WHY BLACKPOWER5 MATTERS

The groups generating the revenues in Power 5 athletics are disproportionately Black; the groups receiving the benefits are disproportionately White.

• Revenue Generators | Football and Men’s Basketball generate billions of dollars for their Power 5 universities. Among recruited athletes in these two sports, Blacks outnumber Whites 7.5 to 1 compared to the average makeup of the USA population. The men in these two sports generate significant money for their universities and highly benefit non-revenue producing student-athletes and the student body as a whole.
• Beneficiaries | Compared to their USA population  averages, among non-revenue producing student-athletes, Whites outnumber Blacks 1.6 to 1. Among the student body, Whites outnumber Blacks 3.1 to 1 compared to their USA population averages. As a general rule, the have more (White median income is $58,000+ in the USA) are being subsidized by the have less (Black median income is less than $35,000 in the USA).
• Top Recruits | The young men (Black and White) recruited each year to play Power5 Football and Basketball can impact Black communities and the socioeconomic landscape by attending universities that have more favorable Black-White student ratios and that are successfully graduating Black students at rates commensurate with their White peers. Declaring a school based on the school’s performance can cause schools to begin to develop programs in affected areas to develop better pipelines of Black academic talent. Universities are top beacons in the state that can be leveraged by the top athletes upon whom they rely.