USA TODAY International Edition
College athletes are raising their voices
The issues have been simmering in college sports for decades, festering cracks in the foundation of a multibillion- dollar industry.
Athletes have long had concerns about their health and well- being. They’ve long questioned a financial model that bars them from receiving outside income. They’ve long shown passion for issues of racial injustice and inequality.
Yet in the past few months – and, in particular, the past week – athletes have raised their collective voices to address these issues like rarely before, fueled by health concerns stemming from the COVID- 19 pandemic and a belief that unity can lead to structural change.
Over the past four days alone, a group of Pac- 12 football players have published a list of demands and threatened to opt out of the season if
they are not met. In the Big Ten, an athlete- led group called College Athlete Unity wrote a letter purportedly on behalf of more than 1,000 Big Ten football players to call for the adoption of uniform COVID- 19 protocols. And at individual schools from Colorado State to Eastern Kentucky, football players have spoken out about what they describe as lax or unenforced COVID- 19 safety protocols, alleging disinterest or negligence from coaching staffs.
“Players are exerting their own voice,” said Ellen Staurowsky, a professor of sports management at Drexel University who has long been an advocate for athletes’ rights. “I really think that this is a moment that speaks both to the failures of the system as well as to the circumstances of the time.”
Athletes in the Pac- 12 were the first to seek specific changes on a conferencewide level this week, demanding everything from a share of revenue and uniform COVID- 19 countermeasures to the creation of a permanent civic engagement task force to address racial injustice.
The group, which also counts University of California cross- country athlete Andrew Cooper among its leaders, met with officials from the California governor’s office Tuesday and hopes to meet with Pac- 12 leadership to discuss its concerns.
Members of the group, which uses the hashtag # WeAreUnited on social media, said the movement has only continued to grow in the days since it made its demands public Sunday and has burgeoning support across the college sports landscape.
“It’s something that’s spreading quickly, kind of like a wildfire at this point,” Washington State defensive back Pat Nunn told USA TODAY Sports this week. “Everybody and anybody ( is) hopping on board if they agree with it.”
Zachary Carter, a defensive lineman at Florida, is among dozens of players outside the Pac- 12 who have been amplifying the movement on social media. He told USA TODAY Sports he is trying to inform other college football players, including those at Florida and other Southeastern Conference schools, about the Pac- 12 group’s core issues – safety and health during a pandemic, racial justice and compensation for players.
“I’m just trying to speak up,” said Carter, who added he has been in touch with about 100 other players from a variety of Power Five conferences who have been discussing the same issues in group chats.
Ramogi Huma, founder and president of the National College Players Association, said he has worked with the Pac- 12 athletes in an advisory capacity and expects the movement to pick up steam.
“I can say that for sure,” Huma told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. “I think a lot of this will be fluid. You see players retweeting all around the nation from other schools, so who knows. But I think there’s a lot of interest. You can see it just on social media.”
Several Football Bowl Subdivision players have opted out of the season due to concerns about COVID- 19 or other issues outlined by the # WeAreUnited group, including Nunn and two of his Washington State teammates.
In the Big Ten, a similar movement – using the hashtag # BigTenUnited – has not threatened opt- outs en masse but did release a series of proposals Wednesday. The group said it had “started a dialogue in good faith with the Big Ten” and hoped to provide input to the NCAA, too.
“The NCAA – which is known for its zeal for regulations and enforcement – has had ample time to prepare for the safe return of its athletes to competition, yet it has done nothing,” the group wrote in the letter, which was published by The Players’ Tribune on Wednesday.
Less than an hour later, the NCAA board of governors announced a series of requirements for its member schools related to COVID- 19, several of which were in line with demands from the Pac- 12 and Big Ten groups. Among them: Schools must ensure athletes who opt out of competition due to COVID- 19 be allowed to retain their scholarships, must cover COVID- 19 related medical expenses and cannot require athletes to sign COVID- 19 liability waivers in order to play.
The # WeAreUnited leaders from the Pac- 12, who said they had been in touch with the Big Ten group and encouraged their efforts, hailed the developments as “important victories” in a news release distributed Wednesday afternoon.
Other athletes, meanwhile, have made their voices heard by speaking out about situations at individual schools.
In a story published Tuesday by The Coloradoan, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, 10 players and staff members alleged that coaches have shown a lax attitude toward COVID- 19 protocols – or, as one player alleged, even told players not to report symptoms. ( Colorado State President Joyce McConnell has since said the school will investigate the athletic department’s handling of COVID- 19 safety protocols.)
Meanwhile, at Eastern Kentucky, kicker Landon White wrote on Instagram that he was leaving the team because “the coach and some staff, do not care about player safety.” He claimed, among other things, that the team continued to practice even when some players showed symptoms of COVID- 19.
“The health, safety and overall wellbeing of our student- athletes will always be a primary priority,” EKU athletic director Matt Roan said in a statement Wednesday. “Head Football Coach Walt Wells and I have met continuously to ensure that football operations continue to adhere to local, state and health organization guidelines.”