HBCU commissioners reach out to Congress for help as legislation threatens their programs

Just a few years after sports at historically Black schools were thriving, many now are merely surviving.

HBCUs are seeking help before things get worse. The commissioners of four major historically Black conferences have sent a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus requesting a meeting and voicing concerns that the growing push to make athletes school employees could potentially destroy their athletic programs if it continues.

Anthony Holloman, commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) said Yvette Clark, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, has responded with an offer to meet with the commissioners later this month. The SIAC, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) cover 48 Division I and Division II HBCU programs and roughly 15,000 athletes.

The commissioners worry their schools will need to make massive cuts if forced to put athletes on their payrolls. Athletes would have to pay taxes on their incomes and scholarships and the schools would be taxed for employing them. That would make college less affordable for students and come at significant cost to a group of schools that do not generate significant athletic revenue.

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The letter also says a growing patchwork of state laws also are creating disparities among the states their programs are in, leading to confusion for prospective students.

“To ensure that college sports broadly – and HBCU sports especially – can continue to thrive, it’s essential that Congress allow for consistent and nimble national governance and affirm that student-athletes are not designated as employees of their universities,” the letter said.

The conferences say their institutions rely heavily on school appropriated funds and donations. Some of those are drying up — Holloman said another issue for HBCUs is that corporations are eliminating divisions that have focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, taking away the valuable donations that come with them.

Holloman said some schools have diversified revenue streams to try and compete. For example, the SIAC, the CIAA and the SWAC have deals with the Allen Media Group that allows them to make money from streaming their events on HBCU Go. The SIAC made its deal with Allen in January 2024.

Still, he said there is a large disparity between the HBCUs and Power Four programs’ income from broadcast rights. Changes in name, image and likeness (NIL) rules have created a greater disparity between the Power Four programs and the HBCUs. Holloman said both issues and the length of time the transfer portal is open makes retention difficult for HBCU programs.

Just a few years ago, HBCU athletics were on the rise. Deion Sanders’ success coaching Jackson State drew national interest, and the rise in social awareness that followed George Floyd’s murder fueled a spike in donations that helped several programs.

In 2023, The Associated Press contacted 46 Division I and D-II HBCUs and five conference offices about the trend of schools adding sports over the previous decade. Twenty schools responded, saying they had added at least 42 NCAA championship or emerging sports since 2016, including at least 32 since 2020. Morgan State’s addition of men’s wrestling, with Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday as coach, was one of the bigger moves.

Now, those additional programs could create a larger issue for the schools if more states consider the athletes employees.

“While there have been historic changes recently in collegiate sports to support student-athletes overall, opportunities for our predominantly Black students at our institutions are at risk,” the letter said. “Pending regulatory decisions and litigation threaten to change the face of college sports devoid of our input and, more importantly, without the voices of our student athletes.”

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports