That’s exactly my point. The NCAA is a farm system to the pros. They have a monopoly on the farm system, so they keep most of the loot for themselves rather than giving it to the athletes. At least in the pros the athlete can make a decent living (and sometimes more than a decent living). The system is not at all athlete-friendly and appears to be designed to “keep the athletes in their place,” with all that implies. When you strip away all the bullshit, it looks an awful lot like legalized indentured servitude.[/quote]
Dave: The tight end from my high school team went on to play three years of pro ball after college. It turns out that three years is the average NFL career (hence the joke that “NFL” stands for “Not For Long”). You need to play a minimum of five years to be eligible for union benefits and pension (through the NFLPA).
I bring this anecdote up for two reasons. The first is that my friend averaged about $350K – $400K per year for the three years that he played. After paying union dues, taxes, agent’s fees, etc, he netted about $300K TOTAL for his time, which isn’t exactly a king’s ransom. He’s had no less than a dozen surgeries, stretching back to college and now suffers from arthritis at the ripe old age of 45. The second reason I bring this up is because he plowed his money into part ownership of a gym up in the Bay Area after his NFL time was over. His gym was frequented by players from SJSU and Stanford, along with some 49ers and Raiders. The pro players all suffered from money problems (i.e. not knowing how to manage money effectively), and quite a few of them were working as UPS drivers, especially those that had been cut or were on waivers.
My point is that the only people making money and keeping it are the colleges and the owners. Indentured servitude is a great expression and perfectly captures the situation.
I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t see anything changing. Its a rigged game, but the players keep coming and keep playing, and nothing really changes.
