Saturday, March 21, 2009

Pimp my point guard.


The following article is old (almost five years) but it is the kind of article that could be posted for the next twenty years and it would still be relevant. I thought about posting it today as I watched all those athletes bust their asses for their schools, while their well paid coaches pranced along beside the court.


"Editor's Note: The nation's top college basketball and football athletes earn millions for their schools, but see very little of it. And yet these so-called "student" athletes have little time for their studies and often earn no academic degree.

It's an exploitative system that must be changed, the writer says.SAN FRANCISCO--With the 2005 collegiate football season underway, African-American athletes are exciting the crowds, drawing in thousands of fans and driving up revenues from TV and radio coverage. And they're being exploited. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) pretends that elite African American athletes filling the stadiums and arenas are student-athletes. In reality the majority of top players, like quarterback Vince Young of the University of Texas and running back Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma University, are first and foremost athletes. Their lives center on practice fields, not classrooms. Coaches dictate their schedules, which are packed with meetings, practices, lifting weights, rehabbing injuries and travel.

Economists Todd Jewell and Robert W. Brown in the late 1990s calculated that athletes of the caliber of Young and Peterson generate $500,000 per year for their universities. It's even more today, considering revenues from college basketball's March Madness, a six-year, $11 billion contract with CBS, and the Bowl Championship Series on ABC, at $500 million over eight years. Premier basketball players generate over $1 million a year.These players are being exploited, receiving only a few thousands in scholarship money while earning enough cash for their universities to provide substantial salaries to a cast of coaches, trainers, administrators and support personnel for non-revenue generating sports such as golf, soccer, lacrosse, swimming and tennis. Those opposed to paying student-athletes argue that a college education is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Indeed, according to Census Bureau 2002 figures, those with B.A. degrees earn an average of $2.1 million over their lifetime, compared to high school graduates' $1.2 million.Unfortunately, not enough of these "student" athletes earn degrees of any kind. Despite efforts to improve graduation rates, the latest stats from the NCAA show that for black football players who entered college from 1997 to 1998, the graduation rates were 49 percent for each of the two years.

In basketball the rates were 41 and 42 percent. Some elite universities have far lower rates.There are also serious doubts about the quality of these athletes' educations. It is true that they have tutors and compulsory study halls not available to most students. They have the security of scholarships, so there are no financial pressures that force other students to drop out. But even if the black athlete graduates, his degree may not be worth much if he has filled his schedule with less than challenging courses. "


So is Donal Brown right? Are the NCAA schools pimping these young men? Personally, I think some of these coaches are doing just that. When you see coach K crying over losing his kids to graduation, it's not because he is happy that they are going out into the world with a Duke degree. No, he is crying because his basketball team will be losing a great player. Coach K and the NCAA well be fine, thanks to CBS and other corporate sponsors they are swimming in money.

Still, these student athletes have to remember that there is a student before the word athlete, and they should be realistic about their chances of playing the sport they love for money. They need to make the best of their college experience and get their degrees. I know that their pim....I mean coach is always in their ears to watch game films and practice, but they have a bigger responsibility to themselves than to their coach and old State U.

Wouldn't it be nice to hear a coach tell a kid that he should put in as much time in the library as he does at the free throw line? It would be nice, but ain't ever gonna happen. Coach has too much to lose, and he can't stand the risk of having his most valuable commodity forget why he needs him in the first place.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

The ag generally pushs the gpa.

szpork

Anonymous said...

Those graduation rates are pathetic as referenced. Do the students drop out in the first few years? Cut from the team or injured in the first few years? If they get accepted in a program are they guaranteed a scholarship if they are injured in the sport? If they have put in four years, but have not graduated are they still allowed to play? to attend the school?

I obviously know nothing about how college sports work other than what you just wrote. It does sound terrible....

Anonymous said...

It's the fault of dumb, sports obsessed, Americans who put jumping, shooting, and running, before reading, writing, and arithmetic. If we put more emphasis on what matters: learning; And less emphasis on what doesn't: sports; then, we could avoid most of these issues.

Anonymous said...

This is what happens when big money is involved. The schools squeeze as much out of the athletes during their one to four years there, and sometimes the athletes get a pay cut when they graduate to the NBA or the NFL.

brohammas said...

First I think the players should get paid.

Second that is a horrible one sided propoganda piece of writing.
It ignores white athletes. The low graduation rates, especially in basketball, make no distinction between those who drop out and those who leave for the NBA. In Basketball, where the participation numbers are so far below football (in terms of scholarships)and the number of players who leave early for the payday... what you are usually left with are a bunch of so-so bballers who are using the scholarship to get a degree. these are the guys who DO graduate.

The case to pay players is strong enough that we dont need to hurt the argument with shoddy reporting.

field negro said...

brohammas, aren't black athletes the ones most affected in a negative way? White athletes in sports like soccer and lacrosse graduate at much higher rates, and more often or not come form families where college degrees are the norm. The big money making sports like basketball and football are stacked with poor minorty kids.

But I do agree with you that they should be paid. Or at least be allowed to get weekly allowances.
Then some of the schools wouldn't have to pay athletes under the table like R.J. aluuded to.

Christopher said...

Who cares?

The country is slipping dangerously close to the Great Depression 2.0, unemployment is above 10% in several states, we have two wars raging and the president want to increase troop presence in Afghanistan, and crime levels in many U.S. cities have returned to 1970's levels.

I can't really say I give a rat's ass about college sports or compensation at this moment in history.

Anonymous said...

Exactly Christopher. Let's go on the tonight show!!!1

szpork

Anonymous said...

Well... This IS the South -

Honor to Obama Splits Ga. House

Saturday, March 21, 2009; Page A04

ATLANTA -- Two dozen black lawmakers angrily stalked out of the Georgia House on Friday amid assertions that a decision by white Republican leaders to delay passage of a resolution honoring President Obama had racist overtones.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R) said the proposal to make Obama an honorary member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus required changes to its language and sent it to a committee. Supporters of the resolution said the move was a snub to the nation's first black president.

State Rep. Austin Scott said he and other Republicans objected to wording that would have put the full chamber on record backing the resolution and its declaration of Obama as a man with an "unimpeachable reputation for integrity." He said he blocked the proposal after Democrats balked at revising the wording.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032003134.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Yeah.. But we got the Ronald Raygun Memorial Don's John...

On every major highway.

BT

JP said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/magazine/22basketball-t.html

These kids are being chewed up and spit out long before they hit campuses.

Anonymous said...

Who's to say they're not being "paid" when they are receiving a FREE education (that many of them don't take advantage of) with FREE TUTORS at their beck and call all so they can play a kid's game. I would imagine that their free educations are worth at least a few hundred thousand $ per player.

Anonymous said...

Being totally irreverent...errrrr...

irrelevant today - ran across this bit at AOL Black Voices -

Mariah Carey, $1 Billion Legs:
In 2006, Mariah Carey's legs were insured for this astronomical amount before the start of a tour. Tours can be physically risky, so it definitely pays for a star of this caliber to think ahead.


$1 billion?

Pllllleeeeaaaaaazzzzee!

WTF she think she is...

Tina Turner?

BT

Jon said...

Field:

The schools have been exploiting black athletes for years, and the graduation rates for the players are not only sad, but just pitiful. Many of the guys are actually very intelligent, but they get little credit for that. America has a history of marginalizing minority males, so that is not shocking to me.

The Division I school I attended has a world-class basketball program and the graduation rates for players ARE very high? Why? The school places a huge emphasis on academics and the individual as well. However, I had friends on the basketball team and they lost out on a lot of time to devote to studies and/or other activities. I think they should also receive some sort of stipend to supplement their expenses granted they have been making these universities billions over the years.

Lastly, I just find it funny how some schools will claim NBA players who never graduated, trying to get recruits by saying such and such went here...blah blah. That's ridiculous. Unless you received a piece of paper with a degree conferral date, you are not an alumni. Allen Iverson was talking about how he is a Georgetown alum when he did NOT finish; he left early for the NBA. Now you have folks like P. Diddy going around talking about how they are Howard alums. Whateva. lol.

Anonymous said...

The NCAA lowered the "prospect" age to 12.....think they give a damn about graduation rates??
BWA HAHAHAHAHA!!!
(gotta laugh to keep from crying)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/01/15/prospects.ap/index.html

Anonymous said...

William Rhoden points out alot of what being discussed here in his book "40 Million Dollars Slaves".

He pointed out that many high school/college athletic programs, particularly ones where there is largely African-American participation, have in place a "conveyor belt" type process by which their talents are exploited and makes a future NBA/NFL prospect (i.e., Lebron James)feel he's above things like good grades or meeting graduation criteria. He says that it fosters dependency and allows them to avoid being responsible for their education, while white-owned and supported institutions milk profits off their talent.

He also makes a point that this process makes many young black men get a twisted perspective on community, the value of education and the development of character. And that's pretty obvious by the frequent black athlete as criminal or sociopath portrayals that occur nightly on sports news reports.

Rhoden's assessment is one of the best I've read regarding the state of the black athlete and sports industry...a very good read.

Anonymous said...

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong. Basically, these guys are slaves. The Football and Basketball basically front all the other athletics progams for the white kids(Lacrosse, Hockey, and Swimming). Just imagine, if all african american athletes didnt go to college? A lot of kids would be out of scholarship. Think about that. :-). See, a lot of these athletes are just auditioning for the Pro's? These guys mentality are set on going pro.


Hey Field, You might want to call President Obama on this. ROTFL!

Anonymous said...

http://www.thedailytube.com/video/3349/george-w-bush-is-an-american-gangster


Please, everybody check out this video. It's a not a virus. Please, it will have you dying laughing

Anonymous said...

I agree with this article 100%

Anonymous said...

I was also going to bring "$40 Million Slaves" into the discussion. As a an educator and current college professor, I think that saddest issue within collegiate athletics is that the black male athletes do not see how they are being shortchanged. Many are ignorant to the history of American sports, the days of segregated sports, and the challenges faced by those (other than Jackie Robinson) in the integration of sports. Not only this, but many student-athletes do not understand the business of college athletics and colleges as a whole. Hence, they are ill-equipped to navigate the system such that they leave prepared to make a living off the basketball court/football field.

I think another unfortunate consequence of the integration of sports is the absence of black representation in the operation and support of the athletes. From coaches, athletic-directors, promoters, and even cheerleaders there are rarely black faces visible.

Ever wonder why women basketball games always document the "student" characteristics of the players? You can't watch a women bball game without hearing about a player's major and gpa. The words "major" and "gpa" are NEVER spoken during men bball games. Hence, the crimes taking place on the collegiate level extend far beyond issues of paying players to quality of the academic performances of the students, the majors that many of them pursue (at the direction of their coaches/athletic programs) and the extent to which the universities are enforcing eligibility requirements.

Simply, you can't fix the athletic issues without addressing the academic issues. Thanks for bringing this discussion up as March Madness and other such athletic events are always bittersweet for me.

Anonymous said...

get over it. Tell that to a middle class black student in debt to the tune of $100,000 in student loans and trying to go to law school....

Anonymous said...

If these black male kids are being exploited, why aren't there black lawyers out there standing up for them?

Looks like these kids need a few good lawyers or a legal firm to step up to the plate and light a fire under the college syatem and take the NCAA to court. Of course, that isn't going to happen is it? It REALLY isn't that important is it? But it makes for an interesting post for our folks to bitch about.

Besides, everybody likes the entertainment of the sport more than they care about the lives of these boys.

Meanwhile, other black males are blowing away cops in Oakland and getting killed in return.

field negro said...

"$40 Million Slaves" is a good book, but its focus is on the pro athlete more so than the kids in college. Although I am sure that these kids are playing to become $40 million slaves one day.

"The NCAA lowered the "prospect" age to 12.....think they give a damn about graduation rates??
BWA HAHAHAHAHA!!!
(gotta laugh to keep from crying)"

Co-sign 100%

Bob said...

Some of the smartest kids turn down the partial scholarships to private Div. 1 schools & attend Div. III state colleges. I dated a woman who'd been all-state field hockey, & recuiters tried to mesmerize her with visions of state-of-art training centers built with football & basketball money. She said, sure, she'd probably get to use those facilities between 4 & 5 AM on alternate days., no sumptuous buffets or personal tutors, & buses to away league games. They were just filling their Title IX obligations, & she'd still be stuck with thousands in loans. So she went to a local state school & had a blast & graduated.

Anonymous said...

Interesting post. Remember this when you see "greedy" pro ball players doing all they can to maximize their earnings during that very small window of opportunity which is the pro athlete's career. If you were a pro ball player, would you do any differently?

Anonymous said...

I played collegiate football and there's no reason that these young men cannot find the time to complete their schoolwork. Practice only occupies 4-6 hours a day. That leaves them with 12ish hours to go to class, study, write papers, et cetera. If they chose to forgo their education, then they bear responsibility for their actions. No one forces them to play X-Box, go to parties, or pick-up ladies.

Marc B said...

Field,

I don't agree that student athletes should be paid. They are doing an internship for the NBA while getting a mostly free ride from their schools. I was thinking about how little class and study time a basketball player has. Their season lasts almsost the entire school year, and much of that time they are so busy, it seems nearly impossible that they could stay on top of school work.

Most of them will never play basketball professionally at any level, so they may as well learn something. Coach Calipari at the University of Memphis talks a good game of making sure his players receive an education and get their degree, and hopefully he is being honest. The players need be allowed to put sports on hold if they fall behind in the classroom.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Hello, everybody. I am a new hand to be here. So nice to meet you all
!......
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