Jay Hobson, new Alcorn State football coach
Alcorn State, one of Americas HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) hired Jay Hopson, a white man, to be the head football coach. On the one hand it would seem logical that a school dedicated to providing opportunities for blacks would hire a black coach thus giving him an opportunity he might not otherwise get as over time not many black coaches have been hired to fill head coaching positions in NCAA football. Also, there is the issue of providing a role model for black youth and black males in particular.
On the other hand, if the idea is to fight discrimination, it would be counter intuitive to discriminate in hiring. Additionally, if the point of sports is, in the end, to win, and Hopson brings the best chance for Alcorn State to win, he should be hired. I do not believe there are too many athletic programs that are happy with a losing record even if they are presenting a positive political message through coach and athlete selection. (I know that may be a false dichotomy.)
I think that this hiring is getting a lot of hype due to the centrality of football particularly in Southern culture. As a New York Times article points out there are many white coaches at HBCUs in non-revenue sports (swimming and lacrosse at Howard), and as I blogged about earlier, there are many HBCU teams dominated by white athletes. I know I am a white guy looking at this from the outside, but this hire seems reasonable. I am not arguing that we are in a color blind universe or anything like that, but holding to strict, doctrinaire principles regarding who gets what jobs seems unreasonable today.
Howard University Women’s Lacrosse, on the left is coach Sarah Schermerhorn
I believe that the hire is completely appropriate. But one question we should also consider is whether it is appropriate in this age to have HBCUs at all since they appear to make widespread distinctions in admission based on race. In a diverse society, what’s the point of having a university whose premise to group people by race? It’s obvious that an historically white university labeled as such would never pass muster. HBCUs are an anachronism which should be integrated sooner rather than later.
As an African American who went to an 80% white university and pretty much gave up on wanting to be a coach because I felt like I would never get a shot at being a head coach after having a nightmare career when I had to take a backseat to lesser white athletes in high school. My father was in the military and so I had go to diverse school which really meant majority white and black kids were treated differently based upon how well they assimilated vs. their talents and merits. I was a kid who ignorantly in a mostly white town said I wanted to be a college coach and then after being hazed on the basis of race in high school and then college I seen more whites at hbcus than I did blacks going to an 80% white university. And if you did not have HBCUs you would just add more blacks to the unemployment roll. I think in a truely diverse society you will have black institutions and white institutions? Diversity means everyone has equal ownership and wealth. After myself attending University, and having a nightmare experience, much like the one I did in high school, I would go to an HBCUs. I think the proper thing for African Americans to do is to build their own because its clear by the unemployment numbers were arent getting a fair shake in a “diverse society where 98% of all senior managers are white, 99% of all use senators are white and 90% of teachers are white females. I dont think you have to label the University of Georgia Historically White because it is. UGA is a 98% University, Alabama is an 80% white University. Being an educated African American I understand what you are saying in a political correct manner and I also know the realities and diminished opportunities that young African American men face. I just find it ironic how now HBCUS will be like HWCUs dominated by whites in management. And this is coming from an African America who went to a mostly white college not a diverse one, most white in which I was just a face in crowd. I will say I have gave up on so many of my dreams after working hard for them because I dont like dealing with racism and being mistreated.