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Black student-athletes are often left at the back stoop of the athletic program beseeching someone to provide an opportunity for their second-wind, whether athletically or academically. As a former Division-I coach and student-athlete, I have witnessed many student- athletes at that stoop. I have seen Black student-athletes neglected by advisers, professors, counselors and coaches who should be assisting students transition into life after collegiate sports. The second reason studentathletes may leave ill-equipped could be attributed to the failure of student-athletes to prepare themselves for post-sports life.
During my five-year tenure as a player, many student-athletes I knew became lost in the labyrinthine collegiate system. Although many factors contributed to this, the complacency that comes when athletes’ immediate needs are being met is a major cause. For instance, some athletes were all too happy to allow counselors and/or advisers to set their semester course schedules, unaware of the consequences. Some counselors, coerced into doing it or not, would place athletes in undemanding classes just to qualify them for the minimum required credit hours, regardless of whether the class was relevant to the student’s major. The objective: for the studentathlete to be eligible in his/her sporting event.
