There are only a few Black American stars in the sport and I'd guess they're more famous overseas than here. I doubt many poor black kids are even aware of the money out there in the sport because they don't have the role models to idolize.

So the sport is largely left to more affluent families that use it primarily as a way to keep the kids active, maybe teach them some life lessons (team work, hard work, etc), round out their college profile and (long shot) maybe a scholarship.

I think the math for most black families here is that you can get all of the same potential benefits from football and basketball and still give yourself the chance of being a rich and famous star at home.