Brienne Minor is a tennis player at the University of Michigan. She recently won the NCAA Division I women’s singles championship.
By the way, she is Black. Like a lot of people, you don’t associate an African-American woman with winning the NCAA singles title.
That’s OK because it has never been done before until last month when she defeated Belinda Woolcock from Florida, 6-3, 6-3.
Only one other Black person has ever won an NCAA Division I singles title and that is Arthur Ashe. He won the singles title in 1965 while a student at UCLA.
The numbers of African Americans playing college tennis are dismal at best. Less than 5 percent of African American women make up college tennis ranks. The number is a little higher if you include women who attend historically Black colleges and universities. For African American men, it is about 3 percent. When you include HBCUs, it is a tad higher.
Nonetheless, these numbers are paltry and may stay that way for the foreseeable future. Why don’t Black kids play tennis? Some would say they are too busy playing basketball and football. Others would say it’s too expensive while many would say it is the lack of role models in the sport.
I believe all three reasons have merit. African-American children are almost overwhelmed with basketball and football players who look like them. Television and playing venues across America provide them with an appropriate stage.
