Melo filed a $2 million lawsuit against his former business manager, Larry W. Harmon and his firm, Larry Harmon & Associates P.A. The suit alleges that Harmon breached their contract by transferring $1.75 million of Anthony's money without his knowledge or consent to a company formed by Harmon, most of it in 2008, according to the Associated Press. There was another $265,000 invested in companies that Melo had no knowledge of or given consent to.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Carmello Anthony Sues His Former Manager
Monday, August 3, 2009
Former Super Bowl Star Burress Indicted On Weapons Charges
Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on weapons charges stemming from an incident last November in which Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a New York nightclub, prosecutors announced Monday.
Burress, 31, was indicted on two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment, according to the announcement by the Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.
New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, Burress' former teammate who was with him at the club and drove him to the hospital, was not indicted for his role in the incident, according to the prosecutor's announcement.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
College Athletes Should Be Paid
The NCAA, which is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 'educational' organization, has come under fire recently for capitalizing on the commercialization of college sports. Many athletes have accused the organization of unfairly using them for financial gain.
Since 1995, the NCAA has spent more than $84 million on legal fees, including some settlements. Former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon filed a lawsuit on July 21 against the NCAA and its member schools, accusing them of illegally profiting from using the likeness of former players for commercial pursuits like video games, DVDs, and jersey sales.
Dr. Boyce Watkins, a finance professor at Syracuse University, has become a vocal critic of the NCAA, for what he calls its exploitation of the black community.
click here to read moreOrtiz and Ramirez Listed Of Positive Test
In a statement he released Thursday afternoon, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz acknowledged that a New York Times report that said he was one of the players to have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 was accurate.
"I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true," Ortiz's statement read in part. "Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive."
Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers star who has already served a 50-game suspension for a failed test earlier this season, was also named in the Times report. According to The Associated Press, he had no comment other than to direct reporters to call the players' union.
Newport News Plans To Celebrate Michael Vick
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Community organizers in Michael Vick's (FSY) Virginia hometown are preparing a "celebration" for the former NFL quarterback.
Andrew Shannon, who is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference chapter in Vick's hometown of Newport News, says the event is scheduled for Aug. 8.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Black Sports News: Lebron James Thinks of Bouncing Out
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
LeBron James showed up in New York on Monday, part of a USA Basketball media function, and continued to bat his eyes at the city in the run up to his potential free agency in 2010.
When asked to name his favorite city he said: “New York.”
Favorite borough?
“Brooklyn,” James said. “Brooklyn is definitely a great place here in New York City, and some of my best friends are from Brooklyn, so I stick up for them.”
Brooklyn is where the New Jersey Nets are expected to move to in 2010 (at least if community groups don’t blow it). The franchise is owned, in part, by James’ friend Jay-Z, and should be stock full of young, complementary talent and a King’s ransom in salary cap room.
James knows all of this. His answers weren’t by accident or without meaning, no more than was wearing a New York baseball cap from an Indians-Yankees playoff game last fall just an expression of pinstriped-fandom.
This was just the latest, albeit most obvious, shot across the Cavaliers’ bow. James didn’t list Cleveland as one of his five favorite cities, although hometown Akron came in fifth behind Washington, Dallas and Los Angeles.
To say there is concern along the Cuyahoga River is to understate things. To say there is pressure on Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry and owner Dan Gilbert doesn’t begin to describe it.
Five years into James’ career and the franchise has yet to instill confidence in the 23-year-old that it knows what it’s doing. Forget his polite talk about the front office. It’s not James’ job to assemble the roster or publicly second guess new teammates (he’s a relentless cheerleader).
If James truly believed the Cavs were on the brink of winning a bunch of titles, he wouldn’t have a wandering eye.
LeBron doesn’t need New York to cash in as a media superstar or a marketing sensation – he’s making hundreds of millions in endorsements in Northeast Ohio. This is a different era and as big and bold as New York is, it isn’t the only place anymore. The guy signed a $105 million Nike deal out of an Akron high school, after all.
James does need New York, or the fear of New York, to motivate Gilbert and Ferry to surround him with a supporting cast capable of winning a championship.
If they can’t do that in the next two years, then he may need New York to fulfill his dream of a title.
Thus far the Cavs have looked like the same old bumbling franchise that had the enormous fortune of winning the 2003 lottery when an otherworldly talent from just down the road happened to be available.
Gilbert is from Michigan and was a huge fan and corporate partner of the Detroit Pistons. Since purchasing the Cavs in 2005, he’s brought all of the Pistons’ pregame pyrotechnics and goofy game presentations only with none of the franchise’s savvy personnel decisions.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Black Sports: Top Ballers May Take European Money vs. College
A year ago, there was speculation that former shoe company czar Sonny Vaccaro was set to go barnstorming over in Europe with a group that would include O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and a few other elite players coming out of high school. At the time, it seemed pretty far-fetched that an American-born player would bypass the college experience to play in anonymity outside his home country.
It didn't end up happening, but now it appears as though Brandon Jennings, arguably the top incoming freshman in the country, could become a trendsetter of sorts and opt for overseas money over a one-year college experience at Arizona.
"He's definitely considering it," said Kelly Williams, the father of New Jersey Nets point guard Marcus Williams and also a close advisor to the Jennings family. "Why wouldn't he?"
"If it's a sweet enough deal, why wouldn't he look into it?" Williams added. "But there's nothing definitive right now. They are in the process of investigating it, but he's not going to go just to become the first kid to go overseas. We're not going to put him in a bad situation. We'd try and put him in a situation where he can grow and develop."
Jennings first hatched the idea from Vaccaro, who is on a personal crusade against the NCAA and NBA because of the restrictions that those organizations impose on young basketball players.
Jennings' camp said that whether or not he achieves the SAT score (he's expected to get the results of his latest test any day now) that will make him eligible to play college ball at Arizona is irrelevant with regards to his decision to play overseas.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Black Sprinter Justin Gatlin Likely to Appeal Ruling Before Olympics
His lawyer, Joseph A. Zarzaur Jr., said Wednesday that he planned to file a motion with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta by the end of the day, asking that Olympics officials be prevented from barring Gatlin from the trials before the court hears his case.
Gatlin's event, the 100 meters, begins with qualifying Saturday. USA Track and Field officials said they have made contingency plans for Gatlin to run if the courts rule he can.
Click to Read More.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Don Imus Insults Black Men, Black Athletes: Pacman Jones
I was involved with the first removal of Don Imus from the air, as I worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton on the phone to talk about ways to get him off the air. I mentioned that if African Americans engage in a unified effort to challenge his corporate sponsors, we can bring him down. That is what Jesse and Al did, and it worked. As a Finance Professor, I always look to the money first. That is the most critical element of power in a capitalist democracy.
You can imagine how disappointed I was to see Don Imus back on the air so soon. I admit that when I saw Imus appear on Al Sharpton's show, I really believed he was truly sorry for what he did. For him to repeat his actions is simply baffling, and I wonder out loud Rev. Jackson and Rev Sharpton feel the same way.
I recorded some of my thoughts on Don Imus below. The fact that this man can do what he did the first time, get back on the air and repeat the same stunt one year later is yet another reminder of just how little respect African Americans get in white media. No, it's not mainstream media, because mainstream media should reflect viewpoints from all perspectives. The truth of the matter is that most media is owned by people who are not black, so people like Imus and Bill O'Reilly can get away with this stuff without being forced to engage in any form of respect or responsibility. The ownership structure of American media is an artifact of 400 years of slavery and economic exclusion of African Americans. Our grandparents never had the chance to own CNN, FOX or NBC and they also did not have a chance to own the corporations that financially support these media outlets. African American wealth was stolen from us and now lies, in part, in the hands of companies that support racism on the airwaves.
So, the networks continue to insult black people and there are no consequences. Personally, I am getting tired of this crap. What is most ironic is that no matter what anyone says about black people on the air (lynching Michelle Obama, killing Barack Obama, calling Mrs. Obama a Baby's mama, calling Barack a terrorist, or calling black women Nappy headed hoes), someone is always there from the right wing willing to rationalize this behavior. It reminds me of a relative I had with a drinking problem. No matter how much you pointed out his weakness, he always had an explanation. America's addiction to racism is a lot like the addictions of my uncle.
It's actually kind of pathetic.
The video is below:
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Irony of NBA Hoops: Black Players Get Celtics a Black Title
The Celtics did something the Patriots couldn't do against the Giants in the Super Bowl back in February and that's win a championship when most fans and media expected them to.
Unlike the Celtic championship teams from the past, this year's team won the title with unified colors -- in jerseys and in race. Unlike the teams in the past with a black coach and a mix of white and black players, this year's band of champs got the job done with a black coach and mostly black players -- especially the players that made the difference.
How ironic in a city who's past race relations leave a lot to be desired.
From the era of Russell and Cousy; Havlicek and White; to Bird, McHale and Parish (The original "Big 3"), they all can brag about winning titles, but could never boast being an African American dominant team to win a championship with a black coach at the helm.
Russell may have been the winningest Celtic player and K.C. Jones may have been a championship player and coach, but the combination of African Americans achieving the ultimate crown in the "association" was not fullfilled until this season.
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Sure there were other storylines that came out of this series. Once again, Phil Jackson is denied his record setting 10th championship as a coach, a record he shares with the late Red Auerbach of the Celtics.
Kobe Bryant doubters and critics will see the Laker loss as another example of his inability to win a championship without Shaquille O'Neal. Teammate Luke Walton trying to beat the team he loved as a kid growing up because his father played and won a title there.
Kevin Garnett finally getting over the hump of losing in the playoffs and being labeled as a player who couldn't step his game up when it counted.
Paul Pierce, who has been Boston's first real superstar after the tragedies of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, suffering through losing seasons and harsh critics only to shine on the big stage.
He carried that same weight for so long on his shoulders, but showed his strength, grit and determination in leading his team to the championship like the captain and warrior he is.
Finally, Glenn "Doc" Rivers, the man under enormous pressure from the Boston media and fans to win and win now. All the questions he endured not about his coaching style or philosophy, but the questions from doubters of his inability to be a coach as the highest level.
Rivers' kept his belief in his players and in himself to stay the course in the midst of a storm called "Celtic fans" that threatened to wash him away.
We also have to give credit to Danny Ainge for making the moves to bring in the "big two" of the three in Garnett and Ray Allen along with Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown, James Posey and others to give Rivers the ingredients to mix together in making a championship dish for the franchise.
All stories worth discussing around the water coolers of the office after the impressive and dominating performance of this proud group of men in green.
I still however feel a sense of irony after this particular championship for this particular city with this group of men.
A city that most blacks and other minorities who grew up in the area or in the vicinity or happened to move there, travel there or even pass through there, knew about certain parts that were off limits to non-whites especially when the sun went down.
Acts of racial violents, racial slurs and racial intimidation were rampant "back in the day" and to some of my friends back home, still exist. They exist however slightly different.
Instead of white mask and robes, they disguised themselves with black robes and gavels or with badges and guns. Instead of burning crosses on a minoritie's lawn, they pass laws to oppress or incarcerate minorities at a higher volume than non-whites.
In fairness to Boston and the state of Massachusetts, you can make the same claim for other New England or tri-state places like New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and others nearby.
Massachusetts also has a black Governor, new black and minority leaders in politics and in sports like David "Big Papi" Ortiz and Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox and of course the "new big three" in Pierce, Garnett and Allen for the world champion Boston Celtics.
So I congratulate guys like Rivers, K.G., Pierce, Ray Allen and the rest of the Celtics that worked hard this year to beat the odds. The improbable journey from basketball mediocrity to the title of "champions" all in one year.
To go from the butt of jokes in Boston, to the respect worthy of royalty from the entire league. More importantly, the success of a group of black men that beat the odds and the doubters by using their intelligence, basketball knowledge, will, determination, faith and belief that we can get it done it.
They worked together as a team in a town that few blacks in the past had the opportunity and success as a group.
In a town full of racial irony, championships are in abundance and the fans of these championship teams have fully embraced all of the players, coaches and franchises with open arms whether the embrace is authentic or temporary.
For those minorities, like the 2008 Boston Celtics, enjoy it while it last because as we know in Boston, cheers can turn to jeers like darkness turns to light and as we know from the past, that could be dangerous in Boston.
Written by LA Batchelor
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Can Europeans NBA Championships? I think Not
The affirmative action program of the NBA has produced some nice offensive threats. But when it came time to get tough, grab that necessary rebound or play the kind of defense necessary to win titles, the Lakers fell short. That is no different from what Mr. Dirk of the Mavericks did when confronted with the Bay Area hard hats that came to play from Golden State last year.
European players can't win NBA championships. They are just too soft. 131-92 says it all.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Tiger Woods is the Miracle Man: Greatest Performance Ever?
Right when some 50,000 fans at Torrey Pines thought they had seen it all, Woods knocked in a 30-foot eagle on the 18th for a 1-under 70 and his first 54-hole lead in the U.S. Open since he won at Bethpage Black in 2002.
That he made it to the finish line was nearly as impressive as a magical array of shots.
His tender left knee first buckled on the 15th hole, and Woods used his club as a cane to get down the fairway, limping along while trying to stay in the hunt. He played the final six holes in 4 under - and that included a bogey - and will play in the final group for the sixth time in the last eight majors.
This time he has the lead, and he has never lost a major from the front.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Boston Celtics: There's No Substitute for Strong Black Talent
The Boston Celtics engaged in major heroics to come back on the Los Angeles Lakers last night. After a record-setting performance in the first quarter, the Lakers showed that they don't have the toughness to win a title. The Celtics, being the older, more experienced, hungrier group of vets, showed the young bucks how to get it done.
It looks like Boston green is going to be in style this year, as the Celtics have finally awakened from the horrible abyss created by the ridiculous Rick Pitino era. Why you would pay a man that much money to give him free reign to destroy your organization, I will never know.
You can't help but cheer for a bunch of old guys trying to get a ring. Also, the Lakers, by taking advantage of David Stern's affirmative action program, are finding that there is no substitute for good strong, black athletes. Now, this is not to say that the European players aren't good, but they don't have the toughness to win championships. Perhaps they can one day prove me wrong.
Congratulations to the Celtics, they've got this one in the bag.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Kevin Garnett Accused of Losing Game 3 to the Lakers
Here is what a Fox Sports dude had to say about the game:
LOS ANGELES - The Celtics had a chance to put the Lakers down in a place from which no team has ever recovered: a 3-0 disadvantage in the Finals. And they blew it. Simple as that.
2008 NBA Finals
Once again, the Celtics out-rebounded the Lakers. And on yet another night, Boston proved a tougher, more physical team than Los Angeles. But smarter?
No. Definitely not.
In the postgame interview room, Phil Jackson referred to his eternally undiscouraged shooter, Sasha Vujacic (7 of 10, 20 points) as "a rockhead." Actually, with Tuesday night now in evidence, the term seems more apropos in describing the Celtics, starting with their best, most talented and fiercest player.
Click here to read more
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Did the NBA Fix Games in the Past?
There have been rumblings of fixed games in the past, and the reality is that the NBA is a business and having big market teams in the finals increases viewership. That is what makes these allegations credible.
Here is the article.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tiger Woods Top Earning Athlete in America: Lebron and Mayweather on List Too
Most of the athletes who earned the top money reached that spot through celebrity endorsements. For example, of the $128M earned by Tiger Woods, only about $22M of that was earned by playing golf. Wow, now we understand why they are so politically castrated!
One can wonder if the days of a Muhammad Ali will ever come back, or Jim Brown, athletes who actually used their power for a cause. Not in this America, not anytime soon.
The rest of the list is here
Monday, April 7, 2008
The NCAA Championship Game: My quick observations
www.BoyceWatkins.com
I turned on the NCAA championship for a second to see some of the action. Due to the boycott, I don’t watch too much of the March Madness stuff, especially the commercials. But the game, from what I saw, seemed pretty good.
Here is what I noticed during the game:
Over 90% of the points were scored by black players
The black players were the reason that the NCAA surely earned at least $40 million dollars from one game.
Had the black players not shown up, the game would have never taken place.
Both of the coaches, each of whom earn millions from college sports, are white.
When all of these guys end their college careers and attempt to get head coaching jobs at these same universities to whom they’ve given so much, odds say they will be denied the job.
The player of the year award went to a white player at The University of North Carolina who was clearly dominated in the game before the championship. He’s a great player, but won’t be selected first in the NBA draft. Had he been black, he would not have gotten that award. The same thing happened to Shaquille O’neal in 1992 when Christian Laetner of Duke received all the player of the year awards. Everyone knew clearly that the NCAA’s most dominant player that year was O’neal, and their careers in the NBA confirmed that reality.
Most telling is that a coach who wins games and does not graduate players will get a job over a coach who graduates players and does not win games. This is a clear reflection of the hypocrisy apparent at many of these so-called “academic” institutions. Educating athletes is far less important than getting them on the court; this fact is made clear by the incentive structure of coaching compensation schemes.
The NCAA is racist. That’s all there is to it. I would love to see the black players boycott the championship. Their mothers deserve a cut of that money, not just the coaches.
Video: Why the NCAA is Racist and Why Black Athletes Need to Boycott
Friday, March 28, 2008
Why I am Boycotting the NCAA
By Dr. Boyce Watkins
Last year, I engaged in a short campaign on CNN, CBS Sports, ESPN and the LA Times to highlight major problems with “big time” college athletics. It is not my goal to anger anyone, but rather, to share what I have seen in my 15 years teaching at universities with major athletics programs. As a finance professor, I find the financial problems of the NCAA to be borderline criminal. As an educator, I find the educational mission of the NCAA to be fraudulent. As a black man who has seen what the NCAA does to the black community, I find myself simply offended.
The NCAA is in possession of an 11-year, $6 Billion Dollar contract for the rights to air March Madness. This does not include hundreds of millions of dollars earned each year from bowl games, regular season games, merchandizing agreements and concessions. Coaches earn as much as $4 Million dollars per year, while the players and their families, many of whom come from poverty, earn almost nothing. Coaches are allowed to jump from job to job, going to the highest bidder, while players who transfer lose a year of eligibility. Coaches and administrators earn millions from excessive commercialization of player images, while a player is not allowed to earn a penny from his/her own image. This does not include the fact that many institutions will praise and promote a winning coach with low graduation rates and quickly fire coaches with low winning percentages and high graduation rates.
I have witnessed students being taken out of class for an entire week to play in a nationally-televised football or basketball game, with academics (and the fact that the student’s grade has been jeopardized) becoming an afterthought. Players are treated like professional athletes, not students, and a weak performance on the field will cause them to lose their scholarship. Any institution operating as a government-sanctioned cartel, riddled with hypocrisy, disproportionate and exploitative compensation schemes, and glaring disregard for educational values should be scrutinized more carefully. Earning money is a wonderful thing, but I am not sure why coaches and administrators are allowed to earn billions each year from the labor of players with mothers who can’t pay the rent. I know how much tuition costs, and it is miniscule compared to the amount of money players generate for their coaches and universities. I say pay the players a fair salary, let them negotiate their own contracts and shoe deals, and then allow them to pay their own tuition.
If you believe in fairness for these young men and women, I hope you will consider joining our coalition to boycott the NCAA and March Madness. If you love sports like me, then feel free to watch a game or two. Just keep your views to a minimum and avoid watching the commercials. This may sound silly, but it is my effort to begin the process of helping us understand this complicated problem, and to hopefully have some impact on the bottom-line of the NCAA.
I am not trying to “raise hell” with these statements. I am simply asking for fairness. One star player (whose coach received millions in bonuses) saw his brother shot and killed in a housing project because his mother was too poor to move to a better neighborhood. Another player took money from a booster to help his family pay the rent, and then saw his scholarship taken away. I saw a player’s mother forced to beg her church to help her get to the Final Four to see her son play, while the coach’s family received first class accommodations. What is ironic is that even raising money from the church would have been an NCAA violation, causing her son to lose his scholarship.
If you don’t agree with me, I understand. But as a professor, financial expert and a human being, I cannot remain silent on such an injustice. Some don’t feel the athletes deserve anything better than what they already get. We all must agree that basketball games don’t happen without basketball players, so if a game earns millions in revenue, then the basketball player (and his/her family) is more deserving of this revenue than the coach. If that doesn’t make sense, then I’m sorry.
I hope you’ll join me in this effort.
With complete respect and sincerity,
Dr. Boyce Watkins
Syracuse University
ps.
Q&A On the NCAA:
1) If the athletes don’t like the system, then why don’t they just do something else?
The problem is that the NCAA is allowed to operate as a Cartel. Effectively, this implies that all of the schools exist under the same umbrella and make price-fixing agreements that keep players from having any other options. North Carolina, Duke, The University of Kentucky and other NCAA schools all agree that none of them are allowed to pay the players for their services (other than the scholarship). This sort of operating behavior is illegal in nearly every other industry, because the source of labor then has no bargaining power. Going to the NBA is not an option for most of the players, so there isn’t much else they can do.
2) What are you asking for in all this? Some sort of special treatment for athletes?
No. I am simply asking that they have a free market. Many rules are put in place alleging to “protect” the athletes. The problem is that many exploitative regimes throughout history have used protection as a cover for self-interest (i.e. The War on Terror and the Patriot Act). The truth is that many restrictions placed on players exist to simply control the athlete and to ensure that the administrators don’t have to share the revenue. Schools should never be “forced” to pay the players. I am saying that we should not force schools to allow multi-million dollar players’ families to remain in poverty. Just let the market work, the same way it does in the rest of America. If a player has no value, then he/she will not be paid. But if the school can earn $15 million dollars from a player’s ability, then his family should get some of that money, not just the coach and the administrators. Remember: When money comes in the door…..SOMEONE IS ALWAYS GETTING PAID. I believe that the person doing the work should get a substantial percentage of the revenue generated from that work. It’s really that simple.
3) Are you against the NCAA making money?
Absolutely not! I am a Finance Professor and a Capitalist. I appreciate good business when I see it. I think that the NCAA should simply make a choice: either go completely professional or completely amateur. You can’t operate as a professional organization while signing billion dollar TV deals and then become a non-profit amateur organization when it comes time to reward the players who are actually doing the work. I am in favor of the NCAA either paying everyone according to the fair market value they can negotiate, or NOT PAYING ANYONE. Non-payment, a more socialist model that the NCAA claims to promote, would imply that no coach earns more than (say) $70,000 per year. Every coach with low graduation rates would be fired, and players would not be allowed to miss class to play in a game. In other words, the players would come to college to actually get an education, not to simply play sports.
4) Isn’t a scholarship fair compensation?
Quite simply, the answer is no. I say this as both a financial expert and an educator who places a high value on learning. Many universities earn more money from one nationally-televised basketball game than it costs to pay tuition for every player on the team for an entire year. I would personally rather see the players allowed to negotiate their own contracts and then pay their tuition afterward. If one were to offer a coach and his family free tuition rather than their seven figure salary, they would be outraged.
5) It’s too complicated to find a way to pay college athletes, it just won’t work.
This argument was put forth by NCAA President Myles Brand, who I was on a CBS sports special with last year (along with “Coach K” from Duke, Billy Packer and others who earn millions of dollars from the labor of college athletes). My problem with this argument is that things work when we want them to work. Schools always find a way around the technicalities when it comes time to pay a coach $4 million dollars per year. They find ways to make sure that the tournaments occur, that vendors are paid, complicated TV deals are signed and merchandizing agreements are worked out. If it were a priority, they could surely find a way to be fair to the athletes. If they can’t, then simply drop all the restrictions on compensation and let the market do its work.
Some argue that paying athletes would destroy the purity and integrity of college sports. Actually, it is this glaring hypocrisy that continues to destroy the integrity of collegiate athletics. Allowing coaches and players to have the same rights to negotiation would allow the system to make more sense.
6) Which athletes should be paid anyway?
Athletes should be paid like the rest of us: If what you do earns money, then you have the right to negotiate (without oppressive restrictions) for your share. When Tom Cruise makes a film, he gets paid quite well. He doesn’t get the money because he’s a nice guy, he gets paid because he is generating revenue for someone else. That’s how capitalism works. So, any athlete in a revenue-generating sport should be allowed to negotiate with his/her school. If the athlete is not worth the money he/she is asking for, then the school won’t pay it. The same occurs when you try to get a job: if they offer you $45,000 and you are worth $70,000, you negotiate with the company across the street. It would be illegal for all firms in your industry to come together and agree to only pay you $25,000 per year. But that is what happens in the NCAA, where all the schools agree to non-payment of athletes. This should be outlawed.
7) What are the possible solutions to this problem?
This is a big problem and a big system, it’s going to take work. But I have some thoughts on possible solutions to the NCAA puzzle:
- The IRS and Congress must get involved: The Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives began proceedings last year that questioned the non-profit status of the NCAA and argued that they should not be considered an amateur organization. In their letter, it was stated that “Corporate sponsorships, multimillion dollar television deals, highly paid coaches with no academic duties, and the dedication of inordinate amounts of time by athletes to training lead many to believe that major college football and men's basketball more closely resemble professional sports than amateur sports.”
I argue that challenging the NCAA’s financial situation might get their attention and inject some fairness into the system.
- Teach athletes and former athletes to work together: Most of the people exploited by the system don’t realize they’ve been cheated until after it’s over. I argue that former athletes and others who are aware of how the system works should explain this to young athletes, who are sometimes so blinded by their own “shine” that they can’t see what’s going on. Athletes coming together and considering a boycott of the NCAA tournament would send a strong message to the league. That is my dream, but the reign of terror the NCAA has over the athletes makes a boycott situation difficult to imagine. Any player thinking of rebelling is likely to be punished quite heavily.
8) There are other problems in the world, why are you spending your time on this one?
I agree that it’s hard to get someone to feel sorry for a player on national television. But I’ve witnessed many horror stories about players who are punished for doing the right thing. For example, there have been cases of players not having enough food and losing their scholarship because someone gave them a bag of groceries. If a player takes money from a booster to help a homeless relative, they are then punished. When a player like Reggie Bush used his fame to help his family get a home, he was demonized and penalized. Simultaneously, his coach and university earned millions from the fact that Reggie was the most highly recognized professional athlete in America. This doesn’t make much sense, given that coaches can take money from nearly anyone who offers it to them. I fight for many issues of injustice, and this happens to be the one that we are attacking right now. We must fight one battle at a time, and I hope that my passion for this effort is understood.
If you don’t agree with me, I respect that. But if you do, please join me in this effort.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Olympic Hopeful Luger
Lake Placid, New York (Home of 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics)
Typically the normal luge athlete trains for about 6 months in a year and didn't grow up in New York City. I had a chance meet a unique luge athlete who is trying to pursue his goal of medaling in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He is also trying to be the first African American to medal in the luge. "I definitely want to do whatever I can to see if I can make it to the Olympics." said Josh Sajous an 18 year old freshman at Morrisville State College studying architecture.
Being the 1st African-American would mean alot to Josh "Im starting something I'm allowing people to see we just don't play basketball we just don't play football were interested in everything". In the last Winter Olympics only six out of the 211 US team members were African Americans. These numbers don't phase Josh anymore, it is something that he's come to relish.
Josh lives a double life forcing him to take off one or two weeks to train during the semester. Every time he takes time off it makes him take a step back from his other major goal in life of designing his mother a dream house. Sometimes Josh sees the luge a something slowing him down from being an architect. "My mom means everything to me, I'll give anything just to make her happy she really deserves it" said Josh Sajous.
Josh's Development Coach, Duncan Kennedy who is a 3-time Olympian sees potential for Josh in the luge. "You know he's a tremendous athlete, he obvious has some sort of natural ability for sliding, said Duncan Kennedy. Josh still struggles with the thought of pursuing Luge full time but he realizes that he is young and that this is a once in a life time opportunity. "My mom was just telling me how I basically need to pursue my own goal and what I've been longing for this whole time since Ive been in luge to really keep trying and trying to be in the Olympics" said Josh Sajous.
Josh says he will take off next year from school and put all of his focus on becoming an Olympic Luger.
(Josh is currently the 13th ranked US Junior Luge Athlete in the Men's Singles Event.)
Watch Josh on a luge run!
Olympic Hopeful Luger
Lake Placid, New York (Home of 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics)
Typically the normal luge athlete trains for about 6 months in a year and didn't grow up in New York City. I had a chance meet a unique luge athlete who is trying to pursue his goal of medaling in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He is also trying to be the first African American to medal in the luge. "I definitely want to do whatever I can to see if I can make it to the Olympics." said Josh Sajous an 18 year old freshman at Morrisville State College studying architecture.
Being the 1st African-American would mean alot to Josh "Im starting something I'm allowing people to see we just don't play basketball we just don't play football were interested in everything". In the last Winter Olympics only six out of the 211 US team members were African Americans. These numbers don't phase Josh anymore, it is something that he's come to relish.
Josh lives a double life forcing him to take off one or two weeks to train during the semester. Every time he takes time off it makes him take a step back from his other major goal in life of designing his mother a dream house. Sometimes Josh sees the luge a something slowing him down from being an architect. "My mom means everything to me, I'll give anything just to make her happy she really deserves it" said Josh Sajous.
Josh's Development Coach, Duncan Kennedy who is a 3-time Olympian sees potential for Josh in the luge. "You know he's a tremendous athlete, he obvious has some sort of natural ability for sliding, said Duncan Kennedy. Josh still struggles with the thought of pursuing Luge full time but he realizes that he is young and that this is a once in a life time opportunity. "My mom was just telling me how I basically need to pursue my own goal and what I've been longing for this whole time since Ive been in luge to really keep trying and trying to be in the Olympics" said Josh Sajous.
Josh says he will take off next year from school and put all of his focus on becoming an Olympic Luger.
(Josh is currently the 13th ranked US Junior Luge Athlete in the Men's Singles Event.)
Watch Josh on a luge run!
