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It's not "people volunteering" to test performance enhancing drugs in sport any more than it's "people volunteering" to test the effects of concussion on the br

by a4isms 4y ago

It's not "people volunteering" to test performance enhancing drugs in sport any more than it's "people volunteering" to test the effects of concussion on the brain in contact sports. It's a perverse set of incentives designed to exploit the underclass into becoming celebrity gladiators for the entertainment of the masses. It is a free choice and so on, but let's not pretend it is a randomized sample of humans in a double-blind study conducted with ethical oversight.

rowanG077 4y ago
I just looked up the demographic of professional atheletes: https://www.zippia.com/professional-athlete-jobs/demographics/ https://www.zippia.com/professional-athlete-jobs/demographic... The amount of college graduates is SIGNIFICANTLY higher for them then the average US population. You can't really make the argument that they are an exploited underclass when they are one of the best paid and educated in the country.
- coryrc 4y ago
  They're credentialed, but educated might be pushing it.
  - rowanG077 4y ago
    How so? A college degree implies they are well educated.
    - coryrc 4y ago
      https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/unc-investigation-athletes-pushed-into-fake-classes-by-counselors/ https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/unc-investig... Even when they actually have a class to go to, they are dumbed-down like the one described here: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/dumbed-down-math-classes-are-such-a-waste.1980976/ https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/dumbed-down-math-classe... Though, not all athletes, of course. The best player at my school was a legitimate mechanical engineer! Most of the rest were business majors.
      - rowanG077 4y ago
        Wow, I'm not from the US so I never expected this. In NL here this would be impossible to do. Incredible that that is legal.
        wolverine876 4y ago
        It is very common and widely accepted in the US, sadly. And then consider that they don't pay the students. Many colleges bring in over $100 million from sports, using the labor of these people, and don't pay them a dime. Head coaches regularly make $5-10 million; administrators do well too, TV networks and their employees bring in billions.
- a4isms 4y ago
  One of the finest movies ever made about sport is a documentary called "Hoop Dreams," it follows the fortunes of two high-school basketball players attempting to make it into the NBA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_Dreams https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_Dreams It's well worth a watch.
- a4isms 4y ago
  As you've read in the replies, most of the credentials are not worth the paper they're no longer printed on. But that being said, judging whether athletes are exploited by the characteristics of those who make it all the way to becoming professionals is a little like judging where to put the armour according to the holes in the planes that come back from bombing missions. The road to becoming a professional athlete is one of filter after filter after filter, with those who get injured cast aside like fruit that has been squeezed. COllege athletes, for example, make millions for the system but are prohibited by university rules from receiving pay or other compensation. Only a few of them make it to becoming professionals every year. The rest have to go get ordinary jobs, and if they have a bum knee, cognitive issues from concussions, or any other problems, well, too bad for them. This is especially acute in a country where health care is tied to employment and not part of the social safety net.

by a4isms 4y ago

rowanG077 4y ago

I just looked up the demographic of professional atheletes: https://www.zippia.com/professional-athlete-jobs/demographics/ https://www.zippia.com/professional-athlete-jobs/demographic... The amount of college graduates is SIGNIFICANTLY higher for them then the average US population. You can't really make the argument that they are an exploited underclass when they are one of the best paid and educated in the country.

coryrc 4y ago
They're credentialed, but educated might be pushing it.
- rowanG077 4y ago
  How so? A college degree implies they are well educated.
  - coryrc 4y ago
    https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/unc-investigation-athletes-pushed-into-fake-classes-by-counselors/ https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/unc-investig... Even when they actually have a class to go to, they are dumbed-down like the one described here: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/dumbed-down-math-classes-are-such-a-waste.1980976/ https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/dumbed-down-math-classe... Though, not all athletes, of course. The best player at my school was a legitimate mechanical engineer! Most of the rest were business majors.
    - rowanG077 4y ago
      Wow, I'm not from the US so I never expected this. In NL here this would be impossible to do. Incredible that that is legal.
      - wolverine876 4y ago
        It is very common and widely accepted in the US, sadly. And then consider that they don't pay the students. Many colleges bring in over $100 million from sports, using the labor of these people, and don't pay them a dime. Head coaches regularly make $5-10 million; administrators do well too, TV networks and their employees bring in billions.
a4isms 4y ago
One of the finest movies ever made about sport is a documentary called "Hoop Dreams," it follows the fortunes of two high-school basketball players attempting to make it into the NBA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_Dreams https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_Dreams It's well worth a watch.
a4isms 4y ago
As you've read in the replies, most of the credentials are not worth the paper they're no longer printed on. But that being said, judging whether athletes are exploited by the characteristics of those who make it all the way to becoming professionals is a little like judging where to put the armour according to the holes in the planes that come back from bombing missions. The road to becoming a professional athlete is one of filter after filter after filter, with those who get injured cast aside like fruit that has been squeezed. COllege athletes, for example, make millions for the system but are prohibited by university rules from receiving pay or other compensation. Only a few of them make it to becoming professionals every year. The rest have to go get ordinary jobs, and if they have a bum knee, cognitive issues from concussions, or any other problems, well, too bad for them. This is especially acute in a country where health care is tied to employment and not part of the social safety net.