Happy Holidays to Our Athletes
Well-Deserved, However Brief It May Be
As the heart of the holiday season approaches, we would like to wish our athletes happy holidays and New Year’s. Many athletes have sacrificed throughout the entire year, including summers, the off-season, and in-season. Nothing can be more rewarding this time of year than visiting family and friends. The stress of classes, social and family life, and school for all students necessitate rest and relaxation during this important time that every young person should enjoy. Unlike regular college students, athletes have the added responsibility of dealing with the stress of the game such as practices, strength training, recovery, travel, injuries, the mental toll, and the rollercoaster ride of a season with all the ups-and-downs. The fact is that during this period many athletes will have very little time to enjoy the holidays. This is a reminder and gives us the opportunity to reflect on their reality.
Most college students finished their semester in early to mid-December and return early or mid-January. Indeed, many schools give students a deadline to leave their dormitories and go home for the holidays as they are closed for the break in-between semesters. Essentially, they are able to enjoy a month off to catch up with life.
Athletes, particularly those playing basketball and football playing 43 Bowl games, have different standards. Practices and games are scheduled before, during, and after the exam period. Member schools squeeze in as many games as possible. The reasons probably can’t be fully justified but one can guess that it is perhaps for revenue and/or our entertainment purposes. The public surely enjoys these games as it is a slow period in the sports world. Many of us relish the down time and time off from work. Part of the leisure time is spent attending, celebrating, or putting college games in the background. Note it is also a big betting period, especially for the bowl games (taboo billion dollar industry in itself that rarely gets talked about).
On December 23rd, 18 NCAA basketball games will be played on the men’s side and, on the women’s side, there will be 16 NCAA basketball games on December 22nd. For both men and women, competition resumes December 27th, including a large number of games New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Select teams for the men also will participate in the highly advertised 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with the finals on Christmas Eve.
One may ask the question ‘what is the big deal?’ Athletes sign up for this. They have been doing this their entire lives. They receive a ‘free’ education. They do what they ‘love’ doing. There is now NIL money. A million people would trade places with them in a heartbeat. These are all the common arguments to justify the lessening the human side of the athlete in what we all know is a business and multi-billion dollar industry.
One also has to ask what is it all worth. Many of these games are not the most meaningful in the grand scheme of things. The games and required travel take time away from home, families, and friends. Then, athletes have to rush home during the busiest and most expensive (many athletes pay their own way) travel season. They catch brief, fleeting moments with family before turning right back around to report to their teams and continuation of the grind. We won’t mention the experience of the international athlete, which is essentially spend alone or scramble to find a family nice enough to host you. One international athlete describes it ‘like an orphan trying to find a home.’
Even if teams travel to exotic, ‘fun’ destinations, the experience is nothing to write home about. It involves extensive commercial travel with all the misery, delays airports and airlines offer during the holidays. When they are at their chosen locales, the athletes are usually in strict protocol with their schedules closely monitored on travel, meals, game preparation, actually playing the games, recovering from games, etc.. If their families choose to join them, it is usually a quick ‘hello…good bye’ so they can fulfill team obligations. Despite the social media posts, cultural or joyful activities are short, rushed, and scripted never really experiencing the cities, people, and culture they visit. Hotel rooms and lobbies are usually the highlight of the trip.
This past Thanksgiving provided an interesting irony and case study. Many programs traveled to wonderful cities and countries. Many of these venues were essentially empty. Some venues were below standard. Many play multiple games consecutively on back-to-back days causing wear and tear on the body reminiscent of the often criticized AAU events that now the NCAA is evidently modeling. When interviewed for the public relations of the trip, athletes were asked what they enjoy or like most about Thanksgiving. Almost unanimously athletes would say ‘spending time with family’ as played many miles away from their family. They also answered questions of what meal they enjoyed the most. It was usually grandparents or parents cooking, which of course they weren’t eating just so they could entertain us or so programs could fulfill revenue-generating TV and/or event contracts.
As we reflect on this holiday season, take the time to consider how the reality of the life college athletes live. It is not like the regular college student. Athletes make tremendous sacrifices. Undoubtedly, the experiences can be enjoyable and they can grow from these experiences. But we should also ask the question whether this framework established by the NCAA and member schools is necessary. Can it be changed or tweaked? People want to say they care about the well-being of the athletes. Yet the system perpetuating this model that keeps athletes from fully participating and enjoying life events in ways that allow many of us remain sane, fulfilled, and motivated. Change can be good. Perhaps reducing or eliminating unnecessary commitments and acting in the best interest of the athlete should be a change. Or perhaps allowing athletes to have a voice or union to collectively bargain with those who have the upper hand, make decisions for them, and make money in the process.
Happy Holidays from The Athlete’s Advocate and thank you to the athletes for your continued sacrifices!