Sports fans who value honesty view the phrase “student-athlete” with humor and perhaps even with scorn. In revenue-based college sports, money and winning–not scholarship–rule the day.
The Power Five Conferences spent a combined $350,000 to lobby Congress during the first three months of 2020. The biggest spender, the SEC, spent $140,000 on three lobbying firms–two of which state that their objective is to secure “a national solution to preserve the unique model of American college athletics.”
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey asserted that “it’s important for the SEC to have a voice in this national dialogue.” ACC Commissioner John Swofford agreed. “The [Power Five] conferences are working together so that there’s less confusion, not more, in terms of the messaging to Congressional leaders.”
Among other things, the Power Five wants student-athletes to achieve “one term of academic progress” before signing endorsement deals. But let’s face it: that condition is as hollow as a rotten log.
Consider basketball’s Zion Williamson. Williamson entered Duke University in fall 2019. He was named ACC’s Student-Athlete of the Year during his only year in college. Then he was the #1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
Williamson is in the news again because he signed a contract in April 2019 with a sports agent that his attorney wants to void. At the core sits about $100 million. Williamson and Duke are also at the center of recruitment accusations, including unauthorized trips and gifts received by parents and coaches.
Courtesy: Daily Express
Whether any of that is true, the indisputable reality is this. A 19-year-old goes to college to play basketball for a year. It’s a tune-up for the NBA only. For the first semester, he garners enough academic credits to be eligible for the second semester. Then, during that second semester, he signs a contract with an agent. He’s soon drafted. By summer’s end, he’s a pro.
The Williamson saga is such a normal story these days that few people even question it. It’s business as usual.
What’s it all mean? Well, for some college athletes, it certainly makes sense to use the term ‘student-athlete.’ But let’s not apply that reference broadly. The hard truth is that many college sports programs–the revenue-based sports, specifically–are big business in a large industry called ‘college sports.’
So what has to do with higher education? Not much. That’s why it would make sense for the Power Five conferences/schools to leave the NCAA and form a corporation. That way, they’d be free to make money, and players can shed the word “student” as an appellation.
