Money makes ‘student-athlete’ inaccurate
The year 2020 is a crack in time, like 1968 but with a global pandemic on top. Issues that have been building in pressure are now bursting through fissures, demanding more attention. Here is another ...
The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper at the University of North Carolina, earlier this month used editorial space to announce a change in style. It came under the headline, “The Daily Tar Heel will no longer use the term, ‘student-athlete.’ ”
The nut of their opinion is this: “At The Daily Tar Heel, we value accuracy. Language is part of that accuracy, and the way we use it shapes the way we as a society think and interact with the world. We feel the phrases ‘college athlete,’ ‘athlete,’ ‘player’ and ‘student’ portray more accurately that these athletes are students while simultaneously being professionals.”
The editorial explains the history of the phrase, which dates to the NCAA’S first executive director, Walter Byers. “Student-athlete” was, the editorial says, “a nifty trick, promoting athletes above the rank of simple students to explain why they should be judged by a lower academic standard while simultaneously keeping them below the status of employees.”
The editorial is buttressed with sound reasoning. It points out that, before the coronavirus hit, the UNC athletic department projected to make $110 million in 2020-21. It posits that “student-athlete” does not jibe with this, and that the phrase is used as an excuse, more or less, to “avoid paying athletes, to control their name, image and the likeness rights and to deny them the ability to unionize.”
Barring reclassification in the OHSAA’S new playoff format, which allows teams to compete if they wish, Prep now will have to face significantly tougher competition than it saw in Division VII.
Locally, it will need to go through perennial powers such as Johnstown, Amanda-clearcreek, Pleasant and Columbus Academy. Awaiting at the state level are two-time defending champion Kirtland, Ironton, Wheelersburg, Orrville, Oak Harbor and Youngstown Mooney to name a few. Some of these schools have more than 200 boys, and 60 to 70 players on their rosters.
“We started last season with 36 players and, in part because of the all beatings we took from larger schools and some our transfers not being allowed to play, we dressed 27 in our state semifinal game,” Smith said.
“We’ve gotten comfortable playing against bigger schools and managed to win a handful of those games, but it comes with a price. When we played (Division II) Whitehall, we had our 195-pound linemen going up against 300-pounders. We went through four quarterbacks over the course of the year. We just don’t have the depth to overcome losing kids to injury. It finally caught up to us against Lucas (in a 1512 defeat).”
Thanks to an influx of younger players, Harvest Prep will open this season Friday at home against Buckeye Valley with 49 players, including 12 seniors who played significant two-way roles a year ago.
“Being moved up to Division V is just another challenge we will thrive on,” said senior Phillip Gibson-perry, a firsttime all-ohio linebacker who also will be part of a running back rotation.
“We feel like we can play with any team in the state. That’s our mindset every game and every practice. I’ve watched Kirtland and Ironton. They look impressive. It’s a big jump up from Division VII. But I think our depth is going to enable us to make another strong playoff run. Honestly, this is the kind of team that could win the state if things fall into place.” sblackledge@dispatch.com @Blackiepreps