We equip under-resourced youth with the tools and skills to succeed in all aspects of their lives. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come and we believe that the time has come for the National Sports Authority. A recently established 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Authority was formed with one purpose in mind: to level the playing field
in sports through advocacy and education, (ii) create opportunities for Black folk in the $500 billion per year sports business industry, and (iii) develop programs, services and strategies that will result in the better management and utilization of two important resources that exist in the Black community: 1) Historically Black Colleges & Universities and 2) Black athletic talent. The next 36 months hold promise for sports facility construction (major leagues and Division 1 colleges and universities) and roughly $9 billion in construction projects are on the table over the next five years. Through relationships we have developed over the past 25 years, the Authority is committed to helping minority businesses gain access to contract opportunities through joint ventures, teaming arrangements, and subcontracts through the use of credit under source selection evaluation factors that fulfill the needs of the public partners who bridge the gap in financing for this new construction, create jobs for minority general contractors, subcontractors, architectural and engineering firms, and furniture, fixture and equipment providers, and promote economic development in our community. Beyond construction, the Authority is committed to helping minority businesses gain access to contract opportunities in a number of arenas including, but not limited to, asset management, computer peripherals, custodial/janitorial services, data storage/backup, IT, laboratory services, landscape contractors, landscape managers, and other associated landscape professionals, laundering services, legal services, maintenance, new printer/copiers, office equipment, furniture and supplies, outbound shipping, social media, skilled trades (HVAC, electrical and plumbing), telecommunications and waste/trash removal. For over a century, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been producing graduates who have not only contributed to improving the quality of life for all Americans, but also conducted research that has strengthened the country’s infrastructure and advanced the frontiers of knowledge. The 105 HBCUs represent just 3% of the nation's institutions of higher learning, servicing over 300,000 undergraduate and graduate students. While HBCUs have less funding, less support and fewer resources for students than comparable majority institutions, remarkably HBCUs confer 40% of all STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) degrees and 60% of all engineering degrees earned by Black students. HBCUs also educate half of the country’s Black teachers and 40% of all Black health professionals. Through the programs and services to be offered by the Authority, and in conjuntion with HBCUs across the country, we plan to fuel the expansion of the footprint of Black folk in the sports business industry. We also hope to increase the participation of HBCU students in behind the scene career and entrepreneurial opportunities around college and professional sports…an industry that is one of the fastest growing segments of the nation’s economy with sports-related jobs expected to increase 23% for the decade ending in 2018, a much larger increase than the average for other employment sectors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
