Salim Muwakkil

In the following viewpoint, Salim Muwakkil argues that too many young African Americans regard professional sports as a potential career, despite the fact that only one out of every fifty- thousand African-American men ever participate in a professional sport. As a result, Muwakkil contends, these youths do not consider other jobs that offer more realistic opportunities for financial security. In addition, Muwakkil maintains that selecting black athlete role models such as Michael Jordan and Emmitt Smith, who are largely apolitical, does not encourage black youth to work toward improving the communities in which they live. Muwakkil is a senior editor at In These Times,a liberal biweekly publication.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the poll cited by the author, what percentage of African-American teenagers in urban neighborhoods believe they can...