Former USC Football player and filmmaker, Bob DeMars, is tackling health concerns and rights of student/athletes in his feature documentary, “The Business of Amateurs”. The documentary will examine the outdated and undervalued role that student/athletes play in the multi-billion dollar industry of college athletics and the NCAA. It has only been two short months since the horrific injury to Louisville’s Kevin Ware in the March Madness tournament. It took a national audience to spark awareness for an issue that has gone overlooked for decades: student/athlete rights. The purity of the college sport is what many people love most about it, but the rising value in television contracts have raised many questions about the growing disparity between the institution (NCAA) and the players. Bob DeMars, a filmmaker and former USC football player, hopes to answer these questions in his Kickstarter.com documentary, “The Business of Amateurs”. The documentary will also extend to the NCAA’s lack of oversight in all arenas, including sanctions, player suspensions, and creative accounting. In addition to highlighting this controversy, DeMars is also seeking solutions in his documentary regarding the health issues that plague student/athletes long after they graduate.
DeMars played football for three different head coaches at USC from 1997-2001, including Pete Carroll his senior year. Nearly a decade out of the sport, his injuries (including two severe knee injuries and a neck injury) have resurfaced and made him question whether the future costs of his injuries will outweigh the monetary benefits of his education. According to DeMars, “The NCAA was originally founded on the principles of protecting and benefiting the health of the athlete. I am hoping this documentary can return the focus back to the health of the athlete and pressure the NCAA to use some of their annual revenue for the original intent of the institution.”
Money has always been a major debate in college athletics, as the non-profit NCAA pulls in billions of dollars of revenue every year. “Most times if you ask someone what makes college sports better than the pros, they’ll tell you that it’s because the players play for passion and not money,” according to DeMars. “My response to that is, ‘So the coaches aren’t playing for passion then because they’re obviously playing for money’.” According to a report by the National College Players Association (NCPA) and Drexler University, the average basketball player is worth over a million dollars during their college career and a football player is worth $500,000; this is after the value of their education is subtracted. “I think we are a long way from discussing paying players; however, players’ rights is something many can agree on” says DeMars.
The documentary still needs support on Kickstarter.com to become a reality. “If amateurism and college athletics are meant to be pure and selfless, how can helping the injuries of players that sacrifice their long-term health for the school be considered impure?” Maybe someone from the NCAA can answer that question.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1576948257/ncaa-documentary-the-business-of-amateurs?ref=live
Company Name: Bob DeMars
Contact Person: Bob DeMars
Email: Send Email
Phone: (310) 980-6884
Country: United States
Website: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1576948257/ncaa-documentary-the-business-of-amateurs?ref=live
Source: www.abnewswire.com
