Dr Boyce Money: Is the NCAA Racist or Just Getting Rich?

In a letter written to NCAA president Myles Brand, Chairman Bill Thomas of the House Ways and Means Committee had this to say:

"The annual return also states that one of the NCAA's purposes is to 'retain a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports.' Corporate sponsorships, multimillion dollar television deals, highly paid coaches with no academic duties and the dedication of inordinate amounts of time by athletes to training lead many to believe that major college football and men's basketball more closely resemble professional sports than amateur sports."

The NCAA's attitude toward the men and women on the court is one that reeks of racism. When I make the simple argument on radio shows that athletes should get something for their labor that is reflective of their true value to the university, the comments made about student athletes are appalling: "If they get all that money, they are just gonna spend it on gold chains and rims for their cars," or "They should be happy to get a scholarship, that is better than what they were getting before."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=676014&pid=676013&uts=1248796930

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

NBA Players Without a Title

Karl Malone (1985-2004)
He's considered the one of the greatest power forwards of all time, but the mailman didn't deliver a title. The Utah Jazz went to the conference title twice, but sadly there was a man named Michael Jordan standing (or dunking) in Malone and the Jazz's way in 1997 and 1998. As a Los Angeles Laker he did get to the NBA Finals with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, but dreams of championship bling were shot down by the Detroit Pistons.

Getty Images

NBA Players Without a Title

NBAE/Getty Images

Charles Barkley (1984-2000)
Barkley could out-muscle and out-rebound anyone on the court, he had attitude, earned 11 NBA All-Star Game appearances and two Olympic gold medals and was always good for a colorful quote. But alas, never ever once did he win a NBA title. Barkley came close to championship glory in 1993, when he led the Phoenix Suns to a berth in the 1993 NBA Finals. However, the Suns lost to some fella named Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.

NBAE/Getty Images

Patrick Ewing (1985 - 2002)
It was "our year" ever year for the Knicks, and every year they and the big man fell short. His final years were plagued by injuries and he ended his career with the Orlando Magic in 2002.

NBAE/Getty Images

Dominique Wilkins (1982-1999)
He was one of the best dunkers the game had ever seen, but he couldn't find a way past Larry Bird. The Atlanta Hawks' superstar never played in a single NBA Finals series.

NBAE/Getty Images

John Stockton (1984-2003)
Regarded as one of the best point guards in NBA history, Stockton, like his Utah Jazz teammate, Karl Malone, had Air Jordan standing in his way of championship bling two consecutive years. Stockton retired in 2003 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

NBAE/Getty Images

Reggie Miller (1987-2005)
Reggie Miller's Pacers fell to the Lakers in their one appearance in the Finals. Sad? Yes, but not as heartbreaking as the five conference finals the team lost, which includes three Game 7s. Ouch.

NBAE/Getty Images

Chris Webber (1993-2008)
Maybe if it wasn't for those missed free throws in the Kings' Game 7 OT loss to the Lakers in 2002 or the missed three-pointer at the buzzer in Game 7 against Minnesota in 2004, we could say that Webber would have a championship ring. Then again, who has time for should have-could have-would haves?

NBAE/Getty Images

Elgin Baylor (1958-1972)
Baylor played in eight NBA Finals ... and lost them all. To say that was frustrating is quite the understatement. He called it quits during the 1971-72 season, becoming one of the first greats to retire without a championship ring.

NBAE/Getty Images

Pete Maravich (1970-1980)
Long before Magic Johnson, 'Pistol Pete' was the showman on the court, pefecting behind-the-back and between-the-legs passes. However, his playoff record was a bit sketchy and he retired ringless.

NBAE/Getty Images

Tim Hardaway (1989-2003)
Hardaway's Heat balled their way to the '97 conference finals ... until running into Michael Jordan and the Bulls, who destroyed them. Tough, but losing in the first-round to the eighth-seeded Knicks in '99 packs a bigger bite.

Getty Images

These responses remind me of the paternalistic nature of Barbara Bush's remarks about Hurricane Katrina victims. Mrs. Bush claimed that the Katrina victims should be happy living in the stadium in which they were housed because it was probably better than the conditions from which they came. What is also interesting about the comments I hear from the American public as it pertains to the fair compensation of NCAA athletes and their families is that while people are directly and immediately against the idea of providing any compensation to the men and women earning the revenue, they rarely question the level of compensation received by the coaches. They act as though they deserve it.

This asymmetric view of collegiate compensation again alludes to the idea that "those big dumb negroes don't deserve anymore than I do," which has been consistent throughout American history. When these young men leave college and come back to their universities to try to become coaches, they are often denied the job. Terry Bowden, a prominent White football coach in the NCAA, made it clear when he explained in a Yahoo Sports article that black coaches are not hired by the NCAA because they are black. In the words of Bowden:

"Many presidents won't hire black coaches because they are worried about how alumni and donors will react." He also makes this clear and interesting point when it comes to the NCAA's lack of regard for hiring minority coaches: "There are 117 colleges participating in Division I-A football and there are only three black head coaches. You don't have to be too smart to know how stupid this looks. Let me lay it out for you:  Fifty percent black athletes leads to 25 percent black assistant coaches leads to 3 percent black head coaches.  Fifty percent white athletes leads to 75 percent white assistant coaches leads to 97 percent white head coaches."

The point is very simply put: history is repeating itself, as African Americans are cast at the bottom of the capitalist totem pole. We are the laborers and consumers, but not the managers and owners of these establishments. Part of this is due to the history of our country, in which the greatest American institutions were established without our being at the table. However, there is a component of this reality perpetuated by the fact that we have grown comfortable as laborers. We don't get more because we ourselves don't feel that we deserve more. In other words, the "slave mentality" shows itself quite clearly in collegiate athletics.

Dr Boyce Watkins is a finance professor at Syracuse University. He does regular commentary in national media, including CNN, MSNBC, BET and more. To have Boyce's commentary delivered directly to your e-mail, please click here.

Follow BV on Money on Twitter!