The world of sports has changed DRASTICALLY in the last few years. On of the largest changes that has been seen is that athletes have seized the control of their sport and really have gotten to a point that they are dictating to the owners in their league or the leadership bodies of their sport.
Is this a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE? It depends on sport and the perspective you are looking at it.
NFL
The NFL Players have started dictating to owners on certain topics. the biggest one of these is Social Justice. The NFL owners have had to make commitment to supporting this cause because of the amount of individuals of color they have in their league. Lately, with the lawsuit filed by Brian Flores, the NFL coaches have gotten into the Social Justice Movement. The NFL has made strides to help with this, but specifically with the lack of Head Coaches of color, its hard to say that the NFL, and the owners, are serious about fixing their issue. The players, and coaches, need to keep pushing for the changes that are needed to give them more control. Interested to see how the next Collective Bargaining Agreement ends up.
REAL TAKE: Positive
NBA
The NBA players have more control than any other league. With their massive contracts and the impact that one player can have on a team and a franchise, they will continue to lead the movement of player control. The NBA players will continue to dictate to the owners, and the owners will not have a choice but to listen.
REAL TAKE: Positive
MLB
The issues with Major League Baseball have become very TIRING. They keep having issues with their CBA and the players locking out. It gets to a point where they are COMPLETELY ignoring the fans and the health of their sport. It would be GREAT if the owners had a little more power in this league. They need to have salary cap to make it more competitive and keep the players on the field.
REAL TAKE: Negative
US Soccer
The US Women’s Soccer Team has recently settled their equal pay lawsuit for $24 million. This has been an issue in this sport specifically for a long time. They have fought for this for decades and it is GREAT to the the US Soccer Federation make a commitment to equal pay for all of its teams, Men’s and Women’s. The US Women’s Nation Team has always lead the charge in equal pay, and I look for that to continue.
REAL TAKE: Positive
NCAA
With the advent of NIL, they are putting more and more control in the hands of the athletes. These athletes are 18 to 22 year old young adults. Understanding that they make a lot of money for the schools that they attend, especially the football players, they should not be the ones that are making these decisions. Then on top of NIL, with the Transfer Portal being so active it is basically causing free agency in college sports. It is taking away from pageantry and history of college sports.
REAL TAKE: Negative
Overall, Athlete Control is a positive thing, especially in professional sports. As we are moving forward we need to make sure that we have a checks and balances system in place to keep the important things in sports at the top of mind. Ultimately, sports are entertainment and without the fans being entertained, sports can not be successful. The leadership in these leagues and the players need to be able to work together to keep each GAME in good health.