Why is it when a person of color makes a groundbreaking decision, he or she is often discredited by mainstream media, thereby highlighting once again the media’s prejudices and biases?
Travis Hunter, the number-one ranked high school football player of 2022, made headlines when he chose Jackson State University, coached by Hall of Famer Deion “Primetime” Sanders, over Florida State. That move, which had not been done before, could start a trend of black athletes going to historically Black colleges instead of predominantly white institutions.
Since his announcement, Hunter has slipped as far as number eight in rankings. How so? What factors, in spite of his All-American status, caused such a drop after he declared for a HBCU?
When a recruiting model that has excluded HBCU’s from a seat at the big table is threatened, privilege rears its ugly head, displaying an agenda which limits Black Athletes in order to protect an over 60 percent cash flow those athletes bring to college and professional sports.
Hunter’s case is a small example of the racial discrimination African American athletes endure from mainstream media and professional sports. Black males and black females everywhere, whether on the field, track, in the media room or on the sideline, are held to different standards, on unequal playing fields, with little or no room for mistakes.