laws, white, racist Americans were bound and determined to maintain
the status quo, using every available weapon, including intimidation and lynching.
And while it may be true that black Americans had more options when Slavery
ended, it is also true that these options were of little value since black Americans
did not have the resources to take advantage of them. In the end, black Americans
did what they could and what they had to do just to survive in the Jim Crow
era.
Just as the social engineering of black America did not end with Slavery, it
also did not end with the Jim Crow era. And it can be argued that black Americans
are still being programmed to regard themselves as primarily physical rather
than intellectual beings. Certainly, a good case can be made that little or
nothing is being done to reverse or to even understand the effects of social
engineering on black America over the past four centuries. In the mean time,
black Americans have continued to pass down to their descendants, generation
after generation after generation, a legacy of disrespect, disdain, and even
fear of formal education. And each of those generations has been afflicted with
a mindset of apathy and negativity in regard to formal education and the pursuit
of knowledge.
The Solution
Black America must radically alter its prevailing mindset of apathy and negativity
towards formal education and the seeking of knowledge. Black America must create
a new, positive mindset – a mindset that ranges from enthusiasm to fanaticism
in regard to formal education and the pursuit of knowledge.
This task will not be easily accomplished because, unfortunately, even in the
twenty-first century, a large segment of black America still views educated
black Americans as “uppity,” Uncle Toms, or “trying to be
white.” An expression that some black youths once used to describe their
peers who cared about education and knowledge was that, “you ain’t
keeping it real.”
This is the reason why most black youths do not aspire to be the next John H.
Johnson, the next Maya Angelou, the next Colin Powell, the next Condoleezza
Rice, or even the next Barack Obama. Many black youths do not even know who
these individuals are or are aware of their historic accomplishments.
Most black youths do aspire to be the next Michael Jordan, the next Halle Berry,
the next Sean Combs, or the next Beyonce Knowles. They, in fact, do know who
these talented individuals are and often know the details of their careers and
lives.
Of course, this is not to say that black youths should not aspire to greatness
in any field that they choose, including the sports and entertainment fields.
However, it is to say that balance and realism must be taught to black children
from birth and constantly reinforced by parents and the rest of the black community.
Unlike the Jim Crow era, black Americans now have broad options and they also
have the resources to take advantage of these options. The point is that there
may never be another Michael Jordan. However, there is no reason why there can
not be a million black physicians.
At the end of the day, singing, dancing, or playing basketball or football will
not save black America. Education and knowledge is the gateway that will lead
to the solutions to all the problems that afflict black America.