Mizzou football players 'strike,'

[loyalsister]

College football players on strike could make quite an impact.

A campus-wide protest that seeks the resignation or removal of University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe now involves black athletes who say they will not participate in football-related activities until Wolfe is out.

A statement released late Saturday by MU’s Legion of Black Collegians stated that the players are on strike. The protest group, Concerned Student 1950, which includes one student, Jonathan Butler, on a hunger strike, has demanded Wolfe’s resignation or termination in light of racial concerns.

http://m.columbiatribune.com/news/local/mizzou-football-players-strike-join-protest-calling-for-wolfe-s/article_2e190b74-328a-53e3-8db9-d73c950392e4.html#.Vj7BV6TYAgU.facebook

The full statement, tweeted tonight:

The athletes of color on the University of Missouri football team truly believe “Injustice Anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere” We will no longer participate in any football related activities until President Tim Wolfe resigns or is removed due to his negligence toward marginalized students’ experiences. WE ARE UNITED!!!!!

[herding cats]

1. Butler's 6 day long hunger strike, and now the football players are on strike, too.

I'm so proud of them!

If Wolfe would shown the respect the situation warranted from the beginning, none of this would be taking place now. He needs to step down since it's obvious he cannot do his job correctly.

[loyalsister]

2. Their commitment is inspiring

I think he will not have much choice. What these students are doing could have far reaching consequences. Shaking up the college football schedule is a pretty big deal.

[herding cats]

4. They're hitting Mizzou where it will be noticed.

Which is exactly what needs to be done. Right now at Mizzou the racist and the bigots feel they're empowered. It's just going to get worse unless a united front is presented against these acts.

[loyalsister]

6. Exactly

Mizzou athletics keeps a lot of retailers in business. A lot of people are pissed because of the economic impact. But, they are missing the point. These students ar risking their scholarships to fight for justice. They are serious.

[Ex Lurker]

3. We'll see if they actually go through with it. NT

[NobodyHere]

5. Well when you're 4-5 and in 6th place

I suppose it would behoove you to start looking at making an impact elsewhere.

[SaintLouisBlues]

9. Nice cheap shot at the two-time defending SEC East Champions, willing to put a lot on the line

for a good cause.

[pstokely]

10. they didn't strike after Ferguson

they were on strike for a game they'll probably lose anyway

[Recursion]

7. That explains their performance against Mississippi State (nt)

[loyalsister]

8. Could be

That was the day these protests and JB's hunger strike started. Protesters have been camped out in the cold on campus every night since.

[B Calm]

11. I think it was sad that it took the football team to strike

to get their attention!

[loyalsister]

14. Absolutlely

But, something important was revealed. The economic benefits for the towns and major universities would not exist without Black labor. Not to mention other benefits for the university.

The head coach at Mizzou makes nearly $4 million. Local restaurants, hotels, and retailers thrive on their labor.

The numbers.....

In 2014, the University of Missouri football team generated $14,229,128. Coach Gary Pinkel recently received a salary increase from $3.1 million to about $4 million;
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/mizzou-tim-wolfe-resignation/414987/?utm_source=SFTwitter

The student body is just 7 percent black, yet 58 of the school’s 84 scholarship football players are African-American. There is no football team without black labor. That means there aren’t million-dollar coaching salaries without black labor. There isn’t a nucleus of campus social life without black labor. There isn’t the weekly economic boon to Columbia, Missouri, bringing in millions in revenue to hotels, restaurants, and other assorted businesses without black labor. The power brokers of Columbia need these games to be played.
http://www.thenation.com/article/black-mizzou-football-players-are-going-on-strike-over-campus-racism/

The contribution this plantation labor makes to Columbia and other towns\cities with major athletic programs are barely recognized. Yes, they receive scholarships, but actually those increase the amount of labor these players contribute.
This condition isn't limited to black students, but they are massively overrepresented. One of my friends (a grad student who participated in athletics to get his undergrad degree) acknowledges his success while noting that many of his peers were not as lucky. Even when they graduate they not only encounter the usual biases, their various major and minor injuries make physically demanding jobs extremely difficult if not impossible.

A scholarship is meager compensation for what they generate and what they give up.

[Calista241]

12. Just 2 years ago, Mizzou was heaped with praise in this board

For supporting Michael Sam, one of the first openly gay premier football players in the NCAA.

However, times change, and I'm glad they've made the changes they have.

[loyalsister]

13. I praised them both times

MIZ ZOU

I've never chanted, cheered, or even attended a single game. NOW, I'm very proud of the football players of my alma mater.