No sure if anyone else has been following the documentary, but it finally releases today on Amazon and Apple TV.
The new documentary The Business of Amateurs argues that the National Collegiate Athletic Association generates billions of dollars for big-time college sports programs while compromising the education, health and futures of the unpaid athletes it profits from. It's a familiar argument that has gained more traction in recent years. But The Business of Amateurs is billed as the first documentary that challenges the NCAA "from the perspective of former student-athletes."
Here's a quick trailer/music video for the documentary:
Link to interview with the Director
UPDATE:
So I watched the documentary, these were my big takeaways:
- The injury issue is a big one, and it's probably 75% of the documentary. The NCAA has decided that they (the NCAA) are not liable for longer term player injuries (including CTE), and that it's the universities' decision how to handle these things. The NCAA has also made no effort to limit contact in practice or create a standardize concussion protocol.
- The same people who financially benefit (coaches/ADs/universities) from an athlete's on-field success also determine the athletes schedule. This is a major conflict of interest (given that there is limited time in the day, time spent on academics is time not spent on athletics). Obviously, I knew that coaches want athletes to spend as much time as possible focusing on athletics (even if they can't say it publicly), but it never occurred to me that this was "a conflict of interest" until watching this documentary.
- Two stories of stupid NCAA violations for players getting money stood out - One athlete who posted a song on iTunes (with his name), but got in trouble for it. Another story about a student who took a class at Stanford where she had to develop a mobile app and sell it (as part of the class). She got in trouble for that too.
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