From McNeese72
I agree with Dr. Mac. I think the whole thing is been blown out of proportion and nothing will come of it. The letter is just a warning to I-AA schools (not necessarily just HBCU's) that they better be careful not to initiate contacts with I-A athletes looking to transfer. I think Texas St. (SWT) also had such an incident this summer.
Doc:
I acknowledged in both of my posts that the NCAA is sending a message to smaller schools as well as HBCU's. My comment that this is especially aimed at HBCU's is due to a couple of factors.
First, Jim Brown. Brown's statement;
"I think that if the Claretts would consider transferring, Grambling would be an ideal situation for the kid," Brown told ESPN Radio's Bob Valvano. "Doug Williams is a great coach. He could hone his game. He'd be in school. It's a great situation. Doug would be perfect for the kid, but that's up to him and his mother."
Despite what some might think about him, this comment, coming from a Hall of Famer who some think was the greatest football player of all time, will resonate in the minds of some of the players and families of kids who otherwise would not have considered going to an HBCU. A few of us who live outside of the south and other areas where HBCU's are located have commented about how hard it is to get many African American athletes who live where we live to consider going to our schools. Because of his stature, and because of the perceived caliber of a player like Clarret, Brown's statement might be viewed by many at the bigger schools as potentially iniating a flood of athletes back to HBCU's. And try as they might, there are some environmental factors at HBCU's that are positives for African American athletes that just can't be duplicated at the larger schools (nor smaller PWC's either) . Brown's statement "it's a great situation," in part, speaks to that. Further, too many of the kids being recruited by the bigger schools still come from backgrounds where none of the parents have gone to college. Thus, the parents are influenced by the "marketing and names" of the programs as well. Brown pointing out that HBCU's are viable alternatives negates some of that, and the bigger schools fear this.
The potential long term effect of this would be on recruiting and the bigger schools sustaining their status. What if an HBCU could establish its football program as "the school for black athletes" similarly to the way Notre Dame has established the niche that it enjoys (whatever it is
)? (Actually, I think this is what FAMU is trying to do). Again, this would probably attract athletes away from the bigger schools that they would have wanted. This would, in turn, impact their success and, potentially, their bottom line.
Finally, issues of race are not extinct in this country. Regardless of the reasons and/or enticements, the question of if a "black student was treated fairly, due to race by a coach, etc., at a big PWC is a factor in the student's transfer to a HBCU" will exist in the minds of some. And if its not the case, its not fair to the school the kid left or is thinking about leaving; but yet the perception might still be there. The impact would, again, be on future recruiting efforts. Thus, the best way to dissuade this situation from occuring is to nip any perceived attempts of the student leaving, in this case by the HBCU, in the bud fast and decisively.
All of this is about turf and protecting it, and in the case of the bigger schools, BCS dollars. They look at all factors regardless of whether they be athletic, competitive, social, and yes, racial and the perceived impact of them. And egos are at play here as well (i.e., "how dare they......."). We can never forget about that. That might be the biggest factor in the whole thing.
Regards.
