The Latest from Dr. Boyce - 7/1/10

Dr. Boyce: NBA Free Agents Earning Less Than You Think

• The summer's NBA free agent market is probably more interesting than most. With LeBron James ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 2:00PM | Comments (0)

Scottie Pippen Wins $2 Million in Lawsuit, but Appears to be Broke

• NBA legend Scottie Pippen cried when he heard that he'd been awarded $2 million in a legal ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 1:26PM | Comments (0)

Are You Unemployed? Well, The Republicans Don't Seem to Care

• This week, Congress is set to allow unemployment benefits expire for 1.2 million Americans. Many of ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 1:00PM | Comments (2)

Grambling University Investigated for Investment Decisions

• Grambling State University faced some controversy recently, when more than $2 million in restricted ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 12:30PM | Comments (0)

Rep. Barbara Lee Helps Lead Charge on CBC, Financial Reform

• Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, issued a statement today ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 11:45AM | Comments (0)

Black Scholars Having to Sue to Get Tenured: A National Problem?

• Emerson College is one of many campuses across America that has had the courage to allow an ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 11:10AM | Comments (1)

Naomi Campbell Called to Testify at War Crimes Trial

• The war crimes trial of Liberian President Charles Taylor is taking some interesting twists and ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 1st 2010 5:30AM | Comments (2)

Rapper Swizz Beatz in Serious Trouble With IRS

• The rapper Swizz Beatz is being hit hard by the IRS for allegedly falling behind on his taxes. He ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 30th 2010 6:13PM | Comments (10)

National Association of Black Journalists Goes After CNN, Cable News

• The National Association of Black Journalists recently sent a letter to CNN and all the other ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 30th 2010 12:01PM | Comments (10)

Funding Differentials for Inner-City Schools a Civil Rights Issue?

• The educational funding crisis in the state of California serves as a microcosm of the problems ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 30th 2010 11:28AM | Comments (2)

50 Cent Vs. Diddy: The Money Behind the Beef

• I wrote recently about how the game of beef can help an artist boost their record sales. In the ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 30th 2010 10:33AM | Comments (9)

Rapper Jim Jones Teaching Kids About the Music Business

• The rapper Jim Jones now says he enjoys teaching kids, which isn't something you'd expect to hear ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 30th 2010 1:13AM | Comments (4)

Can Jay-Z Convince LeBron to Come to New Jersey? I Doubt It

• There was a time when Jay-Z, part owner of the New Jersey Nets, said that he wouldn't interfere ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 29th 2010 6:38PM | Comments (3)

How Oprah and Beyonce Topped Forbes Celebrity 100: Wealth 101

• Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce Knowles have recently created a duet called "Wealthy and Powerful Black ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 29th 2010 5:36PM | Comments (7)

Rapper Method Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion Charges

• The rapper Method Man pled guilty to tax evasion this week. He appeared in court, writing a check ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 29th 2010 3:48PM | Comments (3)

Dr. Boyce discusses the BET Awards

Dr. Boyce Watkins

Author and Finance Professor at Syracuse University

Why there should be a black backlash against BET

10:43 AM on 06/28/2010

OPINION - Through the years, the BET Awards have become a staple of unhealthy and counter-productive broken black family fun...

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The Latest from Dr. Boyce - 6/26/10

Obama and Fatherhood: "No Excuses Applies to You Too"

• One of the primary slogans being used by the White House to express President Barack Obama's most ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 26th 2010 8:13AM | Comments (0)

Mariah Carey Sued for $30,000 in Vet Bills

• Singer Mariah Carey is reportedly being sued for $30,000 in vet bills. The singer, like quite a few ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 26th 2010 8:08AM | Comments (0)

Teen Kicked Out of Jury Duty for Wearing Kanye West T-Shirt

• A teen was kicked off a jury this week for wearing a Kanye West T-shirt that the judge found to ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 26th 2010 7:34AM | Comments (17)

Government Accuses Twitter of Giving Away Your Personal Information

• Twitter recently settled charges with the government that it "deceived customers" and didn't ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 25th 2010 11:11AM | Comments (2)

Congressman Contrasts 'Minorities' With 'Good American People'

• Democratic Congressman Paul Kanjorski is getting heat from Republicans for making comments that ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 25th 2010 8:50AM | Comments (63)

Nas Can't Afford Kelis' Home: Plans to Sell Soon

• The divorce between the rapper Nas and his wife, Kelis, has been an interesting and fascinating ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 25th 2010 8:28AM | Comments (6)

Tiger's Wife Reportedly Going to get $750 Million

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

Radaronline is reporting that Tiger Woods' divorce is about to be signed and finalized. The most shocking part of the report is that there are claims that Woods' wife is set to get $750 million out of the settlement. There is no clear indication of who might get the kids out of the divorce or whether there is a confidentiality agreement, but the possibility that Elin Nordegren may walk away with $750 million is incredibly shocking.

"When they first started negotiating the divorce, it was very acrimonious," the source told RadarOnline.com. "Elin had a lawyer in California who was very, very aggressive."

Here are some quick thoughts about the Tiger Woods divorce:
1) Do prenuptial agreements not work anymore? Didn't Tiger's wife sign a prenup, and would it have been a crime for Elin to walk away with a clean $40 million for five years of "hard work?"

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Danielle Douglas Discuss Black Business

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Did you ever think about owning your own business? ;

Dr. Boyce, Marc Lamont Hill and Lola Adesioye Discuss Black America

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Marc Lamont Hill, Dr. Boyce and Lola Adesioye go at it on AOL Black Voices.

The NAACP, Wells Fargo: Dr Boyce and Faye Anderson Discuss

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Dr. Boyce Watkins talks with Faye Anderson, an attorney who has serious problems with the NAACP's relationship with Wells Fargo

Black Women, Black Dating and Single Mothers: Dr Boyce Video

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Dr. Boyce Watkins interviews two black women about their dating experiences. ;

Dr. Boyce: What the Hayell is Wrong with T-Pain?

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Dr. Boyce vents on the ignorant comments made by T-Pain and the Republican party. ;

Black Businesswoman Danielle Douglas and Dr. Boyce Talk Business

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Black Businesswoman Danielle Douglas and Dr. Boyce Talk Business

Rapper Rick Ross Sued for Stealing Drug Dealer's Name

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

I never bought into the hype that Rick Ross was a fraud. Everyone seemed to feel that because he was found to have been a corrections officer in a previous life, that he somehow violated the oath which says that rappers have to be criminals in order to sell records. I don't know how true or false the rumors happen to be, but the fact is that I never cared.

However, when I found out that there is reason to believe that the rapper Rick Ross took his name from the notorious drug dealer "Freeway" Ricky Ross, I thought to myself, "This is just stupid. Why can't the brother just be himself?"

 

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Suge Knight, Single Mothers, Rev. Al, Obama and More - 6/22/10

Suge Knight, Kanye West: Lawsuit, Guns and Money

• It appears that Kanye West and the infamous Marion "Suge" Knight are getting together to work out ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 6:36PM | Comments (0)

How Love and Money Mix and How You Can Do it the Right Way

• I did the interview below on CNN Radio this week about love and money. Most of us know the feeling ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 4:45PM | Comments (1)

Black Single Mothers and Dating: What's It Really Like?

• In this episode of 'Dr Boyce Watkins on AOL Black Voices,' we discuss black single mothers ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 3:54PM | Comments (0)

Should Facebook Be Held Accountable for Murders by Members?

• A man was sent to prison after he did the unthinkable: He pretended to be a teenager, lured a young ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 3:42PM | Comments (1)

Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. Boyce Discuss the Plight of the Black Male

• Every week, I speak with Rev. Al Sharpton on various issues that affect the African American ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 9:45AM | Comments (6)

Obama's Fatherhood.gov Commercial: Too Feminine for Black Men?

• On Father's Day, I wrote about the immense thrill of being a dad. This is one of the reasons I ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 9:30AM | Comments (8)

BP Chooses a Black Man to Head its Claims Process

• "BP is paying all the bills right now," Darryl Willis, the vice president of resources for BP ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 22nd 2010 7:50AM | Comments (1)

Son of Dallas Police Chief Suspected in Killing a Cop

• Investigators are saying that the 27-year-old son of Dallas Police Chief David Brown shot and ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 8:38PM | Comments (2)

Fat Joe Accused of Sexual Assault

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, AOL Black Voices

The rapper Fat Joe was detained by police Sunday night after he and his entourage were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Madison, Wisconsin. According to TMZ, the woman is 33-years old and claims the assault occurred in a Cadillac Limousine after a concert at the Orpheum Theater.

Fat Joe (a.k.a.Joseph Antonio Cartagena) and his entourage were held for questioning, but he was released and not arrested. The details of the case are still being sorted out in the investigation. Relative to most artists, Fat Joe doesn't get into very much trouble. The 39-year old married father of two has not, to my knowledge been accused of any sexual assault, so I'd be surprised if he waited this long to get started. He has been arrested in some of the typical rapper non-sense in the past: In 1998, he and the deceased rapper Big Pun were arrested for assaulting a man with a baseball bat and stealing his gold chain. I'm not even going to try to explain that one.

 

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The Latest from Dr. Boyce on AOL - 6/21/10

Son of Dallas Police Chief Suspected in Killing a Cop

• Investigators are saying that they believe that the 27-year old son of Dallas Police Chief David ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 8:38PM | Comments (0)

Is Obama's Mortgage Modification Program Failing?

• More than 1/3 of the 1.24 million borrowers who've enrolled in President Obama's mortgage ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 8:07PM | Comments (0)

Michael Jackson's Estate Earned $783 Million Since His Death

• Since his sudden heart attack last year, Michael Jackson has raked in big money. In the last year, ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 2:50PM | Comments (3)

Will Tiger Woods' Video Game Sell Like it Did in the Past?

• Tiger Woods 2011 has gotten outstanding reviews from critics, who say that the game presents a ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 2:11PM | Comments (1)

Hallmark Greeting Card Gets Accused of Corporate Racism

• I've seen misunderstandings in my day and then I've seen mega-misunderstandings. The most recent ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 2:04PM | Comments (2)

How to Save Your Money: 5 Steps to Getting it Right

• This week, I've been busy shooting an MSNBC special on money management. So, because this is on my ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 11:29AM | Comments (2)

Financial Lovemaking: AOL BV Poll Results on Black Women, Dating

• Last week, I had to step back to make sure I wasn't creating a firestorm with the article I wrote ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 10:04AM | Comments (0)

Black Businesswoman Danielle Douglas and Dr. Boyce Talk Business

• Danielle Douglas is not your typical businesswoman. She has climbed the corporate ladder, with ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 21st 2010 7:06AM | Comments (2)

Tiger Woods Sex Scandals Cost Him $25 Million in Endorsements

• It's being reported that the company which represents golf superstar Tiger Woods lost $4.6 million ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 19th 2010 10:21PM | Comments (4)

Black Scholar: Black Athletes Exploited Physically, Intellectually by NCAA

• Professor Billy Hawkins of The University of Georgia has released a controversial new book that ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 19th 2010 2:33PM | Comments (17)

Dr. Boyce and Lady Drama Discuss Wendy Williams, Hip-Hop and More

• I have a great deal of respect for Lady Drama, aka Ebony Garris. Lady Drama, in case you don't ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 19th 2010 12:10AM | Comments (2)

Foreclosure Epidemic Hits Minority Communities Hardest

• A recent study by the Center for Responsible Lending has confirmed what you probably already ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 18th 2010 4:04PM | Comments (20)

Black Republican: King's Statement About Obama Favoring Blacks Was Right

• Isaiah McGee, an Iowa-based African American commentator, businessman and politician, is a ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 18th 2010 3:02PM | Comments (27)

The Black Church Keeps Black Women Single and Lonely?

• In my book "Financial Lovemaking 101," one of the topics of discussion is the economic benefit of ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 18th 2010 11:24AM | Comments (140)

Parliament-Funkadelic Guitarist Garry Shider Dies

• Garry Shider, the musical director for Parliament-Funkadelic, was known for having the funkiest ... Read More
• By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jun 18th 2010 10:27AM | Comments (10)

What Black Fathers Must Do Right Now

by Dr. Boyce Watkins - The Institute for Black Public Policy

 

Father's Day usually occurs on my birthday, which is both exciting and a little bit sad. With each birthday, I feel like I'm on a slow ship to an unforeseen destination, with each birthday reminding me that I've passed another landmark. I keep wondering why birthdays show up around the same time every year, and I'm still hopeful that the trend will discontinue at some point. Wait, let me rephrase that.....if my birthdays stop coming then I'll be, well..... you know.

At any rate, when my birthday hits, doubled-up with Father's Day, I am led to evaluate my life and myself. I evaluate my life to see if I am the same man this year that I was last year; the truth is that I should have grown in some meaningful way or achieved something positive. I also evaluate myself as a father to see if I am getting at least a little bit better at making myself the kind of man that my kids need me to be.

 

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The NCAA is In Need of Serious Reform

Dr. Boyce Watkins - The Institute of Black Public Policy

I wrote about a new book regarding the NCAA’s alleged exploitation of black athletes, written by University of Georgia Professor Billy Hawkins. In his recently-released book, “The New Plantation,” Hawkins goes out of his way to help us understand that the method by which the NCAA does business is not much different from the mindset of plantation owners of the old south.

The analogies used by Professor Hawkins are thought-provoking and appear to be alarmist at first glance. After all, citizens are commonly comparing nearly every modern-day injustice to slavery in order to make a dramatic point. But in this case, the analogies are appropriate, in large part because slavery is not a dichotomy. Instead, it is actually a continuum, with complete freedom on one end and total servitude on the other. One could even argue that slaves themselves were not completely devoid of freedom, since they could have always chosen to run away, buy their freedom, maim themselves or even commit suicide as a way to escape their condition. The point of this very grim example is not to say that slavery was not entirely horrific; rather, it is to say that something does not have to be entirely horrific to be compared to slavery.

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News: Black Scholar Says NCAA Legally Exploits Black Men

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World

Professor Billy Hawkins of The University of Georgia has released a controversial new book that describes the experiences of NCAA athletes by comparing them to slaves on a plantation. According to the research of professor Hawkins, black athletes are exploited by the NCAA physically, financially and intellectually.

Hawkins cites the massive revenue earned by the NCAA via March Madness, which includes a 14-year, $10.8 billion contract with CBS sports. In spite of seemingly unlimited revenues to encourage athletes to stay focused academically, Hawkins notes that nearly one-fifth of the 64 teams participating in the NCAA tournament had graduation rates of less than 40 percent. Across the 36 sports monitored by the NCAA, men's basketball has the lowest graduation rates, where less than two-thirds of the players earn degrees.

The dismal graduation numbers for the NCAA support Dr. Hawkins' research, in which he argues and shows that black athletes at predominantly white institutions are being exploited while being neglected academically. In his book, "The New Plantation," the well-respected Professor of Sport Management and Policy uses a plantation model to present the black male athletic experience as part of a broader historical context.

 

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Report: Cambridge Police Don't Racially Profile

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, The Institute for Black Public Policy

A recent report to be published Thursday in the Boston Globe is set to show that the Cambridge Police Department does not use racial profiling, as it was accused of doing during the controversial case last summer involving Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates. The report, compiled by the New England Center of Investigative Reporting, analyzed 392 disorderly conduct arrests between 2004 and 2009. During that time, 57 percent of those arrested were white, and 34 percent were black. These numbers almost directly mirror the percentages in the community in which the arrests were made.

I did a great deal of CNN commentary on the Henry Louis Gates case, and to the ire of some of my fellow black scholars at Harvard, I firmly held the position that the Gates case was not about racial profiling. Not to say that the officer didn't violate procedure, but the truth is that there was almost nothing about that case that made me believe that Professor Gates was arrested because he was black.

 

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton Talk About The Black Music Industry

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Dr. Boyce Watkins and Rev. Al Sharpton Talk About The Black Music Industry and Other Current Event