Isn't Slavery Over?

The Emancipation Proclamation was signed January 1, 1863. It still took some time for slaves to be freed, but it happen. Then you had the "institutionalization" which resulted in sharecropping after slavery was over, and that soon ended as well.

It's been said for a long time that athletics was a form of slavery, but no one said it until William C. Rhoden with his great book 40 Million Dollar Slaves. I was a college athlete at one time and I know how it is from the athlete's perspective. When you can't give "them" what they want anymore you are useless.

The sleaziest job in America is not a lawyer or a used car salesman, heck not even an advertiser. It is a college academic adviser. It is their job to keep athletes eligible to play at all cost. I've seen it with my own eyes and friends from other schools tell me that they wanted to be a doctor, or an engineer, lawyer and were instructed by their adviser that it would be "too hard" for them to concentrate on that and play whatever sport they were playing. So they were encouraged to major in a less challenging major. Are you kidding me? It gets worse, because when those kids barely get to play, get hurt, or don't make it professionally, who is there to help them. No one. They don't graduate and no is left to help them. You can give me the argument that it is their responsibility etc, but the enviornment they come from is not the best by any means. They can't know the true reality because they have such great gifts athletically and have been spoon fed for so long it's natural for them to think making the pros is inevitable. They don't mature as they should through college because they don't have too. Once the harsh reality sets in that they will not be the next LeBron James or Devin Hester its hard pill to swallow and no one is there to help. They realize they've been used.

I saw read a very disturbing article the other day. Only 6 FBS football programs make money. I first thought to myself how is this, it can't be. But it is. When you factor in the salaries of everyone from coaches to janitors who clean up after games, the scholarships are actually paid to the schools by the athletic departments, and other miscellaneous expenses. There are 120 FBS football programs, and only 6 make money. I still can't believe it that's why I wrote it again.

So if, only 6 make money what is the point? If taxpayers only knew what they're money was going towards. Now yes I know there are boosters, donors, and alumni that provide money, but alot of programs rely on state tax money, especially the teams that do not profit and are public universities.

What bothers me the most is that these kids are being used, and for what? Take kid from ghetto, he gives his body to your program in hopes of fulfilling a childhood dream and in turn the university pays for his education. While paying for his education, university encourages kid not to pursue an esteemed major. Your teams sucks, and you don't make a bowl game for five straight years. In that time, the AD fires the head coach to bring the winning ways back to the school. New coach and old player don't mesh to well and player sees no more playing time. Don't forget he was encouraged not to pursue an esteemed major. His eligibility is up and his degree is on the way after he finishes taking 9 more hours of coursework that he has to pay for because his scholarship money is gone. This is also known as a huge waste of time, 5 years worth of time, not to mention the mental and emotional damage that has been done to the former "student"/athlete.

Sounds like a sophisticated form of modern day slavery to me.


Peace,


Thomas Black