College Football Stars As Celebrities

By Kate Mueller on November 26, 2014

via Orlando Sentinel

Over the last season, Florida State’s football team has been synonymous with convicts, at least according to ESPN and the New York Times.

Winston started out as the college football star that was then accused of sexual assault. Of course that issue deserved attention; it’s a serious issue on college campuses that deserved substantial spotlight in the media.

The investigation determined that there was not enough evidence to charge him. In the meantime, people began speculating the situation and categorizing the quarterback as a rapist.

Soon his troubles at a McDonald’s, BB gun fights, theft and profanity laced jokes were making national headlines. The 19-year-old became known for his behavior off the field, rather than on it … something that is hard to do because he was nearly flawless on the turf.

The media has turned college stars, like Winston, into celebrities that everyone loves to hate.

Yes, Division I football players and athletes are the local celebrities of college campuses around America. How did they get there? A lot of hard work, practice and the media. Documenting every play on and off the field, the media has turned what should be a learning institution into a circus tent.

According to Chris Rojeck, there are three kinds of celebrities–ascribed, achieved and attributed.

Ascribed: concerns lineage, such as in the case of the monarchy, and a phenomenon that clearly precedes the modern mass media.

Achieved: derives from accomplishments in open competition, such as film, acting or sports, and the recognition of talent in a particular field.

Attributed: concentrated representation of an individual as noteworthy or exceptional by cultural intermediaries. They are often considered to be an individual known foremost for their public profile and media circulation.

Now, let’s apply this to sports. Obviously, athletes can fall into more than one category, but as long as they’re a Division I athlete, they will be an achieved celebrity.

For example, you could argue that Peyton Manning is an achieved college celebrity, but also ascribed since his father was famous for football, too.

via Sports Blog

Winston and Manziel are equally achieved and attributed. These are/were the college football athletes that have made their respective schools and the media millions of dollars over the years, from ticket sales to advertising spots, yet these young men don’t see a dime of it.

Growing up as a mediocre high school athlete with no plans or hopes of playing college sports, let alone Division I sports, it’s hard for me to understand what life is like for a Heisman winner.

I’m the intellectual, the one that was always told to go to college, get a degree and (hopefully) get a well-paying job as a result. Were Manziel and Winston told the same thing? Possibly, but it’s hard to imagine them in any other field, other than one belonging to an NFL team.

I used to think college football players had it made. They got exclusive gear, scholarships and countless freebies from football lovers. Even back in high school, I always felt that star athletes received special treatment when they were able to skip class and not do homework.

However, what I didn’t see were the countless hours they spent at practice … while trying to juggle getting an education, working and even taking care of their families.

What never occurred to me was the fact that these athletes were essentially working a job, but with no pay. Some argue that scholarships are considered “pay,” but those scholarships don’t put food on the table (hence why crab legs might have looked so appealing).

These young men are treated as celebrities – signing autographs, taking pictures and being in the tabloids – yet don’t see any compensation.

ESPN makes about $10 billion in revenue each year. How much of that do you think is attributed to their coverage of college football? My guess is a lot. The Seminoles sold out every home game this year. How much money did that bring into the school? My guess is a lot.

The first time I recognized that players were making schools, companies and the media MILLIONS is when the NCAA and EA Sports settled multimillion dollar lawsuits because they used players’ likenesses to sell video games.

Video games and jerseys aren’t allowed to have their name associated with it, but it’s pretty easy to know that the No. 5 jersey belongs to Winston, even without them having to spell it out on the back.

via Holy City Sinner

Some argue that celebrity athletes are turning college campuses into breeding grounds for the NFL. While this may be true in some aspects, there are athletes that genuinely want an education along with the chance of turning pro.

Even though these athletes have the potential to make millions once they enter the draft, we have to remember that they, too, are college kids just trying to find their way. They struggle financially, emotionally and physically – much like all other college students.

We need to hold the media accountable and stand up when we feel they are taking advantage of a situation. College football is important to American culture and we need to preserve its status as a sport and not as a sideshow.

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