In arguing that coaches should get back to work on May 1 and the season should start on time, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy inadvertently argued that college football players are professional athletes. That, or indentured servants.
In an hourlong teleconference Tuesday that began with a 20-minute monologue, Gundy said, though he’s not 100 percent, the season should begin on time because players are young and, thus, “have the ability to fight this virus off” and because “we need to run money through the state of Oklahoma.”
He also said there are “too many people that are relying on” college football the sport not to be played.
Gundy floated the idea that games could be played without fans in the stands and students on campus.
Here is some audio of what Gundy was saying about the May 1st target date. Interesting stuff... #okstate https://t.co/TJr7v67SFx pic.twitter.com/U0Vacd7BF3
— Jacob Tobey (@JacobRTobey) April 7, 2020
Others can debate about Gundy’s thoughts on testing and antibodies and the ability of a 22-year-old to “fight off COVID-19" -- though I’d add Boise assistant Zac Alley, a 26-year-old, said his bout with the disease was like breathing with a knife in his ribs -- but I’d like to talk about the economic implications of Gundy’s comments.
Gundy is not wrong at all that plenty of families depend on college athletics to put food on the table and that Cowboy football is an important economic engine of the state of Oklahoma. He’s exactly right, of course.
But to argue that a college scholarship is appropriate compensation for risking exposure to the virus while fans and students remain home -- “We’re trying to find a way to pay everybody’s salary and keep the economy going.” -- then either the players deserve a cut of that economy, or they’re nothing more than indentured servants whose labor belongs to others.
“I’m not taking away from the danger of people getting sick,” Gundy said. “You have the virus, stay healthy, try to do what we can to help people that are sick, and we’re losing lives, which is just terrible. The second part of it is that we still have to schedule and continue to move forward as life goes on and help those people.”