Over 300 male student athletes from UCLA, Arizona, Purdue, Kentucky and Georgia Tech signed a petition last week demanding the NCAA find some grant dough amidst the zillions in growing television revenue. Beyond Sports U’s Ari Russell argues, “there is a synergy between the Occupy USA movement and the petition the brave young men signed,”. Besides, y’know, it being awesome to imagine John Calipari (above) trying to quiet down a drum circle.
With conference realignment occurring for the purpose of growing TV revenues, who’s representing the student athlete? The NCAA? They are too busy giving legal cover to the school presidents and suspending athletes for free meals and train tickets to see sick siblings to care about these young people. Let’s disregard the fact that the money is made on the backs of the student athlete and every fan knows it.
The business model of major college athletics seems to be identical to what the Occupy protesters fear. It’s a society where a perpetual underclass works to creates profits to a large corporation for inadequate compensation. It’s the type of greed that would make Gordon Gekko seem reasonable. In the days, weeks, and months to come more college athletes should take a stand. There is no one speaking on their behalf. They have nothing to lose. There is something they can do, and that’s sign the petition. Then maybe if the number is in the thousands, the mainstream media will start paying attention.