PBS高端访谈:美国NCAA联赛正在变得更加企业化

 JUDY WOODRUFF: Millions of viewers began tuning¹ into college basketball's March Madness games today. Billions of dollars are paid for the TV rights.

Last year, an average of 11 million people tuned² in throughout the month. And yet one question looms³ larger than ever: Should the players be entitled to compensation?

Our economics correspondent, Paul Solman, explores the issues this would raise. It's part of his weekly Making Sense report, which airs Thursdays on the "NewsHour."

ED O'BANNON, Plaintiff and Former NCAA Player: I saw myself on a video game.

PAUL SOLMAN: Former UCLA star Ed O'Bannon, MVP of the 1995 NCAA Finals.

ED O'BANNON: It was pretty cool to watch. I mean, the guy was left-handed, bald-headed. The jumper was good. So, I was very pleased about it.

PAUL SOLMAN: But the friend who showed O'Bannon the game was puzzled.

ED O'BANNON: What's funny about it is, he says, we paid X-amount of dollars for it, for the video game, and you didn't get one penny.

PAUL SOLMAN: It was this encounter that sparked a famous firestorm, Ed O'Bannon's eventual⁴ 2009 lawsuits⁵ against the NCAA and video game maker⁶ EA Sports for blatant⁷ and unlawful use of student athlete likenesses to increase sales and profits, while denying college athletes any share of the revenues they generated, besides a full-tuition sports scholarship.

ED O'BANNON: Close to 15 years later, and they're still making money off of my image. I just thought to myself, there's got to be something wrong about this. If I was an entertainer of any other sort, would I have these same things happened to me, you know?

PAUL SOLMAN: No. You would get royalties⁹, residuals¹⁰.

ED O'BANNON: Absolutely.

美国NCAA联赛正在变得更加企业化

PAUL SOLMAN: We'd come to find out what's happened to Ed O'Bannon and his suit, landing in Las Vegas, passing the Strip, more decked-out than ever, winding¹¹ up in Henderson, Nevada, where O'Bannon works, lives, and helps coach basketball at Liberty High School.

He now coaches the NCAA-ers of tomorrow, who, if they're absurdly good and lucky, will play in a Final Four themselves someday. The rights paid to the NCAA to broadcast the tournament this year? Nearly a billion dollars. The players' take? Still zero.

New York Times columnist¹² Joe Nocera has long made the case for paying so-called student athletes. It's starkly¹³ laid out in his new book, "Indentured¹⁴."

JOE NOCERA, The New York Times: They are fundamentally exploited by a system that makes not millions of dollars, but billions of dollars, and that enriches everybody around them except themselves.

PAUL SOLMAN: But athletes, if they make it, make millions of dollars.

JOE NOCERA: Sure. The very small 5 percent who make it from college to the pros¹⁵ will get — will get very rich. What about the other 95 percent?

PAUL SOLMAN: O'Bannon became one of the 5 percent. And yet, in college, he often went hungry for lack of cash.

ED O'BANNON: There were many nights when I went through the night without eating.

PAUL SOLMAN: You?

ED O'BANNON: Oh, absolutely.

MAN: It's simple, gentlemen. The little things is what's going to win us the game.

PAUL SOLMAN: Back at Liberty High, the coaches were prepping the Patriots¹⁶ for a playoff game.

ED O'BANNON: Do what got us here. Have some fun. Keep us winning.

PAUL SOLMAN: Kyle Thaxton is one of the team's stars. Should college athletes get paid?

KYLE THAXTON, Liberty High School: If they're the ones playing and doing it on the court, then they should be the ones getting paid also. It shouldn't just be the coaches.

PAUL SOLMAN: Coaches who can make $6 million a year or more. And it's not just pay.

RAMOGI HUMA, President, National College Players Association: In NCAA sports, you have players who can be stuck with sports-related medical expenses.

PAUL SOLMAN: Ramogi Huma, who played football at UCLA, has been doing the lonely work of organizing players.

RAMOGI HUMA: Injured players can lose their scholarships. Graduation rates hover¹⁷ around 50 percent amongst the sports who are generating this money, and the NCAA's refusing to adopt the same concussion¹⁸ reforms that the NFL has adopted.

We're not advocating for professional salaries and things like that, but we're saying that, look, some of that value should be given in the form of basic protections like medical expenses and degree completion.

PAUL SOLMAN: NCAA President Mark Emmert declined an interview, but we caught up with him at a press conference.

Why not pay college athletes?

MARK EMMERT, President, NCAA: Because they're students and they're not employees. At the end of the day, you know, young men and women come to college because they want to get an education, because they want to participate in their sport as part of that educational experience.

PAUL SOLMAN: We relayed Emmert's response to Ed O'Bannon.

ED O'BANNON: The way that they run their business — and that's what they're doing, they are running a business — you can't possibly do that and think that your employees, because these athletes are employees, they aren't — they shouldn't get paid. That to me is mind-boggling.

PAUL SOLMAN: But it was time for the tipoff. In the playoff game, the home team seemed comfortably ahead. But big-time college sports is rarely comfortable, says Joe Nocera.

JOE NOCERA: Really, being an athlete on a campus is a full-time¹⁹ job. The NCAA rules say it's only supposed to be 20 hours a week, but if you go on a road trip, they only count the time you're on the floor. So, when you're in the airplane, when you're in the hotel, that doesn't count.

PAUL SOLMAN: And on campus:

JOE NOCERA: You have weightlifting in the morning. Then you go to some classes. Then you have got practice. Then you have got more strength training. Then you have got enforced study hall. You know, you go to bed at midnight, you get up at 6:00, you do the whole thing all over. It's a full-time job.

And not only that. Let's be honest. There's a cartel that is suppressing the wages of a labor²⁰ force, if you want to think about it in economic terms.

PAUL SOLMAN: "Cartel?" we asked the NCAA's Emmert.

MARK EMMERT: He's allowed his opinions.

PAUL SOLMAN: Turns out it's not just the NCAA that has a problem paying players, though.

Cardozo Law School Professor Ekow Yankah:

EKOW YANKAH, Yeshiva University: The more and more we treat them as young minor²¹ league professional athletes, the further they will get from the other things that we find valuable about college.

PAUL SOLMAN: Or, as Liberty High senior Kahlil Derouen put it:

KAHLIL DEROUEN, Student: We don't want the importance of being a student to be diminished more.

PAUL SOLMAN: Moreover, Ekow Yankah asks, if you pay basketball, football and baseball players:

EKOW YANKAH: What does that mean for our water polo team? What does that mean for volleyball? There is a dangerous line here where the very natural thing to do would be to have three revenue-generating sports and get rid of all the others.

PAUL SOLMAN: So, Professor Yankah has an alternative for athletes who aren't students.

EKOW YANKAH: If there are young people who are not at all interested in being student athletes, and their life's project is to develop their particular athletic²² talent, there ought to be professional developmental leagues into which they can go.

PAUL SOLMAN: Right now, of course, the main option for young basketball players remains²³ going to an NCAA college.

Do almost all of them think they are going pro⁸, that is, people who play in Division I college, let's say?

ED O'BANNON: In my experience, yes.

PAUL SOLMAN: And it's a delusion²⁴ right?

ED O'BANNON: It's a delusion, but I think it's the right delusion. You have to think you're going to go in order to get there.

PAUL SOLMAN: OK, so what happened to O'Bannon's Liberty Patriots? Hoop²⁵ dreams dashed, theirs and by this time ours, they wound up losing 67-61.

ED O'BANNON: As the coaching staff, we tip our hats to you guys, because you played hard all season.

MAN: What you guys did today and these previous four years, you will get to further your education, and get it paid for. That's the goal.

PAUL SOLMAN: And maybe even getting paid extra in cash.

And so, in the end, what's happened to the lawsuits? Well, EA Sports actually settled for roughly $60 million, with thousands of players, past and present, getting, on average, about $1,600 each, the money finally awarded just this week.

In 2014, the court ruled the NCAA's refusal to pay players was an antitrust violation²⁶, and also ordered up to $5,000 per student athlete be put in trust for using their likenesses. But the NCAA appealed, and the money award was reversed.

And so, this Tuesday, O'Bannon's lawyers asked the Supreme²⁷ Court to review the case.

In Henderson, Nevada, this is economics correspondent Paul Solman for the "PBS NewsHour."

1 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

8 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

9 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

10 residuals   

剩余误差

参考例句：

• In some cases residuals from these arrivals will stack up to give nearly horizontal alignments. 在某些情况下，这些波至的残余会叠加在一起给出近于水平的同相轴。
• Strong oscillations can occur in the residuals as the number of terms is increased. 随着次数的增加，剩余时差会发生强烈的摆动。

11 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

12 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

13 starkly   

adj. 变硬了的,完全的 adv. 完全,实在,简直

参考例句：

• The city of Befast remains starkly divided between Catholics and Protestants. 贝尔法斯特市完全被处在天主教徒和新教徒的纷争之中。
• The black rocks stood out starkly against the sky. 那些黑色的岩石在天空衬托下十分显眼。

14 indentured   

v.以契约束缚（学徒）( indenture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Africans became indentured servants, trading labor for shelter and eventual freedom. 非洲人成为契约上的仆人，以劳力交换庇护及最终的自由。 来自互联网
• They are descendants of indentured importees. 他们是契约外来工的后代。 来自互联网

15 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

17 hover   

vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫

参考例句：

• You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
• A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

18 concussion   

n.脑震荡；震动

参考例句：

• He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
• She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。

19 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

20 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

21 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

22 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

23 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

24 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

25 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

26 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

27 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。