[ARETE] Sport and Society-Amateurism and Sport

[richard crepeau]

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Sport and Society for Arete
August 17, 2024

Having been out of touch with much of the Olympics, I can only say that what I saw was quite impressive. The opening ceremony was the great spectacle one has come to expect, although the closing ceremonies didn’t close fast enough. Overall, the NBC presentations that I saw were quite good, although a bit less yelling might help the clarity of some of the reporting. The only real flaw came in the studio work of Mike Tirico whose major problem is that he is Mike Tirico. How telling was it at the end when Tirico sat down with former hosts Bob Costas and Al Michaels? Jim McKay, of course, overshadows all three.
As always, there were wonderful stories of obstacles overcome, stunning individual performances, as well as, great excitement in team events. Swimming, basketball, gymnastics, and track all offered wonderful moments. As usual, it was the Olympic officials and judges who managed to rain on the parade, not the rain that fell on the opening ceremonies, but the yellow rain generated by the apparatchiks of the games.
Competitive balance across the globe seems to improve each succeeding games, and the elimination of the professional/amateur distinction has proven an excellent decision. There is no longer a lot of energy wasted on this distinction at the Olympics. The distinction is also fading across much of the American sports scene, especially at the hub of hypocrisy, namely, intercollegiate athletics as regulated by the NCAA. It is, in fact, increasingly  difficult to find amateurs in most venues of organized sport.
In a recent article in The Athletic, Antonio Morales tried to determine just how much it costs to “create” or “develop” a college quarterback. He did not identify a bottom-line cost, but it clearly is quite a lot and beyond the means of many families. However, for the successful, anything spent on development could be considered an investment. Getting a scholarship or collecting NIL money could be the “return on investment.”
It is interesting to hear those who object to NIL or other forms of compensation decrying the tarnishing of college sport, meaning, for some, the death of the amateur ideal. What will happen to the old college spirit is one lament. Probably nothing. Fans and alumni will continue to cheer for their teams, those who have money will continue to contribute their favorites, and television will continue to have an insatiable appetite for programing. Nothing real has been lost, because the distinction based on payment for services was never real in the first place.
For those who decry the “loss” of the professional/amateur distinction perhaps what is needed is a new definition of the distinction. This could be based on a definition built around the amount of time, energy, and attention that is devoted to a sport. Is the sport a major aspect of the participant’s life? Is it more important than any other activity in the life of the participant? Is it an essential part of the participant’s identity?
Somewhere during the twentieth century these questions have come to be answered in the affirmative. In this century, few would even think to ask these questions. The significance and power of sport is transcendent. Most of those who are involved in high- level or high-performance sport are clearly professionals. Sport demands it, at least beyond a certain level.
Are there any amateurs remaining? The answer is “yes”, and they are all around us. Most of us are amateurs. We are not performing on television, and indeed no one would pay to see any of us perform at our level. Nevertheless, we do sport for various reasons, not the least of which is exercise and entertainment. There is joy in achievement, regardless of the level, or the pay scale. These are largely the adult amateurs.
For younger participants, there may be dreams of rewards, but play is really the thing. These activities do not reach the level of professional, except in those cases when parents begin to invest in developing the performance skills of their children. Work then begins to overshadow play, and even when that doesn’t happen, amateurism can easily slip away in pursuit of some reward in cash or kind.
The college football players who take the field representing some institutions of higher education are professionals and always were, no matter the pecuniary rewards. But there are also their classmates who play intramural football, or still others who meet with friends at the park for some football without benefit of television contracts and commercial sponsors. These are the amateurs.
Nothing has been lost. What some see as the loss of amateurism are simply operating on the false set of definitions developed in the 19th century and then nurtured in the 20th century by those with a vested interest in the false distinctions of the past. NIL has changed nothing. The amateurs were already long gone.
So, head to your local park or playground to celebrate and join with friends and neighbors. Indulge in your sports fantasies and enjoy the sport of your choice while keeping amateurism alive.
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 2024 by Richard C. Crepeau




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