According to "New York Times" columnist Rhoden, black athletes, despite their money, fame and achievement, still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent has built.

From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says "New York Times" columnist William C. Rhoden, black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built.