Blurred Lines: Who Plays Who?

When we think about segregation, especially attending a Historically Black University or College (HBCU), it seems to be an extremely touchy subject. However taboo it may be, I would like to touch on the subject briefly, just not in the way you may think. This time it will be regarding the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and how our conferences are set up. Now just for background purposes, there are four conferences and 1 association that hosts all the HBCUs within the continental United States of America (USA) excluding Tennessee State University and Hampton University. These conferences are as follows: Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).
Within those respective conferences/associations, they also hold classified divisions as well. Now the coveted schools that athletes tend to compete to attend are Division 1 schools in hopes of furthering their athletic careers. For HBCUs, those conferences are only the MEAC and SWAC. The Division 2 Conference would be SIAC as well as the CIAA. Lastly, the GCAC is a Division 3 conference.
You’re probably wondering how the NCAA and segregation relate to one another, let me piece it together for you. Now the last time I checked; segregation ended in 1964 by way of the civil rights act courtesy of Lyndon B. Johnson. Meaning institutions should be integrated fully across the US. Maybe the “bigwigs” that run the NCAA missed that memo. Essentially, HBCUs only play each other unless they are invited to play an out-of-conference game by another team. The most recent example that you may recall would be the invitation for Southern University and A&M College (SU) to play Louisiana State University (LSU) for the first ever in over one hundred years. Even though they are just a twenty-minute drive down I-10 in distance. Now LSU is a part of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) within the NCAA. The SEC is home to some of our country’s heavy-hitting Division 1 athletic programs, LSU being one of them.
You might also say to me why does it matter if all the HBCUs reside in the same conferences? Well, athletic growth for our athletes is the biggest reason and it is also just insulting. No athlete can improve their skills over time by playing the same level of talent year after year. At some point, they will just plateau. Even though SU currently sits as the top seed in the West Division of the SWAC for football, we were never projected to win against a power team like LSU. LSU is conditioned to play at a higher level of gameplay by being a part of the SEC because the competition is simply better.
Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, South Carolina, Missouri, and Texas A&M all span across the SWAC state lines however none of them play HBCUs without them inviting an HBCU to play. This looks deliberate, even blurry, and it paints a picture that HBCUs can’t match up. However, that has never stopped recruiters from coming to the very same cities African American Students reside in to play for their programs. That shows me that you once again, want Black talent to enhance your program however refuse to play against us unless it’s going to put money in your pockets. It’s all systematic and I for one think that the NCAA can and should do better. Politics exist in all areas however, no one would ever care if it affected your black student-athletes. Well, I see it and I am calling it out. NCAA get your act together.