AT first I thought it was youthful exuberance that had inspired a schoolboy athlete to indulge in a blatant piece of public advertising that would shock the purists of amateurism. But I soon learnt that, at the time, he was already a contracted professional and that the act might well have been part of his sponsor’s sales strategy.

The incident was followed by a furore about the company’s ethics, for the advertising took place at an event that was being jointly sponsored by its biggest rival. I leave that controversy to the wise men of free enterprise. Of greater concern to me was the matter of the runner’s association with ‘shamateurism’. To pay or not to pay for play, that is the question. Also:

* Do the rules of Jamaica’s college sports allow for professional athletes to compete against unsponsored amateurs still attending school?

* If professionals are disbarred, but surreptitiously participate, is it okay from them to keep medals won and points gained on behalf of the schools they represent?

I have yet to hear a clear answer to such questions, but I do know that the National Collegiate Athletics Association, which governs this aspect of sports in the United States, has rules that frown upon behaviour such as that which took place at ‘Champs’. If the NCAA sticks to its rules, then our current star of school athletics may find himself ineligible for participation in college meets in the United States. We have already heard news of the Penn Relays organisation in the US imposing regulations on our athletes for this year’s installation.

NCAA’s stated objectives are “…to ensure the students’ priority remains on obtaining a quality educational experience, and that all student-athletes are competing equitably….All student-athletes, including international students, are required to adhere to NCAA amateurism requirements to remain eligible for intercollegiate competition”.

The NCAA Bylaw 12.1.2 includes the following:

An individual loses amateur status and thus shall not be eligible for intercollegiate competition in a particular sport if the individual:

(a) Uses his or her athletic skill (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that sport;

(b) Accepts a promise of pay, even if such pay is to be received following completion of intercollegiate athletics participation;

(c) Signs a contract or commitment of any kind to play professional athletics, regardless of its legal enforceability or any consideration received;

(d) Receives, directly or indirectly, a salary, reimbursement of expenses, or any other form of financial assistance from a professional sports organisation based upon athletic skill or participation.

The lines of demarcation between amateur and professional sport has been considerably narrowed over the years and, in my view, it may well be time to abolish them altogether, allowing genuine amateurs to fend for themselves, as they should, without having to compete against professionals.

The games people play

Sport is no longer just the games that people play. It is now big business, with billions of dollars changing hands. This is only because of the talented athletes who draw huge paying crowds in arenas and around television sets. I believe those athletes ought to get their fair share of what is earned, whether they are attending school or not. My only proviso would be that they be not allowed to use their commercial advantages to push amateurs away from the spotlight and the stage for receiving medals.

Gone are the days when sport was largely for health and recreation. Now it is more for wealth and recognition. The Olympics was, for centuries, organised on the basis of a creed: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” Today it is totally dominated by professional performers who receive and spend millions of dollars making themselves fit to break and set records. There is no room for men and women who cannot afford the coaching and the training.

In 1908, when the amateur G C Foster, Jamaica’s first Olympic aspirant, paid his own way to England, strict rules barred him because Jamaica did not have an Olympic Association to sponsor his entry. However, outside of the Games he engaged and defeated some of the Olympic medallists of that time.

The American Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. The King of Sweden told him then: “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.” Later he was stripped of the medals and his name removed from the record books because it was learnt that he had once played in semi-pro baseball.

It just wasn’t cricket

It isn’t only the Olympics that have changed. The stars of today’s cricket matches are all professionals. Not so in the 19th and early 20th centuries when amateurs were treated as “gentlemen” and professionals as “players”. It was not until 1952 that a professional was allowed to be a full-time captain of England’s cricket team. Up to 1960, there were separate dressing rooms for each category and players had to enter the grounds by a different gate from the gentlemen. The players had to address the gentlemen as ‘Sir’, while the gentlemen could call players by their surnames. Even in the record books gentlemen were set down as ‘Mr.’ or ‘Esquire’. Players were identified by their untitled christian and surnames and the initials of their christian names. In November 1962 the dividing line was removed and all players became cricketers.

The case of cricket’s age of snobbery indicates that this matter of professionals against amateurs was based more on class prejudice than the fact that some were rewarded with money and others with prizes. Well, it is time to hasten the demise of this attitude in sports. Athletics must not be treated like horseracing, in which the champion performers are rewarded with a bag of hay and good grooming, while all other participants take cash.

Those amateurs in sport who wish to remain simon-pure may do so, but for the others the words of Omar Khayyam may be their guiding light:

Some for the glories of this world; and some

Sigh for The Prophet’s Paradise to come;

Ah, take the cash and let the credit go,

Nor heed the rumble of a distant drum

Ken Jones is a veteran journalist, public relations consultant, and is the author of books on Marcus Garvey, Alexander Bustamante and other leading historic figures. Comments: kensjones2002@yahoo.com