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The myth of amateurism: How America’s multi-billion-dollar college sports industry exploits its stars

The US is the only place in the world with such a booming industry in higher education, and it is protected by a cloak of secrecy, writes sports historian Victoria Jackson

Wednesday 17 October 2018 14:10 BST
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Is it time the US turned its back on American football?
Is it time the US turned its back on American football?

Greetings, real football fans. You’re in the midst of an international break, and I’m an opportunist, looking to capitalise. So, please set aside your affinity for the superior form of football and take this time to join me, an American, for an overview of what’s happening in American college football – and college sports in general – this fall.

On the West Coast, in a California federal court room, amateurism in college sports is on trial again. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is fighting another antitrust lawsuit, this one claiming the membership association places an artificial cap on athlete compensation. The NCAA’s defence? That paying athletes will hurt their education and undermine their ability to earn quality degrees.

And on the East Coast, NCAA schools are in another federal courtroom, the notorious Southern District of New York, thanks to an FBI probe into the underground labour relations of college basketball – an economy driven underground by the NCAA and schools’ rules of amateurism. The schools claim they are victims of actions taken by former Adidas employees and agents, who allegedly paid star recruits money to attend the shoe and apparel company’s sponsored schools.

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