Back in the 1980s and 1990s, a growing chorus of critics began calling attention to how African American athletes—especially in college basketball and football—were being systematically exploited by the very institutions that claimed to support them.
These athletes generated enormous profits and prestige for universities and professional leagues. Stadiums filled, TV ratings soared, and merchandise flew off shelves—all because of their talent and labor.
Yet, despite being the engine of these billion-dollar industries, many Black athletes were left with little to show for it. They were often funneled through college without receiving a meaningful education, and once their playing days were over, they were left without the financial security or institutional support their performance had earned for others.
This wasn’t just a moral failure—it was a structural one. It reflected a system that commodified young Black talent while offering empty promises in return. That pattern, although challenged today, remains stubbornly persistent in many corners of the sports world.
Is this general assessment still true today?
