William C. Rhoden

William C. Rhoden (born 1950) is a sports columnist for "The New York Times". He has been in his current role since March 1983. Previously, he was a copy editor in the Sunday Week in Review section since October 1981 when he joined the newspaper.

Before joining the "Times", Mr. Rhoden spent more than three years with "The Baltimore Sun" as a columnist. Before that, he was associate editor of "Ebony" magazine from 1974 to 1978.

William H. Rhoden is also the author of the controversial "Forty Million Dollar Slaves", which was published by Crown Publishing in 2006. This book compares the relationship of black athletes to team owners and agents to white plantation owners and slaves of the Antebellum period. It also deals with the complexities of societal implications on black athletes. Howard University has devoted a few students from its spring 2007 semester to further analyze this topic. In 2007, Rhoden's next book "Third and a Mile: The Trials and Triumph of the Black Quarterback" was published. This book continues the work of "Forty Million Dollar Slaves" by discussing the struggles that many black quarterbacks have endured by being labeled as "athletic" and not smart enough to play the position. Rhoden is a frequent guest on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters".

He attended Morgan State University in Baltimore and while there acted as assistant sports information director.

Personal

Rhoden is married and has a daughter.