By Miles Park ’16, Sports Editor

While an entire nation of sports fans were glued to their TV’s by the all –encompassing excitement of college basketball’s March Madness, perhaps the sport’s most talented 19 year-old sat and watched from his couch. And no, it is not because his team did not qualify for the NCAA tournament; it’s because his team plays in China.

At 18 years old, Emmanuel Mudiay’s roadmap to NBA stardom seemed crystal clear. After surviving hunger, poverty, and war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for five years, Mudiay and his family immigrated to Dallas, Texas. Following his first year of high school, Mudiay transferred to athletic powerhouse Prime Prep High School where he quickly rose to prominence emerging as the #1 point guard and #2 overall player in his class. From there he surprised almost everyone by choosing to stay in state and play for famed coach Larry Brown at SMU. Yet the surprises were far from over as Mudiay shocked the world again last summer by choosing to forgo his college eligibility and sign with the Guangdong Tigers of China, making him the highest rated prospect to ever venture overseas. While Mudiay received a 1.2 million dollar salary and a lucrative endorsement deal from Under Armor, his decision largely had to do with the intense scrutiny he faced from the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) concerning his eligibility.

The NCAA has a long and somewhat confusing history of targeting some of its most talented and largest revenue-generating athletes. Whether it is for academic missteps or for accepting even the slightest monetary compensation for the millions they generate, the NCAA can operate almost like a secret police force, complete with a 400-page manual of rules. Just this past fall, superstar running back Todd Gurley, of the University of Georgia, was suspended by the NCAA for accepting a mere few hundred dollars in exchange for his autograph. At the time, many argued that this was the best thing that could happen to Gurley as it would free him from injury risk and give him time to prepare for an almost certain top selection in the upcoming NFL draft. Yet the NCAA eventually reinstated Gurley only for him to suffer a devastating ACL tear and watch potential NFL millions go down the drain. Gurley’s story is only one of many, all of which help expose the abusive nature of the NCAA and how its athletes are the true victims.

The 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament generated an estimated 1.15 billion dollars in ad revenue a not-estimated 0% of which went to the players, the vast majority of whom will never become professional athletes or make it to the NBA. So if none of the money goes to players, then where does it go? The answer is to pretty much everyone else. Despite claiming to be uninterested in selling its product, the NCAA itself is a money making machine with its top administrators garnering salaries well into the seven-figure range. Coaches too often receive massive salaries and are free to sell their brands in all the places that their players are forbidden to. Newark Academy athlete Dylan Flanagan ‘16 believes it is “absolutely absurd that college athletes get none of the money they generate.” The blatant and extreme hypocrisy of the NCAA has been covered at length by a variety of media outlets including John Oliver’s recent rant on his show Last Week Tonight. Yet there are still those who hold the NCAA and amateurism in relatively high esteem, including Danny Cohen ’15 who believes, “the romance of amateurism is what draws people to college sports, without amateurism people would just watch the pros.”

So with momentum building against the NCAA, where does Mudiay’s tale fit in? Mudiay’s time in China was far from perfect with an injury derailing his season. However, when healthy Mudiay performed admirably and is still projected to be a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA draft. All in all Mudiay’s journey should certainly be considered a success for him and for the ongoing battle against the NCAA.