America has a rich history of exploiting “free” labor; it is
a quality older than America itself. America also has a history of defending
these practices long after morality, market forces, and society’s general consensus
have determined them to be at fault. Amateurism is one of these qualities, held
in the highest regard among early modern Olympians, collegiate athletes, and those
that play solely for “the love of the game”.
This won’t be a condemnation of those people, but rather the forces at
play that demonized people like Jim Thorpe for being audacious enough to ask
for fair market value in exchange for his expertise.
This week is the perfect opportunity to discuss this
topic. March Madness will take over
tomorrow at Noon EST. Millions will be
glued to their televisions, streaming feeds, and radio broadcasts where the
college basketball’s elite will battle for the Wooden trophy. Advertisers, ticket sellers, vendors, NCAA
executives, and universities will rake in untold millions as a result of this
tournament. Worker productivity across
America will take a noticeable dive. Yet, no player will receive a cent as a
result of their athletic achievements during their time in college. The lucky ones may someday earn an NBA
contract or an opportunity to play overseas, but not a single one will receive
a check for their efforts during this season.
Clearly there’s something wrong with this. This tournament would not exist without the
players, who attract fans from all across the nation. These players are all adults over the age of
18, many with families, bills, and real world troubles to which their audience
can relate. Yet an entire organization,
the NCAA, exists almost solely for the purpose of preventing these athletes
from ever receiving direct compensation for their labor. These players cannot even be treated to a
steak dinner from a friendly booster without risking ineligibility and
sanctions against their team.
What if athletes were provided with a modest salary and were
allowed to pursue academic interests at their own leisure, perhaps after their
playing time is over? Time and again cases have been made that not all student
athletes are capable of excelling in both areas. Athletic talent is a fleeting
trait, so why burden athletes entering the peak of their prowess with a skill
set that may be irrelevant if they are able to reach the pinnacle of their desired
profession. The hours of practice,
weightlifting, individual training, and medical treatment are often overlooked
demands. When placed on top of the NCAA required course load, the burden may be
too much for these individuals to bear. A college education is a valuable tool
and investment, but only if a student is willing to commit to the rigorous
requirements.
In a capitalist society, lavishing praise on amateur
athletes is a confusing concept. Their
amateur status prevents them from taking economic advantage of their situation,
despite great wealth being flaunted at nearly every occasion around them. The temptation to take advantage of their circumstances
is too great for some, at which point they are chastised for accepting gifts
and stripped of their eligibility. How are we supposed to accept this contradiction
when the games themselves are interrupted in order to sell products to a
television audience? How can we prevent individuals from capitalizing on their
hard work at what could be their most marketable moments?
The NCAA also restricts an athlete’s ability to receive compensation in other
ways. For instance, an NCAA athlete cannot
have a part time job as a salesman at a car dealership where they would be able
to market their notoriety into an occupation.
This restriction doesn’t exist for the average American college student,
nor for emerging athletes in Europe where professional contacts are common for
athletes as young as 13. Even the NBA
has come to the absurd conclusion that elite high school players cannot make
the jump straight to their ranks and now require a gap year.
Elite athletes are forced to risk potential career ending
injuries before they are allowed to cash in on their prowess. This year’s best example would have to be
Nerlens Noel, the former #1 high school player in the nation, and current
Kentucky Wildcat freshman. Had the NBA’s
rule not existed, Noel already had the skill, size, and star power necessary to
be drafted in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft. Instead, Noel accepted a
scholarship to Kentucky and tore his ACL blocking a shot on a fast break. Noel was savvy enough to take out a personal
injury insurance policy, but at the expense of at least $40,000 to him and his
family.
ACL injuries are not the catastrophic career ending ailment they
once were, but should elite athletes and their families be forced to bear the
burdens of insurance premiums and student loan debt? Aren’t these athletes
entitled to a portion of the millions of dollars in revenue they earn their
respective schools? Is the current system setting up student athletes to fail?
I believe it is.
Read my article on PolicyMic about Chelsea's triumph over Benfica at the Amsterdam ArenA here:
I often wondered during marathon sessions of Football
Manager when the greatest manager of all time would decide to call it a day. Despite
suffering defeat in the UEFA Champion’s League at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s
Real Madrid, his squad had cruised to victory in the Premier League. This season had been a typically successful
one by Fergie’s standards, capturing his 13th Premier League title,
with a squad that many regarded as unremarkable. 
36 hours before the second UEFA Champions League Semi-Final against
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich announced they had completed the signing of Borussia
Dortmund midfielder Mario Gӧtze. The
transfer valued at €37 million, is the most ever received for a German player,
and at 20 years old it is plain to see that Mario Gӧtze will be a star for
years to come. Dortmund were able to
cope with the distraction and despite suffering a 2-0 defeat at the Santiago
Bernabeau, were able to advance to the Champions League final, where they will
face Gӧtze’s future team Bayern Munich.
After weeks of conjecture, Mario Balotelli's move to AC Milan has finally been finalized today. The controversial Italian striker returns to his home country after a very successful two year stint with Manchester City. The transfer valued at £19 million (with the possibility to climb to £22 million with add-ons) is one of the biggest deals of a transfer window that has been rather uneventful up until this point.
