Arizona Football: Pac-12 players take next step in boycott, Black Lives Matter

The boycott was predicted, Zona Zealots reported it and now Pac-12 Football players have publicly voiced their demands on The Players Tribune. Black lives matter.

A consortium of Pac-12 football players originating with the Cal Bears went mainstream as ESPN reported yesterday and the players themselves published a post in The Players Tribune this morning titled, “We are United.” All this as the Pac-12 just announced their season schedule. Be prepared, as this post may be controversial and some mainstream Arizona Wildcats beat writers who profit off of college sports who disagree with views of Black Lives Matter.

As we reported two weeks ago, there was talk of Pac-12 football players talking amongst themselves about a possible boycott during this Corona Virus pandemic and bring attention to the effort in bringing light to many Americans to the simple fact that Black Lives Matter. Perfect timing as the Pac-12 announced a 10-game schedule starting in late September.

Arizona Wildcats Football

It wasn’t clear at first what exactly the players demands were going to be, although sentiment pointed towards revenue share, safety from catching the COVID19 virus and the ability to express their feelings about equal rights. It is clear now.

In a heartfelt post,  which brought tears to my eyes because I support student athletes and their plight, laid out why and what they are asking for. If this is how they feel, shame on us!

Shame on the fans who enjoy watching them play, but don’t support the players. Shame on the writers who profit from writing about student athletes, but don’t support them in being able to earn compensation off their profitably, or do their worst in tearing them apart publicly.

Shame on the college programs that profit off their hard work and everyone chiming in on social media acting like athletes aren’t human beings, but rather an “investment” to continue driving the money train that is college athletics.

The post from the players starts out by explaining that this boycott and their demands are not just for them, but for future college athletes. “Because NCAA sports exploit college athletes physically, economically and academically, and also disproportionately harm Black college athletes, #WeAreUnited,” the players stated.

Here are some quotes from the post ending in ‘#WeAreUnited’:

• Because we must have adequate COVID testing to help protect our health
• Because we are prohibited from securing representation while being asked to sign documents that may serve as liability waivers
• Because we should not be stuck with sports-related medical expenses, including COVID-19 related expenses

And the list goes on.

In addition to the reasons why they are asking for their demands to be met, the players outlined their demands to “Protect all sports.”

Demands are as follows:

https://twitter.com/nkalamb/status/1289914725548122114?s=20

Most of the most controversial asks are under the heading Fair Market Pay, Rights, & Freedoms. I can’t see how the Pac-12 can afford to pay players 50 percent of their revenue, and maybe they can compromise on a five-year scholarship. However, I think we can all agree players should be able to transfer one time for any reason without punishment.

I do think that players should only be transfer eligible after two years, because the program invests in that player who agreed to play for the team. Also seven days prior to a draft can probably be negotiated, but should be addressed.

This movement is also making the rounds with a few Arizona Football players as they too are speaking out:

Arizona CB Malik Hausman may be the player speaking for his teammates the most, Tweeting “I did this for y’all” and posting more on Instagram.

Utah football player Nick Ford also chimed in:

Jevon Holland of the Oregon Ducks, was quoted as saying, “We’re not your entertainment, we’re human beings.” Well said.

Former Arizona Wildcats commit, Cody Shear also chimed in:

Cal Berkley track and field athlete Andrew Cooper already announced his boycott:

https://twitter.com/RunAndrewCooper/status/1289935253469974534?s=20

Just look up the hashtag #WeAreUnited on Twitter and you will find athletes from all teams in the Pac-12 retweeting their support. Their voices are growing louder by the minute in unity.