The Myth of the Amateur
The Myth of the Amateur

Author: Ronald A. Smith

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2021-05-04

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1477322884

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In this in-depth look at the heated debates over paying college athletes, Ronald A. Smith starts at the beginning: the first intercollegiate athletics competition—a crew regatta between Harvard and Yale—in 1852, when both teams received an all-expenses-paid vacation from a railroad magnate. This striking opening sets Smith on the path of a story filled with paradoxes and hypocrisies that plays out on the field, in meeting rooms, and in courtrooms—and that ultimately reveals that any insistence on amateurism is invalid, because these athletes have always been paid, one way or another. From that first contest to athletes’ attempts to unionize and California’s 2019 Fair Pay to Play Act, Smith shows that, throughout the decades, undercover payments, hiring professional coaches, and breaking the NCAA’s rules on athletic scholarships have always been part of the game. He explores how the regulation of male and female student-athletes has shifted; how class, race, and gender played a role in these transitions; and how the case for amateurism evolved from a moral argument to one concerned with financially and legally protecting college sports and the NCAA. Timely and thought-provoking, The Myth of the Amateur is essential reading for college sports fans and scholars.

Playing Ball Again: The Comeback of the Amateur Athlete
Playing Ball Again: The Comeback of the Amateur Athlete

Author: Matt Gavin

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2018-12-16

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 9781731347336

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A few years ago I was struck with the realization that a very exhilarating emotion was missing from my life. It was one I had known frequently when I was young, and the more I thought about it, the more precious the loss became and the more I yearned to recover it. This emotional treasure was team competition. I had put sports behind me after high school more than twenty years back, but for some inexplicable reason I began to want it again. No, crave it. I knew I needed to eliminate the void I was sensing in my life and in my psyche. This is about an experience, or more precisely the conclusions based on that experience, imparted here for the edification of the millions of athletes like myself who retired early from the game. It's about a guy, an average guy and an average player, who decided to go for it again, not in the sense of striving for absolute, maximum achievement but going for a high that has no comparison - being a contributing member of a team, as only the world of sports provides. If you, too, are feeling the urge to play ball once more, to enjoy the pleasures - and thrills! - you remember from the past, hopefully my journey will provide you with necessary information and abounding motivation. We athletes are much the same no matter where we live or what our backgrounds are. We feel the same things in our bodies, in our minds, and in our hearts. It's all about the challenge, the effort, the competition, and the teamwork. If you pursue your rekindled passion, you are in for some really good times and a lot of gratification. Everyone likes a good comeback story. The next one could be about you!

The Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism
The Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism

Author: Matthew P Llewellyn

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2016-08-15

Total Pages: 371

ISBN-13: 0252098773

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For decades, amateurism defined the ideals undergirding the Olympic movement. No more. Today's Games present athletes who enjoy open corporate sponsorship and unabashedly compete for lucrative commercial endorsements. Matthew P. Llewellyn and John Gleaves analyze how this astonishing transformation took place. Drawing on Olympic archives and a wealth of research across media, the authors examine how an elite--white, wealthy, often Anglo-Saxon--controlled and shaped an enormously powerful myth of amateurism. The myth assumed an air of naturalness that made it seem unassailable and, not incidentally, served those in power. Llewellyn and Gleaves trace professionalism's inroads into the Olympics from tragic figures like Jim Thorpe through the shamateur era of under-the-table cash and state-supported athletes. As they show, the increasing acceptability of professionals went hand-in-hand with the Games becoming a for-profit international spectacle. Yet the myth of amateurism's purity remained a potent force, influencing how people around the globe imagined and understood sport. Timely and vivid with details, The Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism is the first book-length examination of the movement's foundational ideal.

College Athletes for Hire
College Athletes for Hire

Author: Allen L. Sack

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1998-07-17

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 0313001480

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Many books have been written on the evils of commercialism in college sport, and the hypocrisy of payments to athletes from alumni and other sources outside the university. Almost no attention, however, has been given to the way that the National Collegiate Athletic Association has embraced professionalism through its athletic scholarship policy. Because of this gap in the historical record, the NCAA is often cast as an embattled defender of amateurism, rather than as the architect of a nationwide money-laundering scheme. Sack and Staurowsky show that the NCAA formally abandoned amateurism in the 1950s and passed rules in subsequent years that literally transformed scholarship athletes into university employees. In addition, by purposefully fashioning an amateur mythology to mask the reality of this employer-employee relationship, the NCAA has done a disservice to student-athletes and to higher education. A major subtheme is that women, such as those who created the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), opposed this hypocrisy, but lacked the power to sustain an alternative model. After tracing the evolution of college athletes into professional entertainers, and the harmful effects it has caused, the authors propose an alternative approach that places college sport on a firm educational foundation and defend the rights of both male and female college athletes. This is a provocative analysis for anyone interested in college sports in America and its subversion of traditional educational and amateur principles.

Fast-Track Triathlete
Fast-Track Triathlete

Author: Matt Dixon

Publisher: VeloPress

Published: 2017-10-18

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1937716945

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????? "Lays out all the elements needed to succeed and excel at triathlon without compromising the other important things in your life like family, friends and sleep." In Fast-Track Triathlete, elite triathlon coach Matt Dixon offers his plan of attack for high performance in long-course triathlon—without sacrificing work or life. Developed for busy professionals with demanding schedules, the Fast-Track Triathlete program makes your PR possible in Ironman®, Ironman 70.3®, Rev3, and Challenge triathlon in about 10 hours a week. Training for long-course triathlons once demanded 15-20 hours each week—on top of work, family, travel and other time commitments. For many, preparing for long-distance triathlon is more challenging than the race itself. Fast-Track Triathlete opens the door to your best performance in full- and half-distance triathlons in half the traditional training time. Dixon’s laser-focused, effective approach to workouts, recovery, strength and mobility, and nutrition means you can prepare for triathlon’s greatest challenges in just 7-10 hours per week for half-distance and 10-12 hours per week for full-distance. Fast-Track Triathlete includes: Dixon’s complete guide to creating a successful sport and life performance recipe How to plan out your triathlon training Scaling workouts for time and fatigue Training and racing during travel Executing your swim-bike-run and transitions plan on race day 10-week off-season training program with key workouts 14-week pre-season training program with key workouts 14-week comprehensive race-prep full and half training plans with fully integrated strength and conditioning Dixon’s first book, The Well-Built Triathlete, revealed his four-tiered approach to success in all triathlon race distances. Fast-Track Triathlete turbocharges Dixon’s well-built program so even the busiest athletes can achieve their long-distance triathlon dreams without sacrificing so much to achieve them. _____________________________________________________________ What other athletes are saying about FAST-TRACK TRIATHLETE: ????? "I went from marathons and sprint tris straight to a full Ironman in 1 year while overcoming an injury with this plan." ????? "The importance of sleep/rest, quality vs. quantity, endurance AND strength, nutrition, etc. -- this book shares such a realistic and balanced approach to training and helped me train for and complete my first Ironman (140.6) race as a working mother of 3 small children and a 13:32 finish time." ????? "Breath of fresh air read on triathlon training - planning - life balance, in context of performance improvement.