The Bigger Picture addresses a broad range of topics that specifically face minority athletes. The Bigger Picture is a means in which minority athletes can share their own unique experiences with others who may have similar experiences. The Bigger Picture was started in 1997 when the founder, former Penn State grad student Brian Favors, shared his experience as a student athlete with other athletes at Penn State. The Bigger Picture is sensitive to the fact that black athletes have great influence and command a curtain degree of responsibility due to that influence. The Bigger Picture strives to instill a sense of responsibility, and consciousness in the minority athletes attending Penn State.
Blacks are the most at risk in terms of underdevelopment.
The Bigger Picture provides a sense of purpose, Favors said. Members of The Bigger Picture attempt to grow as individuals by making clear connections to the past through self-education and community outreach. Joe Lewis, Jessie Owens, Jim Brown, and Paul Robeson are some of the figures that members of the Bigger Picture use as a model to find a balance between self and community. Paul Robeson and other athletes like him used their platform as a vehicle to bring a positive change to the black community. We learn from their sacrifices, Favors said.