[ARETE] Sport and Society - Waiver Waves and Baseball Blunders

[richard crepeau]

SPORT AND SOCEITY FOR ARETE

JUNE 18, 2020



Rarely am I taken aback by the sheer arrogance of those running college athletics. When I am, it is usually the result of something coming out of the mouth of the NCAA President. The next in line on the insensitivity scale is the athletic director or football coach from ESU (Enormous State University). These inflated egos have no concept of human existence away from the football field.

In the past 48 hours several universities have distinguished themselves by adopting policies that require their “student athletes” to sign waivers or pledges requiring them to take responsibility for anything that might arise from their exposure to the Corona virus while working as “student athletes.”

Southern Methodist University, a very Christian sounding place, has required their athletes to sign a seventeen page document designed to free the University from any responsibility for anything related to the Corona virus. This new version of Christian Charity is certainly inspiring. They have said it loud, and said it clear, “We are not liable. We are not our brother’s keeper.”

Less Christian institutions, where the official religion is football, have picked up on the Southern Methodist University (SMU) New Testament model. The Ohio State University changed the SMU packaging, and re-branded the quasi-waiver as the “Buckeye Pledge.” Doesn’t that sound like a wholesome all-American thing? It is not. It is an attempt by OSU and several other universities to wiggle out of any responsibility for a Corona virus outbreak on the football team. The blame for any such outbreak, it is implied, would be the result of irresponsible student activity such as a failure to wash hands or comply with other public health protocols.

Athletes will not be required to sign the waiver, the pledge, or accept the university’s abdication of responsibility for any unforeseen developments such as severe illness or death. The football players are not required to report to campus and football practice. This is all voluntary. Of course, failure to arrive for voluntary workouts would exclude a player from the team, and unless the player signs a pledge they will be allowed to practice with the team. No player’s scholarship is at risk, we are told.

How could anyone think the University would do such a thing as revoke a scholarship? Of course, there are many ways to reclaim a scholarship. A coach might think less of the talents of a player who refuses to practice and, therefore, relegate the player on the depth chart. If a player sits on the bench long enough, he might transfer to another university, thus freeing up a scholarship for a player who will practice. Rest assured, there is no coercion here.

So what happens if a player tests positive for Covid 19? Well, he will be sent to his room for the required quarantine. How much medical attention will he be given? How closely will his condition be monitored? How will he be cared for in terms of food and drink? Who will meet these needs? What happens if the player requires hospitalization? What will be done with or to all the players who had contact with the positive-tested player? Who does all the testing? Who pays for all of this? What if there are long term effects from the disease and a talented player’s athletic career ends here?

If social distancing and masks are the two most effective means to control the virus, who thinks that football is a necessary activity? Covid 19 is not simply another injury like a broken ankle or a bad hamstring.

If these were professional athletes being paid well for the risks they take, then it would be up to them to decide if they want to play. We know that they are not professionals, the NCAA makes that very clear in its rationale for not paying student athletes. They are amateurs or semi-pros who dream the professional dream, and as a result they can be exploited by the university that controls their access to the pursuit of the professional dream.

Coercing someone to risk their health without the promise of any reward or protection is disgusting and immoral, and should lead to the forfeiture of the name “university.”



While the college football folks are doing what they do best, the Major League Baseball folks are doing what they do best, failing to reach an agreement while arguing over money. One might think that with the sharp rise in the revenue for all sports, including baseball, there would be enough money to go around. As we have seen in most professional sports, and in the world of business, the concept of “enough” simply does not exist. “More” is the operative word. When is the last time that you have heard anyone say, “more money, oh no, I have enough.”

So the battle lines are drawn when it is time to divide up the limited loot available in this truncated season. What we see in Major League Baseball, at the moment, is a struggle by owners and players to tip the scales in their direction. The argument is a bit different than usual in that it is over how much money will be lost, and who will shoulder the losses.

Secondarily, this struggle is about power and ego. It is very important to set the stage for the next great struggle ahead as a new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be needed at the end of the 2021 season. The MLBPA thinks they gave up too much in the current CBA, while the owners think the balance of power still rests on the side of the players, and the owners want to change that balance.

And remember, every time someone says, “it’s not about the money” it is definitely about the money.

The big mistake was made several weeks ago when a seventy-two page document of health protocols for a safe, shorter season of Baseball was presented to the players by the owners. At that time, I suggested that this document revealed so many pitfalls, dangers, and safeguards, that it would be foolhardy to try to go ahead. Instead both players and owners were ready to plunge ahead into the abyss.

The real danger turned out to be the negotiations over money. The animosity that this has engendered is significant, and the ugly portrait presented to a suffering public has turned into a public relations disaster.

The opportunity to walk away in peace by canceling the season because of the health dangers was missed. Maybe baseball needs a “Doubleday Pledge.”

On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don’t have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.



Copyright 2020 by Richard C. Crepeau

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