There's only one Michael Jordan.
There's only a handful of Allen Iversons, Kobe Bryants and Tracy McGradys.
Believe it or not, there's even a limited number of Speedy Claxtons, Moochie Norrises and Bimbo Coleses.
But try telling all of this to many of today's young African-American males.
With the increasing preponderance of African-Americans in professional sports there seems to be an increasing faith among young blacks that they are the next rising star. Every kid on the playground is going to be "like Mike."
Unfortunately, the vast majority of these hoop dreams must inevitably fall short.
Don't get me wrong, it's not just black kids that have delusions of making it big in the sports world. Adolescents -- especially young males -- of all races fantasize about being the next big sports star. As a small-town white boy with no ups and a lousy left hand even I dreamed of becoming an NBA star -- if not the next Michael Jordan, then at least the next Chris Mullin.
Really, with lives like those of today's sports heroes, why would anyone want to be president? Pro athletes make more money, get more air time and you know they get better-looking women.
Leader of the free world, hell.
Make me Kobe Bryant.
Regrettably, too many young African-American men think like I do. A recent survey by Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society showed that 66 percent of all black males between the ages of 13 and 18 believe that they could become a professional sports player, despite the fact that only one in 10,000 high school athletes will ever make it to the professional level.
But whereas I'm just fickle, too many young black males have reason to think the way they do.
When my hoop dreams didn't pan out, I had access to higher education and, more importantly, faith in higher education to improve my life. With a college degree, I can (hopefully) look forward to a living standard that is reasonably high -- even if it lacks some of the perks of being Allen Iverson.
Much of black America, however, is not so lucky. According to the U.S. Census, as of March 1995, African-American males under 18 were three and a half times as likely to be impoverished as white males of the same age: 43 percent to 12 percent. 43 percent. That's nearly half -- a crying shame for what's supposed to be the greatest country on earth.
As adults, young blacks can look forward to job discrimination and pay inequality. The Census reports that black males make less -- and, generally, substantially less -- in every occupation. African-American men (25 or older) with no high school diploma stand to earn roughly $5,000 less annually than their white counterparts. Those with a high school diploma only -- $7,000 less. Those with a bachelor's degree or higher -- $10,000 less.
These statistics probably come as something of a surprise to most of you, and I don't bring them up simply to remind you that racial socio-economic equality in this country is a farce. They show why so many young African-American males are forced into thinking that they'll be the next Michael Jordan.
Pay discrimination and other forms of racism cause many young African-American males to eschew education and traditional career paths as viable means of improving their lot. According to the Education Resources Information Center, "for... people of color, barriers such as discrimination or bias may determine [career] outcomes independent of behavior... Therefore, individuals may foreclose career options that they perceive are not truly open to them."
Furthermore, the glamour of life in the sports world is undoubtedly heightened for young men coming from depressed circumstances, and when we are talking about broad-based economic disparity, the topic of race is never far away. To be blunt, rampant poverty in black America makes that community more susceptible to the problems posed by perceived access to a life of unparalleled wealth and fame.
At any rate, journalistic integrity obliges me to point out that there are some "positive" effects of sports on young African-American men, or at least to say that things could be worse. Clearly, athletic scholarships enable many poor, young black men who would otherwise be financially unable to enter college to do so, and the NCAA reports that, for the freshman class entering Division I colleges and universities in 1994, black male scholarship athletes are 11 percent more likely to graduate than black male students in this group, as a whole.
But let us not forget about the countless number of promising young African-American minds that are wasted because energy put into sports - rather than education -- seems like the best bet to improve one's life. It shouldn't have to be like this.
And let us all remember another thing, too.
There's only one Michael Jordan.
Bob Warring is a senior History and English major from Hanover, PA.
