HBCU Sports is calling on readers and supporters to help raise $10,000 in the next seven days to keep its writers on the job and its independent coverage of Black college athletics alive.
The 28-year-old outlet, recognized as the nation’s longest-running digital publication dedicated to historically Black colleges and universities, launched the emergency campaign Wednesday amid what founder Kenn Rashad described as an “unsustainable financial shortfall” that has already impacted payroll.
In a YouTube video posted last month, Rashad publicly revealed that the site’s declining revenue had left him unable to pay his writers — a first in the platform’s nearly three-decade history. “This operation ain’t free,” Rashad said in the video. “We can’t continue to cover HBCU sports at the level our audience expects without the resources to support the people who do the work.”
The $10,000 goal will go directly toward compensating writers and maintaining operations through the current season. A live progress tracker will be displayed on the outlet’s website throughout the campaign, allowing supporters to follow the effort in real time.
Since its founding in 1997, HBCU Sports has reported on championship moments, long-standing rivalries and the cultural traditions that define HBCU athletics. The outlet has broken national news, including the 2020 hiring of Deion Sanders as head football coach at Jackson State, and has served as a platform for celebrating the legacy and future of Black college sports.
“In an era when so many independent outlets are disappearing, losing HBCU Sports would mean losing a trusted source for our history, our culture, and our future in athletics,” Rashad said Wednesday. “Every dollar raised this week gets us closer to keeping that from happening.”
Donations can be made at HBCUSports.com/donate. The campaign will run through next Wednesday, with daily updates posted online and on social media.
