Your alma mater is a different school than what you knew it to be. The obvious signs are the new construction, new programs, and many new faces around the campus. But the culture of these institutions is far more different than what you knew.
This is especially true for black college sports. The objectives and payoffs for attending an athletic contest are far different from what they were 20 years ago or even two years ago. Years ago, you called somebody up to talk trash about the big game between your school and theirs. Then it evolved to email. Now, groups on Facebook are dedicated to down-talking someone else’s school, band, dance squad, cheerleaders and concessions staff.
One thing black colleges must realize is that the culture of their sports, much like the institutions themselves, are changing far more rapidly than anyone could’ve anticipated. Students are attending HBCUs for far different reasons than they did years ago, and their expectations out of a black college experience are vastly different. And while there are moral and social debates that continuously rage about how to cultivate school pride on campus (parties, visitation, Greek life), there should be no debate about how to get young people involved and excited about sports on their campuses.
Take the news directly to them.
