Analysis of March Madness 2013

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March $ Madness, 2013: The Exploitation of the Black Athlete

 

Book cover by Earl Smith

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What I term the Athletic Industrial Complex (AIC) looks very similar each spring when the media attention and competition turns to the men's March Madness Basketball Tournament.

We do understand that the women also play this March Madness tournament, but there is not much media attention paid to it, unless like last year (2012) the media buzz and TWEETS were about the Baylor team with the phenomenal player Britney Griner and the overwhelming concern being is she a male.  The same goes for this year.

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/tournament/2013/story/_/id/9065613/2013-ncaa-women-tournament-brittney-griner-backlash-not-us - comments 126

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the majority of the players are African American.

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the majority of the coaches are White males.

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the vast majority of the athletic directors are White males.

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the majority --100%--of the conference commissioners are White males.

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the vast majority of university presidents White males.

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the majority of the venues (arenas, gymnasiums etc) spread across America where the games are played, the majority of the fans are White.

Of the 68 original teams playing in this years men's March Madness basketball tournament, the majority of the journalists (TV, Radio, Blogs, print etc) are White males.

Everyone associated with MARCH MADNESS is getting rich except the athletes whose labor creates the value. 

The NCAA alone takes in a cool million from the tournament, pocketing $1/2 billion after expenses.

That is to say, the labor creating both the entertainment and the profit are African American men.

When you tune in to almost any one of the 16 games played on Thursday (March 21^st) and again on Friday (March 22^nd) you could arrive at the conclusion that what you were watching was a basketball contest between Kenya and Uganda.

When presenting this argument about the exploitation of African American basketball players in class, the question is asked "but isn't the players getting scholarships?"

In recent empirical research the National College Players Association (NCPA) in their study titled "The $6 Billion Heist: Robbing College Athletes Under the Guise of Amateurism" they note the following:

The study also revealed that the average FBS "full" athletic scholarship falls short of the full cost of attending each school by an average of $3,285 during 2011-12 school year, and leaves the vast majority of full scholarship players living below the federal poverty line.

Several years ago author Michael Lewis (The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game) in a New York Times Op-Ed entitled "Serfs of the Turf" successfully argued that the amateurism label peddled by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the governing body of intercollegiate sports, best trick play is in fact peddling amateurism with the message that college sports has nothing to do with making money.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/opinion/11lewis.html?pagewanted=all

To add insult to injury, the majority of these African American student-athletes don't graduate. 

Furthermore, unlike regular students who invest in their education and look for a payoff after college, these student athletes don't get a return on their investment (e.g., mostly the time spent practicing, weight lifting, playing games -- that nowadays amounts to 5 years spent on campus).

When presenting this argument in class, the question is always asked "but don't they make it to the league and make big bucks?"

The response is no. Less than one percent (1%) of this years March Madness African American players will ever sign a professional contract.

In a USA Today Op-Ed Education Secretary Arne Duncan is proposing financial penalties for both coaches and institutions for poor academic performances by their student-athletes. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/03/20/arne-duncan-tom-mcmillen-march-madness-education-coach-salaries/2004835/

This proposal is heading in the right direction, but it does not go far enough. 

Our proposal is that athletic departments have to be held responsible for the futures of their former student athletes.  These former student athletes have to be prepared to enter the workforce in their chosen field at a rate of 85%.  Otherwise, institutions and their athletic departments (coaches, athletic directors etc) are simply exploiting these athletes for their own gain.

Authors Bio:
Sociologist interested in Social Stratification (race, class & gender issues)