When it comes to college sports and equal opportunity, it’s not a black and white issue.

Actually, it is a black and white issue and that’s what seems to be the problem.

You’d think that everyone should be judged on their athletic and academic abilities and not by the color of their skin.

But according to The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) annual study: “Keeping Score When It Counts: Graduation Rates for 2008 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament Teams”  white college basketball players have higher graduation rates than their African American teammates. 

Dr. Richard Lapchick the main writer of the study said: “There is positive academic news for the tournament teams when we examine the Graduation Success Rates. However, the on-going and significant disparity regarding the academic success between African-American and white men’s basketball student athletes is deeply troubling. Higher education’s greatest failure is the persistent gap between African-American and white basketball student-athletes in particular and students in general. The good news there is that the gaps are narrowing slightly.”

These are the race stats:

• 61 percent (33 schools) of the men’s tournament teams graduated 70 percent or more of
  their white basketball student-athletes, while only 30 percent (19 schools) graduated 70
  percent or more of their African-American basketball student-athletes creating a 31
  percent gap. This improves on a 38 percent gap from last year’s study.
• 70 percent (38) of the men’s tournament teams graduated 60 percent or more of their
  white basketball student-athletes, while only 37 percent of schools (23) graduated 60
  percent or more of their African-American basketball student-athletes resulting in a 33
  percent gap. This improves on a 36 percent gap from last year’s study.
•  83 percent (45) graduated 50 percent or more of their white basketball student-athletes,
  but only 57 percent (36) graduated 50 percent or more of their African-American
  basketball student-athletes creating a 26 percent gap. This improves on a 41 percent gap
  from last year’s study.

And don’t think that racism is only a sports issue.

According to Lapchick: “It needs to be noted that African-American basketball players graduate at a higher rate than African-American males who are not student-athletes. The graduation rate for African-American male students as a whole is only 37 percent, versus the overall rate of 61 percent for white male students, which is a scandalous 24 percentage point gap. Too many of our predominantly white campuses are not welcoming places for students of color, whether or not they are athletes.”

In a nation that was founded on freedom and equal opportunity, these results are a little unsettling—especially considering it’s 2008.

What kind of example are our colleges setting? They are supposed to be institutions that question, challenge and fight racism, not subtly support it.