Howard University’s men’s and women’s golf teams will showcase their everyday life as Black collegiate athletes in a sport that is not played by many who resemble them, in the eight-part docu-series “Why Not Us: Howard Golf,” premiering Aug. 21.
The Bison golf team was born in 2020 thanks to a donation of one man who loves the sport just as much as the student-athletes do: NBA superstar, and executive producer of the series, Stephen Curry. In a short time after the donation, the players have been able to excel with the new resources they have acquired.
Throughout 2022, the Howard golf team etched their name in elite conversations with the men’s team winning the 2022 MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Championship and 2022 PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) WORKS, and the women’s team winning the 2022 SAS Championship HBCU invitational and the 2022 Cardinal Classic.
With all the recent attention surrounding the team, Howard’s golf team has expressed excitement for the debut of the series specifically around showing audiences the reality of having a high-achieving golf program at an HBCU. While also giving viewers the opportunity to see a personal side of these athletes while witnessing the time and effort put into being the players they’ve become.
Everett Whiten Jr., a finance graduate student from Chesapeake, Virginia, expressed his excitement about the airing of the series, saying “It’s great the world can see what Howard golf is all about. What we’re trying to do here; what we’re trying to build here.”
Kyra Cox, an international studies graduate student from Westchester, New York, elaborated on the personable side of the athletes that the viewers will be able to witness. “Everyone on the team has such a unique and inspiring story,” she said.
The athletes on the Howard golf team come from different backgrounds with different stories but share the love of the sport and the adversity of being a black athlete, especially at an HBCU.
“HBCU athletics are not appreciated as they should be,” Cox said.
Raquel Simpson, a senior political science major, journalism minor from Chicago, spoke about what audiences should expect from the series. “The docu-series will show that we are very hardworking and multi-talented students. Black athletes are willing to put in the work and do what it takes to be successful,” Simpson said.
In addition to bringing awareness to the sport, showcasing the Howard golf program and understanding the players on a personal level, the docu-series has the potential to impact and enlighten the Black community about the game of golf.
“For golf to be getting this kind of attention in the black community is a very huge deal because this is a sport that has historically marginalized people that look like us,” Simpson said.
Simpson summarized the importance of investing in Black student-athletes in one sentence: “This documentary is going to show what happens when you invest in Black students and Black athletes.”
Episodes one through four of “Why Not Us: Howard Golf,” will be aired live at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 and can be streamed on ESPNU and ESPN+. All episodes will air on ESPN 2 on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
In support of the team, the Howard athletic department is hosting a watch party for the premiere at Cramton Auditorium from 6:30-9 p.m.
Copy edited by Alana Matthew
