CBS: The era of the empowered college athlete has arrived, and coaches better get on board fast

[BleedGopher]

per Dodd:

Remember "stick to sports"? It has become the tired rejoinder of Twitter mobs whenever players, coaches, teams or media members dare step out of their sports-centric lane to address the outside world.

Recent events should have caused that phrase to be retired. Shut up and dribble? Please. On matters of social justice, there is no more resting on the sidelines.

Take a stand? Take a knee? Both, if you want. Speak out. Speak up.

The era of the empowered college athlete is here, and it's not just about protests amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

Out of that, Iowa players past and present took to keyboards to reveal what they thought was a stifling and abusive culture. Former Clemson football players, former Alabama and Florida gymnasts and other athletes have discussed their less-than-ideal experiences as well.

It's not just voices, though. College coaches will soon will to have to deal with agents when name, image and likeness legislation is passed. Swallow hard, coaches, and start considering your players as … brands. A new, expanded, suddenly open free market certainly will.

Mix in the one-time transfer rule, and it's clear college athletes will have more freedom (and soon, money) than they ever have before. In the absence of a union, that translates as leverage.

You may not particularly like it, but it's here, and it's real.

"Everything is about to change," said Reuben Faloughi, a staff clinician at the University of South Florida Counseling Center. "I don't know how it's going to change. All I know is that the current power structure is in trouble."

The era of the empowered college athlete has arrived, and coaches better get on board fast

From political advocacy to name, image and likeness rights, athletes will have more freedom than ever before

www.cbssports.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[FredCoxRocks]

Straw man.

 

[RememberMurray]

Sometimes change seems to take forever, and yet, when it finally occurs it feels as if an extreme, fundamental, world-altering change is happening at breathtaking speed.

Lately, Ive found myself thinking about this exact subject: the idea of empowerment of college athletes. The new empowerment of those who were previously almost powerless.

This concept incorporates many layers of societal considerations — racial, financial, educational — extending far beyond sports and entertainment.

It seems like yesterday Colin Kaepernick was almost a forgotten man. Yet now, suddenly, I fully expect to see many, many athletes — college and pros, of any and all ethnicities — taking a knee.

That's assuming, of course, that big time $PORT$ actually resumes play in the foreseeable future.

 

[Gold Rush]

I think u are right remember Murray. I think you will see entire teams taking a knee now and it will be all over the place.

I would rather have them just play the National Anthem while the teams are in the locker room, then have the teams come out - then take your knee, raise your fist, or whatever you are going to do when you get on the field. I don't like this at all.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I am getting a sense of Deja Vu on this. Back in the late 60's, there was a lot of talk about the "rise of the black athlete." You had two US Olympic athletes doing the "black power" salute on the medal stand at the '68 games. a few prominent black athletes sat out the games, including Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul Jabbar.) but the majority of athletes chose to avoid making political statements.

Now it's 50 years later, and we're having the same discussions. we'll see if anything turns out to be really different or longer-lasting this time.

and I continue to see the NIL deal as less of a game-changer. A few of the star players will receive the bulk of the benefits, and the majority of the athletes will only get a few bucks.

 

[RememberMurray]

Rosa Parks didn't bring about absolute equality... but she and other brave people brought fundamental change. Rosa Parks wasn't a famous athlete. She didn't have the name recognition. She didn't have the audience. But I bet most people nowadays know her name.

Now pro and college athletes are taking a stand, and demanding change. I think that means we're likely to see some changes. These people have figured out that they actually have some leverage... and they're using that leverage.

For just one example, keep an eye on developments at the University of Texas. Those student athletes have made some serious demands. Let's see what happens there. Also, the situation in Iowa City bears watching.

And don't forget, we have now witnessed the NFL commissioner doing a complete reversal on a league policy, and admitting errors in judgement. That is not something that happens every day, folks.