Most of the talk on athlete's compensation usually focuses on the following
- millionaires playing in major leagues demanding even more money, as if they don't already make more than your average citizen
- WNBA players making much less money than the NBA players due to revenue disparity (though the popular ones like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese already make millions from endorsements)
- College athletes are now allowed to be compensated far beyond just a scholarship. In fact, they are now searching for colleges that will give them access to better endorsement deals
I won't even go over any of that, because there's one piece of news about athletic compensation from earlier this year that should be a center of conversation.
That is the new deal that the players in the National Women's Soccer League (NSWL) negotiated earlier this year.
You can read about it directly from the NWSLPA website at https://www.nwslplayers.com/news/nwsl-players-announce-groundbreaking-cba%2C-first-american-league-to-eliminate-the-draft-
The following bullet points come from a 8/22/2024 email from the AFL-CIO praising this deal!
- Eliminating the draft: The draft is an antiquated model that treats people as property to be bought and sold. The new terms will empower players to decide which team environment is the best fit for their needs and their development.
- Free agency for all: Free agency results in fairness of contracts, with teams and players mutually agreeing to enter into a contractual relationship on even terms.
- Guaranteed contracts: Guaranteed contracts generally prevent the league from terminating player contracts prior to the end of their term, except in limited circumstances.
- No trades without player consent: This protects players from being traded against their will and without knowing in advance.
- Workload management: As the league grows, the demands on players will increase. The new agreement addresses game frequency, travel conditions and time off.
- Revenue sharing: For the first time, a collectively bargained salary cap will be tied to revenue sharing and a guaranteed minimum base salary cap. As the wealth of the league grows, the revenue will be shared with players. The association secured audit rights to ensure compliance with this provision.
Yes to all that!
Yes, I know the draft is made so that losing teams can get immediate help from the top college stars coming into the league.
After all, it wouldn't seem fair if last year's champions get the top rookie coming out of college.
But, if you look at college sports, a lot of times, it's the top college teams (like last year's champions) who get the best players coming out of high school.
At least with college recruiting, the player has a choice of where to go.
But with drafts in professional sports, the player don't really have much of a choice. Most times, they're sent to a team in a city where they don't know anyone, and with a coaching staff that might not be the best fit for them.
This is especially dangerous for QB's who are drafted by teams with a junk offensive line, putting those QB's in danger from experienced opposing defenses ready to attack and destroy.
Drafts are big business for the NFL, NBA and ESPN! They don't want to give up all the advertising revenue that comes with so many viewers watching the draft.
But eliminating the draft is the right thing for the athletes.
After all, the best & brightest students in computer science don't get drafted by the worst performing tech companies. Instead, they can chose whether to join a well-established tech company (ie Microsoft, Google, etc), become tech support for a non-profit, or they could chose to build a new start-up.
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And I definitely don't like trades without consent.
I mean, imagine if you're working in fashion retail and all of a sudden, you're told in the last minute that you're now traded to a store in a far away city because "that's how it is". Meanwhile, you have to traumatize your children who are just getting settled in their new school and now have to go to a new school with bullies who see outsiders as easy targets.
But this is business as usual in sports. Players are sent to teams in far-away cities without their consent. You gotta move your children AGAIN to a new school? Too bad!
We shouldn't have trades in sports, unless a person express he/she wants to leave! Even if the player wants to leave, he/she should have a choice where to go. Or have a choice to quit the team and be free agent.
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