_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
Although the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Board of Governors reversed its rule against student-athlete profit-sharing in late 2019, a 2020 study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research pulls no punches.
According to The Washington Post, the study tracked the billions of dollars being made off of college sports. What did they find?
Intense inequality, exploitation of Black labor, and morally questionable system-wide benefits that strongly resemble another institution: slavery!
“There’s so much money,” said author Craig Garthwaite, “and the one group that really has not seen any real increase in benefits are the [Black] players who are risking their health and safety to play the sports.”
Much of the revenue from sports Black students play, like football, is used to support sports white students play, like sailing! White students, coaches, and investors benefit from unpaid Black labor – and that’s not even the worst part.
Not only do players not get comprehensive tuition coverage or future job guarantees, but the classification “student-athlete” is used to AVOID paying worker’s compensation claims if an injury occurs!
The NCAA’s playing a dangerous game with Black minds and bodies.
NBA star LeBron James put it plainly: "Athletes at every level deserve to be empowered and to be fairly compensated for their work, especially in a system where so many are profiting off of their talents."