rsities of which they are presumably a part. Within this perspective, any action that compromises the goals of college athletics must be vigorously opposed. For most of these individuals, the primary objective of college athletics is winning, which, in turn, provides employment for coaches and other athletic department personnel, and provides opportunities for college athletes to develop the skills and to showcase the skills required to garner high paid contracts with so called professional sports organizations. The preceding objectives are share by most people involved in college athletics, regardless of race. For Blacks involved in college athletics, for Black high school athletes hoping to be involved in college athletics, and for many leaders of the Black community, however, there is an additional objective. College athletics are viewed as a sort of welfare that will provide entry into colleges and universities that they could not hope to gain through educational attainment. For these people, therefore, any action such as Proposition 48 that attempts to propose educational standards to qualify for participation in college athletics is viewed as racist, because the generally lower academic achievements of Black young people in relation to most young people of other racial and ethnic groups mean that increased standards will tend to adversely affect Blacks more than others.
The thesis of this current research is that Proposition 48 has had a positive impact on Black college athletes because the implementation of the rule has led to higher college graduation rates among Black college athletes. For most of the opponents of Proposition 48, however, this thesis will be rejected even if the thesis is supported by the research findings, because, for these people educational goals are not paramount.
Academic Standards and College Athletics
Two of the most controversial issues involved in the relationship between academic sta...