Slam Dunk

I usually get a kick out of Geico's recent strand of commercials...it take two to tango, living under a rock, and how much wood can a woodchuck chuck. Their latest commercial shows a white, suburban, middle-class couple complaining about how expensive it is to save for their son's college fund. Their solution? To teach the five year old how to dunk a basketball. "Scholarship!" exclaims the mom.

Some might still find humor in the commercial and the scenario it depicts, especially when the wife cues the husband to help their son down from the net. But what if the family was African American? How many times have we heard criticisms of African American families who orient their children toward athletics and not academics, in hopes of a college athletic scholarship- as if playing ball is the only way to make it to college? And while college costs continue to rise, the type of family portrayed in the commercial hardly has anything to worry about... especially since the suburban lifestyle that is portrayed almost guarantees access to good schools, a good education, and, let's face it, scholarships out-the-wazoo in the kid's future. So what does this do in terms of framing the discussion around saving for college, preparing young children for college attendance and financing, and for aspirations of youth?