College players–uncompensated and without a union to protect their interests–play games for corporate gain and to enhance university brands.
You’ve no doubt heard the news about the three UCLA men’s basketball players who were arrested and detained in China for allegedly shoplifting at a Louis Vuitton store adjacent to the team hotel in Hangzhou.
Courtesy: Time
The players, who were released on bail, were required to remain at the hotel until the investigation concluded. Sources with first-hand knowledge reported that there’s surveillance footage showing the players shoplifting. That offense can carry up to 10 years in a Chinese prison.
President Trump supposedly intervened with China’s President Xi Jinping and the players were released. They returned to the States earlier this week.
To date, the discussion about the matter includes questions like these: How stupid was this? What discipline should the players face?”
But I think there are deeper questions to explore. The first question is this: Why was the UCLA men’s basketball team in China in the first place?
The answer to that question is straightforward. UCLA was invited to play Georgia Tech in the 2017 Pac-12 China Game. The game would tip-off the 2017-18 college basketball season for both teams.
Nothing unusual there, right? Perhaps there’s even a value-added dimension–offing a cultural exchange experience.
But I think there’s more to it.
It continues the effort among NCAA member institutions to grow profits through the exploitation of so-called “student-athletes.”
The game was presented by the Alibaba Group and longtime Pac-12 partner, the Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC). The Alibaba Group is a Chinese e-commerce conglomerate that’s the world’s largest online and mobile commerce company.
In addition to this sponsorship, the Alibaba Group distributed the games live via their mobile and digital distribution platforms. The AliSports Group, founded by Alibaba chairman Jack Ma Yun, recently purchased a 49% stake in the Brooklyn Nets.
Courtesy: Idea4industry
Isn’t it ironic that a valuable market opportunity happened to coincide with an NCAA-sponsored cultural exchange experience?
Not really.
In “student-athletes” the word student seemingly comes first. But does it? What other “student” group is 1) taken out of class for a lengthy period of time; 2) is flown across the globe; 3) competes in a corporate event; 4) and grows profits and brands in two countries?
Is that your typical study-abroad experience? Hardly.
Understand just how much of a big business this is. International companies and economies are profiting off what amounts to kids playing a game.
What happened in China is bigger than the game of basketball. What happened there is a sham.
Sound like a pro activity? It would if these college players were paid. They’re not. And they don’t have a players’ union to watch their backs.
Players deserve to be compensated for their efforts. How long are we going to allow this charade to continue?
Not to mention, other universities participate in these kinds of events overseas. Yale’s basketball team is also headed over there soon. This is mostly done to establish satellite campuses worldwide and increase their prestige and recruiting reach.
Dirty, but somewhat academically justifiable.
Good piece, Kelvan. Sally Jenkins’ recent opinion piece in the Washington Post also says it like it is. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/college-sports-real-criminals-those-getting-rich-under-the-guise-of-amateurism/2017/11/22/e81f3150-cf0e-11e7-a1a3-0d1e45a6de3d_story.html?utm_term=.f83d35658251