Over the past few months, whenever Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Liberty University havent been busy suing reporters for doing their jobs, theyve been tearing apart their athletic department. But not on purpose.

One of the best ways to advertise a school and create an exciting atmosphere for potential students is through athletics. A successful football program alas, not so much quality teaching or research opportunities will do wonders for donations and recruiting.

Its no wonder, then, that Liberty has spent more than $150 million on sports facilities since 2016. Their Division I football team won a bowl game last year, and their basketball team won a March Madness game as well. Theyve been recruiting athletes who may, in the past, have been considered too good for a school like theirs.

But all of that collapsed in recent months as players (and professors) began leaving the school in response to Falwells overt racism as well as the racist culture on campus.

In a piece for Slate, Joel Anderson writes about how some of the schools most prized recruits have left the school due in large part to the bigotry they experienced there.

Heres just the opening story:

One Thursday morning, class was partway through when the instructor told one of [football player Tayvion Tank] Lands teammates that he needed a tutor. Sensing some reticence, Land said, the instructor followed up with an attempt at a joke. Dont be scared, he allegedly told the player. Im not going to pull out my whip and hit you with it.

One question often comes up whenever we hear stories like these: Why did these athletes go to Liberty in the first place?

Its because Liberty was recruiting them (and giving them a scholarship) when other schools were not.

Its because their top choices eventually passed on them and they had to settle.

Its because they wanted to go to a Christian school, but they didnt realize Liberty was a batshit crazy Christian school.

Several of the students in the piece mention how they just didnt know much about the schools culture and place in right-wing politics but when they visited campus and saw the facilities, they were sold. Many of them even said they had no problem with the teams or coaches; it was the rest of the school that became a problem.

For basketball star Asia Todd, one key moment was having to listen to conservative commentator Candace Owens repeat right-wing theories about Black people.

Todd and her friends most of them Blacklooked around the arena that morning, taking in the scene of the overwhelmingly white audience applauding and nodding along with Owens.

I can say that my parents did warn me about some of their ideology and that it didnt align with things that they raised me and stuff they stood for, Todd said. I definitely shouldve listened. I feel like if I did know more about [Falwell] and what he stands for, I dont know if I wouldve gone there.

Good for them for making the transfer. Its hard to leave a program and join a new one even when youre not thinking about eligibility rules. But given the pandemic, with everything sports-related in chaos anyway. this may be the year to do it.

If the top athletes at Liberty are warning students to stay the hell away, and leading by example, it would arguably do more damage to Libertys reputation than Falwell ever could.

Thats a sad reflection of our culture, but if it works, more power to them.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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Black Athletes Are Abandoning Liberty University Because of the School's Racism - Friendly Atheist - Patheos