Derek Silva is associate professor of sociology and criminology at King’s University College at Western University. He is a coauthor (with Nathan Kalman-Lamb) of The End of College Football: On the Human Cost of an All-American Game (UNC Press, Fall 2024) and cohosts (with Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Johanna Mellis) the End of Sport podcast.
College athletes have long been classified as amateurs rather than employees to avoid paying them and granting basic worker rights. A National Labor Relations Board ruling at USC could change that, opening the door to unionization for all college athletes.
In normal times, college football players are seen by administrators as cash cows for universities. Under coronavirus, more than ever, other students are, too. And whether it’s student-athletes suffering severe injury or fans risking illness, both are considered expendable in the pursuit of profit.
The Cold War may be over, but its rhetoric demonizing the former Eastern Bloc and valorizing the United States isn’t. Nowhere is that clearer than in popular sport history productions like ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast Heavy Medals and the Netflix documentary Athlete A, chronicling the abuse of elite gymnasts.