Compensation for the next generation..............
So I watched Real Sports the other night with my boy Bryant Gumbel and one of his topics was a theory of mine a few years ago. Let's time warp to 2 years ago, when I was watching the documentary about the rise and fall of the UNLV basketball team which included Greg Anthony and "Grandma Ma" Larry Johnson. That documentary showcased the talent of a generation of men who knew that the only way for them to make it in a "square" league was for them to fight until there was no fighting left. Then fast forward to this year when I watched the Fab 5 which was my favorite college team, The Michigan Wolverines, before I became a Duke Blue Devil fanatic, this team also displayed the fight needed to survive as a circle in a square world. Jalen Rose, Chris Webber and the rest of the crew faced adversity, defied the odds and played the best basketball they knew how and for what? Bringing us to present day and back to me watching Bryant Gumbel, this particular topic was based on the deceit and dysfunction of the NCAA. Although the columnist who discovered the story didn't want to make a big deal out of it, I honestly don't believe it is something to just sweep under the rug.
Now I am a firm believer that after entering college and deciding to play D1 basketball each player should be held to committing an entire 4 years to not only the team but also to his academics to ensure that we have more college graduates rather than just star athlete's chasing a dream. However, now I definitely understand the urgency of some of these young men who leave college and enter the draft. These guys are being robbed of their talents. Game in and game out the college players that we watch during the March Madness and The Sweet 16 are the players that are paying the schools mortgages. These schools make millions of dollars in publicity, TV revenues, sales, endorsements and more and the players get nothing. Our young men are being exploited by the people they trust and look up to. The NCAA is just like a minor league so to speak. College games can gross just as much as NBA games or maybe even more on any given night. Yet parents still have to pay tuition for those who don't have scholarships and the school is getting the big bucks for just making them apart of their brand. There is an NCAA charity which accepts donations, to be distributed to each and every school, that has grown to billions and how much of that do our players see. With all of the endorsements and ratings, jersey sales and more, 90% of those proceeds are given to the schools. So why aren't these young men being compensated?
I cried. Yes I cried as I watched this in awe. I cannot believe that those who scout these young talents, tell their families that they are going to make men out of them and give them a better life when they are only out to exploit and use them for their raw talents. Then there are those schools who have the 3rd parties working for them who offer the players incentives just to join the team, but when it is discovered the school turns on that 3rd party because of the illegal solicitation rules. Seriously? Just as fast as the story began was just as fast as it ended. However, they didn't know that there were people like me watching who will not just let it go. I would love for my children to become college athletes and then go on to the pros like so many of my favorite players that I grew up watching, but if it will come at the cost of them being used and exploited I would prefer they tap into their other talents and choose a different path.......
Now I am a firm believer that after entering college and deciding to play D1 basketball each player should be held to committing an entire 4 years to not only the team but also to his academics to ensure that we have more college graduates rather than just star athlete's chasing a dream. However, now I definitely understand the urgency of some of these young men who leave college and enter the draft. These guys are being robbed of their talents. Game in and game out the college players that we watch during the March Madness and The Sweet 16 are the players that are paying the schools mortgages. These schools make millions of dollars in publicity, TV revenues, sales, endorsements and more and the players get nothing. Our young men are being exploited by the people they trust and look up to. The NCAA is just like a minor league so to speak. College games can gross just as much as NBA games or maybe even more on any given night. Yet parents still have to pay tuition for those who don't have scholarships and the school is getting the big bucks for just making them apart of their brand. There is an NCAA charity which accepts donations, to be distributed to each and every school, that has grown to billions and how much of that do our players see. With all of the endorsements and ratings, jersey sales and more, 90% of those proceeds are given to the schools. So why aren't these young men being compensated?
I cried. Yes I cried as I watched this in awe. I cannot believe that those who scout these young talents, tell their families that they are going to make men out of them and give them a better life when they are only out to exploit and use them for their raw talents. Then there are those schools who have the 3rd parties working for them who offer the players incentives just to join the team, but when it is discovered the school turns on that 3rd party because of the illegal solicitation rules. Seriously? Just as fast as the story began was just as fast as it ended. However, they didn't know that there were people like me watching who will not just let it go. I would love for my children to become college athletes and then go on to the pros like so many of my favorite players that I grew up watching, but if it will come at the cost of them being used and exploited I would prefer they tap into their other talents and choose a different path.......
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