News & Perspectives

Black in Blue: The Duke Sports and Race Project hosted an evening honoring former Duke Men’s Basketball Player C.B. Claiborne, the first Black student-athlete to attend Duke University. Now professor of Business and Marketing in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University, Claiborne holds advanced degrees in engineering and business. He earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering while at Duke. Claiborne was joined in… read more about Pursuing Proactive Inclusivity: An Evening with C.B. Claiborne »

This story appears in SLAM Presents DUKE, an entire special issue dedicated to the Blue Devils Men’s Basketball Team. Shop now. For the past 30-plus years, I’ve had the chance to witness the remarkable career of Duke Men’s Basketball legend and basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill. I’ve gone from being just a fan to a friend. We’ve talked many times about what it was like to be an African American student and athlete at Duke University, and recently I had the chance to ask him a few… read more about Grant Hill and 9th Wonder have a Candid Conversation about Duke Basketball and its Relationship with the Black Community »

Millions of people watched as Damar Hamlin, a 24-year-old player in the National Football League (NFL), executed a seemingly routine tackle during a highly anticipated Monday Night Football game. Immediately after, Hamlin rose to his feet and then collapsed. Players from his team, the Buffalo Bills, and the opposing team, the Cincinnati Bengals, created a tight huddle around him on the field as medical personnel tried to revive him. We learned the next day that Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest; his… read more about Damar Hamlin’s Collapse Highlights the Violence Black Men Experience in Football »

Orin Starn, professor of Cultural Anthropology, talks with ABC11 News after the tragic on-field collapse of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin during a Monday Night Football game. Starn says he believes in the power of sports to unite people, but also says we need to discuss the ramifications of the game of football. read more about Sports world unites around Bills' Damar Hamlin »

As the youngest of five children, it’s safe to say that Dawn Staley grew up in a competitive environment. The three-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA player and current head coach of the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team was raised in the north Philadelphia projects and has brought that competitiveness to everything she’s been a part of. University of South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke at Duke on November 1, 2022. (John West/Trinity Communications… read more about Dawn Staley on Race, Equality and Advocating for Change »

Fifty years separate the days when Claudius “C.B.” Claiborne and Michelle Staggers completed their undergraduate degrees at Duke. But a conversation held February 28 made clear that the former student-athletes had plenty of shared experiences, along with a few key differences. Now a professor of business and marketing in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University, Claiborne was the first African American basketball player at Duke and earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Staggers… read more about Two Former Student-Athletes Discuss Duke History and Hope for the Future »

In the polarized kabuki theater of these familiar debates, we have rosy NCAA propaganda championing the myth of the noble scholar-athlete, and, on the other side, critics who see only lies, corruption, and exploitation. Neither view captures the complexity of college sports at Duke and beyond. It’s a tale of the good, bad, and the ugly, where honest discussion and real reform remain in short supply.  Read below or access The Assembly * * * * *  A veteran… read more about Duke University and the Troubles of College Sports »