The Illusion of Amateurism Within College Athletics

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." ~
Verbal Kint/Kaiser Soze, The Usual Suspects 

It is time to wake up.  For decades the NCAA has created the illusion that their sole purpose was to defend the concept of amateurism within higher education.  This trick has been sanctioned by none other than the Supreme Court when, in 1984, they recognized the NCAA as “the guardian of an important American tradition.…amateurism in intercollegiate athletics.”[1]  And, for far too long, the American public has accepted this deception; that those competing in college sports should remain amateurs, as defined by the NCAA, so as to delineate them from paid professional athletes.

The argument is stale, the facts don’t support reality, and the public is recognizing the absurdity of the NCAA’s position: they insatiably embrace commercialism in all facets of intercollegiate athletics except on a single issue—athlete compensation.  College athletics has evolved into an industry generating billions of dollars a year without paying the labor that produces the demand for this product.  Perhaps one of the reasons public outcry has been muted is that the students engaged in these sports are, predominantly, minorities whose access to college the public often labels “an opportunity.”  The popular argument, that scholarships offer free education to many athletes, is rebuffed by the systemic failure of schools and the NCAA to ensure that students competing in football and basketball graduate with their college degrees or even a valuable education.

To read the rest this article on The Huffington Postfollow this link.  Let me know what you think.....

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[1]NCAA v Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma