jeffrey mcleod – maintaining a legacy of excellence

Before the birth of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s, the role of the black athlete was paramount in penetrating the racial barrier into mainstream America. In the midst of the Jim Crow era, athletes like Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens overcame repression and spearheaded the inclusion of African Americans in white-dominated environments.
“Sports is really the way that we [maneuvered] our way as a community, as a race, into general society – [like] Jackie Robinson breaking the color line. Those were things that impacted integration,” explains Jeffrey McLeod, associate commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
McLeod oversees a collegiate legacy that dates back to 1912, when 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which were excluded from participating in mainstream tournaments, formed a sports conference on the campus of Hampton University. The CIAA has since grown into one of the most successful sporting events in the nation with the CIAA basketball tournament being the third most attended event in all of collegiate sports.
“Last year we had 170,000 in attendance. Citywide we expect to best that,” tells McLeod of the annual conference based in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s more than just a game. It’s outstanding basketball. You have friends, reunions, families, college homecoming [and] folks who haven’t seen each other for years and years running into each other. It’s just pure fun.” -adam jones
For more information on the CIAA, visit www.theciaa.com.