2004BuncheSymposium

C.KeithHarrison(Kinesiology,UniversityofMichigan):

"Ralph Bunche and the 'Scholar-Baller' Paradigm: Academic, Athletic and Social Transformation"

C.KeithHarrisonopenedhisdiscussionofAfricanAmericanstudentathletes,withseveralpersonalanecdotes,amongthemthestoryofadiscussionhehadwithhisfatherin1998whenhecommentedonthefailureofcontemporaryblackcollegiateathletestoemulatetheactionsofhistoricalAfricanAmericanstudentathletessuchasDr.RalphBuncheandJackieRobinson.Inresponse,hisfatherremarkedthat"they'veforgottenthatthey'reblack",highlightingtheobservationthatmanymodernblackstudentathleteshavecometoneglecttheirculturalheritage,aswellastheirresponsibilitytoattainaneducationconcurrentlywithparticipatingincollegesports.Conversely,African‐Americanathletesinthepastwereexpectedtocombinescholarshipandathleticprowesstoagreaterextentthanwhatisexpectedtoday.BunchehimselfisaclearexampleofwhatHarrisonreferredtoasa"scholar‐baller",astudentathletewhobalancesnotonlyathleticsandeducation,butculturalelementsaswell.Indiscussingthe"scholar‐baller"phenomenon,HarrisonrecountedBunche'sachievementsasadynamicstudentatUCLA,involvedinvariousathleticandnon‐athleticactivitiesoncampussuchasthestudentnewspaperanddebateteam.AccordingtoHarrison,despitesignificantattitudesofracismduringtheearly20thcentury,AfricanAmericancollegestudentslikeBunchewereheavilyinvolvedinextracurricularactivities,formingatypeof"in‐crowd"composedprimarilyofstudentscholars.Thoughhefaceddiscriminationfromhiswhiteteammates,hewentontobecomeanaccomplishedstudentandvaledictorianofhisclass.Inhisgraduationspeech,hecondemnedracism,sayingthat"hatredsaresuperficial‐baseduponfear,ignorance,blindprejudice,oradesiretodominateforselfishends…ifpeoplecanbyeducationalprocesses,mutuallyarriveatgreaterunderstandingandsympathy,thesehatredswillinlargemeasurebedissipated…"LikeBunche,otherhistoricalstudentathletessuchasWilliamHenryLewisandPaulRobesonalsobecameknownattheirrespectivecollegesforboththeiracademicandathleticachievements.However,somewherealongthelinethisexpectationforblackstudentathletestosucceedacademicallyeventuallygavewaytothe"dumbjock"stereotypethatexiststoday.Citinga1996studyusingdatacollectedfromover500intercollegiatestudentathletes,Harrisondescribedanoveralltrendforblackstudentathletestoeithermaintainastrongathleticidentityalongwithaweakracialidentity,ortoholdaweakathleticidentityalongwithastrongracialidentity.HenotedthatunlikeAfricanAmericanscholar‐ballersofthepast,modernblackstudentathletestendtochoosebetweenacademiaandathleticism,rarelyfocusingonboth.However,Harrisonalsosuggestedthatthisnotneedbethecasefor

contemporaryblackstudentathletes,giventherichhistoryofAfricanAmericanathleteswhohavesucceededatexcellinginbotharenas.Harrisonsuggestedthatthehistoryoftheoriginalscholar‐ballerssuchasDr.RalphBuncheshouldbefurtherstudied,notonlyforitsownsake,butinordertopreservethelegacytheyleftbehindtomodernblackstudentathletes.