John R. Thompson,Jr.-Breaking Barriers

Module 7 Discussion 1 – John R. Thompson Jr.: Breaking Barriers on and off the Court Name Institution Course and Code Professor Date Module 7 Discussion 1 – John R. Thompson Jr.: Breaking Barriers on and off the Court An issue that Coach Thompson Led a Public Fight On​ Another issue that Coach John Thompson led was Proposition 42 of the NCAA, which eliminated educational funds for low-income students. Thompson strongly opposed the view that black student-athletes would be more adversely affected than other students. He maintained that withholding education opportunities from these learners because of standardized test scores implied injustice and systemic inequality (Hightower & Robertson, 2020). Thompson believed in this issue and saw the role of education as something more than basketball, and also recognized the problem that marginalized communities experienced in accessing college. In protest, Thompson reacted by leaving the court during a match against Boston College in 1989, which made the issue a national concern. His actions mainly showed the NCAA that they should re-evaluate the decision and solve the problems in the system (ESPN, 2020). Before Proposition 42 was annulled, Thompson's protest revealed the urgency for change and ignited debates concerning scholastic expectations for student-athletes. To sum up, he laid the groundwork for the continuous debates about higher education access and equality in college athletics. Muffet McGraw, Former NCAA Coach...