Last night I traveled to Tampa to cheer on my Florida A&M University Rattlers as they took on USF. The experience was one that left me with an angry, bitter feeling 24 hours later and also led me to question whether HBCU's should even bother playing against PWI's for pay.
This is not the first time that my beloved HBCU has played against a PWI. During the Randy Shannon era at the University of Miami we played the Hurricanes yearly. Despite what many people say about Randy I will always look at him with high regard. I mean seriously how many football coaches do you know who stress the importance of education? How many football coaches do you know who have graduated as many players as Shannon did? How many cared about the welfare of their players and coaching staff as much as Randy? Randy Shannon believed that HBCU's and their talented players were often overlooked by the Ncaa, NFL and media in general. He wanted to expose individuals who had no idea what an HBCU was to HBCU culture, bands, players and etc. It worked. The atmosphere at Sun Life Stadium when Miami and Famu played was one that could only be described in one word ... AWESOME. Yes Miami beat us every single time but I think that many Rattlers would agree that the energy was so positive and the environment so friendly that the lost never really hurt. Plus you would throw in the fact that our school made a ton of cash off of that one game. Randy always made sure that the Marching 100 were able to showcase what they were all about and the fans of UM enjoyed it. See ... it usually was a win-win situation for both parties.
That wasnt the case last night. From the moment that I entered Raymond James Stadium I didnt feel the same as I usually felt when we played Miami. The environment was different. The workers were rude and the fans quite belligerent. There was a feeling of simply being uncomfortable and praying that the 100 would hurry up and play so that we could leave. The joyous dancing, clapping and singing that Famu alumni and students partake in was missing. Everyone just kind of sat there either watching our football team get murdered or texting on their phone. There was no genuine interest. The score at the end read 70-17.
I woke up this morning and wondered who was in charge at Famu. Who decided to put this game on the schedule? Who decided that we would play USF? And when they decided that we would play USF did they speak with USF to see WHY they wanted to play us to begin with OR were they simply focused on the big pay day at the end. All money is not GOOD money. We live in a country that believes that historical black colleges and universities are obsolete. They are useless, outdated and irrelevant. They should no longer exist. Not only do Americans who have no idea what an HBCU stands for or is feel this way but individuals within OUR own community also express such sentiments. When you're living in a place that has such a negative attitude towards HBCU's I wonder why someone would go and add fuel to the fire? All I heard last night and this morning was how Famu sucked. All I heard was chuckles last night and looks of pity. I feel as if that game not only set Famu as an institution back but HBCU's in general. Instead of showcasing Famu and exposing people to overlooked talent, the game only served to exploit the institution and further the notion that PWIs are better. As an athlete, student or band member, I would not have wanted to attend Famu after experiencing last night's game. I too would have been as ignorant as everyone else and believed that PWI's are white, so they ARE better. This is what made this situation a winning situation...BUT only for USF. Metaphorically speaking Famu lost. HBCUs lost. We got paid though. But in the end, was the money even really worth it?
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