Deion Sanders and Exploitation in American Youth Sports
Early last week Deion Sanders, in an interview with the Rich Eisen show, made comments about Sander’s expectations and standards for the players he recruits. Sanders stated that he has different expectations for different positions. For example, Sanders wanted his quarterbacks to come from two parent homes, have at least a 3.5 GPA and show leadership skills necessary to lead the team. In offensive lineman, Sanders wanted kids that showed protectiveness towards family. But in defensive players, Sanders stated he wanted kids from single mother households, players on free lunch, alluding to those that showed signs of aggressive behavior that would be advantageous on the field. While many people took offense to the single mothers comment, Sanders didn’t say anything people who played or watched football didn’t already know. Coaches do tailor players to certain positions based on their beliefs about child upbringing and the players’ personality. But what I believe many have failed to examine is how Sanders’ comments are representative of exploitation in youth and collegiate sports culture.
As a former high school, AAU and collegiate athlete, and the sister of a current collegiate athlete, I would definitely say I came from a sports family. My weekends and summers as a child were almost always either a 4 game weekend for myself, my brother, or both of us with our parents separating for the weekend to take us to our respective tournaments. Sometimes there would be multiple tournaments in a week, spanning 3 different cities in 3 different states. Playing at such a competitive level at such a young age lets you meet many different people from many different backgrounds. As I will be turning 25 this spring, it’s sometimes heartbreaking to look at where some of those around me and my brother have ended up as opposed to where we are today.
One such example is Shemar Morrow, Last Chance U cast member and guard for East Los Angeles College. Morrow, during the time he was thought to be the best 6th grader in the country, had a short stint with my brother’s AAU club. While I only knew Shemar in passing and from watching him play, there were always rumors about his life and him being in a potentially exploitative relationship with people that hoped his talents would lead to the NBA. But his tenure with my brother’s club was short lived. We never knew for sure until Shemar began talking about his life on season 2 of Last Chance U. During this season, Morrow opened up about feeling abandoned by those he thought cared about him as hopes of reaching the NBA began to fade. As a child that grew up in foster care Morrow found himself without people to rely on. And though Morrow has an opportunity to attend junior college and play basketball, Morrow does not have a high school diploma or GED due to his childhood in foster care.
Competitive youth and collegiate sports often cover their misdeeds by connecting the business of youth sports to education and opportunity. This same logic is what often follows comments such as those made by Sanders, that all players regardless of their background are being given an opportunity, and if that opportunity is ‘squandered’, the players themselves are at fault. But one can argue two additional points. First, the collapses of certain players disproportionately affect those from difficult or traumatic homes, where their talents are often exploited since many recognize there is no one acting on the players behalf. Second, how do you define success? Is making it to the professional level or finishing college enough to disregard adults recognizing talent in some of America’s most vulnerable, and putting some in positions where their trauma and dysregulation goes untreated. What happens when the game ends for them?
The answers lie in sports history. Players that ‘failed’ can be represented in the stories of Lloyd Daniels, Chris Walker, Lenny Cooke, Aquille Carr and Maurice Clarrett. Players that ‘succeeded’ can be represented by players like Antonio Brown and Vontaze Burficit where their talents are often overshadowed by disturbing behavior. The scariest part is that these are only the recognizable stories. There are millions of others from vulnerable situations that have been forgotten, with promises of change and a better life broken without consequence. And nothing ever changes.
In May of last year, I was blessed to graduate with my master’s degree in Psychology. I had already committed to join my current doctoral program with full tuition remission and an assistantship, meaning I not only would not have to pay for my degree but would be paid by my university for conducting research with the faculty at my institution. When I looked out into the crowd I saw friends from my program, my parents, brother, aunt and cousins. After the ceremony my grandmother called to tell me congratulations and my advisor found me to give me a big hug and take a selfie.
I never became a professional basketball player like some coaches suggested I could be. Those same coaches that made such promises were no longer a part of my life in a way where they would have attended my graduation. But that’s okay because I didn’t need any of them to be there. I never really wanted to play professionally and I had an affluent enough background where college was never contingent upon my athletic success. I didn’t need any of them to follow through on any of their promises of care or provision because I was blessed with people that could look out for me. But I can’t imagine the hurt, loneliness and confusion so many I knew in my younger days felt during the much heavier moments when the dream ended. Instead of collecting degrees and celebrating achievements, those ex-acquaintances and friends were forced into a reality they were never prepared for. When the game clock hit zero and they found no one around, suddenly their talent wasn’t enough and no one had to answer for leaving some of the most vulnerable kids to become some of the least equipped adults.
Further Reading
Shemar Morrow of ‘Last Chance U’ finding footing at ELAC https://bvmsports.com/2023/01/13/shemar-morrow-of-last-chance-u-finding-footing-at-elac/
Deion Sanders Comments
https://www.blackenterprise.com/deion-sanders-chastised-for-comments-on-recruiting/
Lenny Cooke Story
https://clutchpoints.com/the-story-of-the-man-who-was-better-than-lebron-james-lenny-cooke
Aquille Carr Story
Chris Walker Story
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Walker_(basketball,_born_1994)
Lloyd Daniels Story
https://www.slamonline.com/archives/lloyd-daniels-feature/
Maurice Clarrett Story
Picture credit to Hank Willis Thomas, The Cotton Bowl, And One