Sport in Africa: The Athletes
For more information about Hassan Fofana and his Sports Consulting organization, Time2Ball, Inc.:
check out: http://www.facebook.com/Time2Ball
follow him at: @Time2ballinc
contact him at: time2ballinc@gmail.com
or subscribe to his blog at: http://time2ball.blogspot.com/
________________________________________________
PART 1
Even for local “professional” athletes in Africa, the money and respect are minimal such that sports fans and even the athletes themselves view this work as a hobby. This causes a breakdown in discipline since coaches and trainers, who wish not to lose these few talented, on-the-verge-of-breaking-out-in Europe-or-America players, can only push the athletes so far without pushing them right off of the team, which is critical because having talented players like that on their teams is a privilege or represents $$$$ for them. As a result, ass-kissing and special treatment weakens the quality of training and the preparation for success at a professional and foreign level.
For other African athletes, who will succeed at the cutthroat professional level because they are imposing due to their athleticism, talent, or advanced skill, they too face a tough choice regarding their cultural and national identity. They must decide between keeping their specific native African citizenship or giving it up for naturalization in whichever country they reside at the time in order to shed the stress of immigration laws and restrictions and live their dreams as professional footballers in tranquility and peace without watching over their shoulders. As part of the deal to the naturalization process, some African athletes have to play for the national teams of the host countries. A perfect example of this is the French National Soccer team which, in the past, had more than half of their players originally from Africa. I was surprised to watch the French team in the Euro Cup 2012 with so few Africans playing on the field; but I won’t be surprised to see them reloaded with African players for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil since they have failed to advance past the quarterfinals this year in Poland.
As for those who refuse to give up their nationality and seek to accomplish their quest through other possible paths, their journeys often end with them being deported to their home countries. Some would run away before deportation and will end up struggling just to survive. Survive? Yes, because for most aspiring professional African athletes, they devote all of themselves to making it, including dropping out of school in order to focus on their athletic careers.
This is how most of the talented African athletes vanish into and along the way to Europe. Still, the number of African athletes who have found success, especially in soccer, is very small compared to those aspiring athletes who simply disappear. As far as those African athletes who were able to come to the US, the majority of them have similar career trajectories. There are, however, a few exceptional athletes such as Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Emeka Okofor, amongst others. It is mostly the basketball players who have been able to find success on high platforms, such as the National Basketball Association (NBA). There are many other African athletes who have gained tremendous success in other fields, such as the Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Football League (NFL).
Nevertheless, the reality is that the US offers a unique opportunity to encourage athletes to pursue their education past high school before earning a chance to play professionally. There are, however, many discussions around the present rule that require the athletes to be at least 19 years old before being eligible to enter the NBA draft. I believe that this rule should be universal across all sports and not just here in the US, but all over the world. Take the case of Freddy Adu who turned professional at the age of 14. Don’t get me wrong! If I was in his place I would have strongly considered turning pro immediately, especially with all of the hype that he was getting. Believe it or not, I was a Freddy Adu fan. As a fellow native of Africa and soccer fan, I wanted to see him succeed; but the thing that kept bringing me back to reality was: Come on! Freddy is still a kid (14 years old to be exact) playing amongst grown-ass men.
Major League Baseball (MLB) rules allow drafted players to continue developing by participation in the Minor League. I must say that, at the time, I was not very familiar with the MLS draft rules, particularly whether or not drafted players were trained further in developmental club leagues prior to competition in the Premiere League and if Freddy had that option. Talent-wise, I believe that Freddy had what it took to be successful, but he was rushed developmentally and could definitely have benefited from college competition. Rather, in actuality, he failed to meet the high expectations set for him and, as a result, was traded from team to team. I still believe that Freddy Adu is a player with a bright future and will soon have a breakout season once he finds stability within himself, as well as on the field.
In summation, my perspective is that requiring athletes to attend college for 1 or 2 years before being eligible to enter the draft for the NBA, NFL or any other professional team is necessary in order to support the development of the athletes. This rule does have significant implications for basketball and the leagues involved namely the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the NBA; however, this is a topic that I plan to address in the future.
Athletes buying-in to the concept of being NCAA student-athletes or amateurs while showcasing their potential here in the US are an option that most African athletes that end up in Europe do not have. As NCAA athletes, young African athletes will not only develop their skills; they will also cultivate their intellect. This is a win-win situation for both the NCAA and the universities. With the increase of African student-athletes, both institutions can increase the diversity amongst their student populations, as well as promote higher education en route to professional sporting careers. As for the athletes, they complete their higher education and preserve their opportunity to pursue their professional careers here in the US or elsewhere around the world.
By no means at all I want to suggest that African athletes who choose to come to the US have it easier than those in Europe; however, I am insinuating that although it is extremely hard to come to the US as an African, once here, the options are far better than they are in Europe. And don’t get me wrong, I am not familiar with all of the options in Europe; but I speak based on the personal stories from friends and family that have experienced these situations first-hand. Although the path taken in the pursuit of happiness here in the US is slightly different, it does remain dangerous in some ways. Specifically, its danger is due to the US industry being more of a cutthroat business. By this I mean, you have sports agency paying off scouts or coaches to travel to Africa in order to recruit the best players they can find with greater chances of breaking out and hopefully making it into the NBA, MLS, MLB. On one hand, this action is very positive and, on the other hand, it is negative. It is great because the Americans are giving these young and ambitious athletes the chance to live their dream; however, because these players are enslaved in their own dreams, they are also very vulnerable to financial exploitation. By the end of their high school and college sports careers, the athletes end up being responsible for an inordinate amount of money to whomever is their sponsor, that is whomever was responsible for bringing them to the U.S. in the first place. Often, the individual serving as the intermediary will request and receive money on behalf of the players without his or her knowledge. Then, they are blindsided by a debt developed in their name and from which they did not benefit. Can you blame these young athletes? The only thing they did wrong, was wanting to enhance the quality of their lives. Regardless of which paths are chosen and eventually traveled by these African athletes, they all enact incredible courage, determination and ambition to succeed in life.
One final note, I believe that involvement in amateur athletics while completing one’s college education before pursuing a professional sporting career gives the student-athletes something to fall back on in case they fail to make it as a professional. After all, realistically only 1 out 16,000 high school student-athletes successfully make it to the professional level in sports[1]. This statistic underscores the importance of young people completing their education throughout college in order to have a successful and fulfilling life outside of professional sports.
There is plenty of raw athletic talent in Africa. With the right coaches who are truly committed to the development of their athletes and who possess sound knowledge and skill, these athletes can go far and prosper. Finally, if the local African governments will invest the necessary support, financial, infrastructural, or otherwise, that the athletes need to continue their development right there in their native countries, we can prevent the loss of this raw talent from Africa to Europe and the U.S. Government investment will enable the creation of an international platform from which local African athletes can showcase their talent and, when sufficiently developed, progress towards the professional teams overseas. Government involvement will also keep a watchful eye on recruiters and coaches, circumventing corruption and abuse of young, vulnerable athletes for monetary gain. Nevertheless, I want to end this article by briefly introducing my next topic of discussion by stating that the African governments have major roles to play in sport in Africa not reaching its potential.
check out: http://www.facebook.com/Time2Ball
follow him at: @Time2ballinc
contact him at: time2ballinc@gmail.com
or subscribe to his blog at: http://time2ball.blogspot.com/
________________________________________________
PART 1
Sport in Africa: The Athletes
by Hassan Fofana
by Hassan Fofana
For generations, sport has been a major
part of African culture and youth’s daily activities. For many Africans, sport
is viewed just as exercise to keep healthy, while for some, sport represents
$$$$. The latter group is split in two. One group, young African athletes see
sports as a major opportunity to enhance the quality of their lives by leaving
Africa, heading off most of the time to Europe, for a chance to play professionally
in clubs and leagues, and sometimes to the US to first become student-athletes,
before exploring the professional sporting world. This career is very
attractive. As a professional athlete, one can eventually perform on an
international platform, representing one’s nation during the African Nations
Cup or the FIFA World Cup. The second group is comprised of coaches, recruiters
and other intermediaries who view sports as a way to make money by transporting
the young athletes from Africa to countless countries around the world. Some
African athletes are assisted in migrating to the U.S. by religious, charitable
and outreach organizations who commit themselves to helping others; however,
the most common route is recruitment. As African athletes begin their quest in
the pursuit of happiness by aspiring to become professional athletes, one thing
they fail to recognize is that they have very little control of their fate as
players the minute they leave home. For African athletes who leave their native
continent for Europe with hopes of pursuing professional careers in sport,
often soccer (or football in every country except the U.S.), the journey is
quite similar. Regardless of the path chosen to Europe, legally or illegally,
and most of the time it’s illegal, the chances for success for African athletes
are very slim for many reasons, despite their level of talent. Some African
athletes face language barriers and social adjustment which are the easier
challenges to overcome; however, more stagnating is that others lack a true
sense of what it takes to be successful at the professional level. This latter
point is complex.
Even for local “professional” athletes in Africa, the money and respect are minimal such that sports fans and even the athletes themselves view this work as a hobby. This causes a breakdown in discipline since coaches and trainers, who wish not to lose these few talented, on-the-verge-of-breaking-out-in Europe-or-America players, can only push the athletes so far without pushing them right off of the team, which is critical because having talented players like that on their teams is a privilege or represents $$$$ for them. As a result, ass-kissing and special treatment weakens the quality of training and the preparation for success at a professional and foreign level.
For other African athletes, who will succeed at the cutthroat professional level because they are imposing due to their athleticism, talent, or advanced skill, they too face a tough choice regarding their cultural and national identity. They must decide between keeping their specific native African citizenship or giving it up for naturalization in whichever country they reside at the time in order to shed the stress of immigration laws and restrictions and live their dreams as professional footballers in tranquility and peace without watching over their shoulders. As part of the deal to the naturalization process, some African athletes have to play for the national teams of the host countries. A perfect example of this is the French National Soccer team which, in the past, had more than half of their players originally from Africa. I was surprised to watch the French team in the Euro Cup 2012 with so few Africans playing on the field; but I won’t be surprised to see them reloaded with African players for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil since they have failed to advance past the quarterfinals this year in Poland.
As for those who refuse to give up their nationality and seek to accomplish their quest through other possible paths, their journeys often end with them being deported to their home countries. Some would run away before deportation and will end up struggling just to survive. Survive? Yes, because for most aspiring professional African athletes, they devote all of themselves to making it, including dropping out of school in order to focus on their athletic careers.
This is how most of the talented African athletes vanish into and along the way to Europe. Still, the number of African athletes who have found success, especially in soccer, is very small compared to those aspiring athletes who simply disappear. As far as those African athletes who were able to come to the US, the majority of them have similar career trajectories. There are, however, a few exceptional athletes such as Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Emeka Okofor, amongst others. It is mostly the basketball players who have been able to find success on high platforms, such as the National Basketball Association (NBA). There are many other African athletes who have gained tremendous success in other fields, such as the Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Football League (NFL).
Nevertheless, the reality is that the US offers a unique opportunity to encourage athletes to pursue their education past high school before earning a chance to play professionally. There are, however, many discussions around the present rule that require the athletes to be at least 19 years old before being eligible to enter the NBA draft. I believe that this rule should be universal across all sports and not just here in the US, but all over the world. Take the case of Freddy Adu who turned professional at the age of 14. Don’t get me wrong! If I was in his place I would have strongly considered turning pro immediately, especially with all of the hype that he was getting. Believe it or not, I was a Freddy Adu fan. As a fellow native of Africa and soccer fan, I wanted to see him succeed; but the thing that kept bringing me back to reality was: Come on! Freddy is still a kid (14 years old to be exact) playing amongst grown-ass men.
Major League Baseball (MLB) rules allow drafted players to continue developing by participation in the Minor League. I must say that, at the time, I was not very familiar with the MLS draft rules, particularly whether or not drafted players were trained further in developmental club leagues prior to competition in the Premiere League and if Freddy had that option. Talent-wise, I believe that Freddy had what it took to be successful, but he was rushed developmentally and could definitely have benefited from college competition. Rather, in actuality, he failed to meet the high expectations set for him and, as a result, was traded from team to team. I still believe that Freddy Adu is a player with a bright future and will soon have a breakout season once he finds stability within himself, as well as on the field.
In summation, my perspective is that requiring athletes to attend college for 1 or 2 years before being eligible to enter the draft for the NBA, NFL or any other professional team is necessary in order to support the development of the athletes. This rule does have significant implications for basketball and the leagues involved namely the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the NBA; however, this is a topic that I plan to address in the future.
Athletes buying-in to the concept of being NCAA student-athletes or amateurs while showcasing their potential here in the US are an option that most African athletes that end up in Europe do not have. As NCAA athletes, young African athletes will not only develop their skills; they will also cultivate their intellect. This is a win-win situation for both the NCAA and the universities. With the increase of African student-athletes, both institutions can increase the diversity amongst their student populations, as well as promote higher education en route to professional sporting careers. As for the athletes, they complete their higher education and preserve their opportunity to pursue their professional careers here in the US or elsewhere around the world.
By no means at all I want to suggest that African athletes who choose to come to the US have it easier than those in Europe; however, I am insinuating that although it is extremely hard to come to the US as an African, once here, the options are far better than they are in Europe. And don’t get me wrong, I am not familiar with all of the options in Europe; but I speak based on the personal stories from friends and family that have experienced these situations first-hand. Although the path taken in the pursuit of happiness here in the US is slightly different, it does remain dangerous in some ways. Specifically, its danger is due to the US industry being more of a cutthroat business. By this I mean, you have sports agency paying off scouts or coaches to travel to Africa in order to recruit the best players they can find with greater chances of breaking out and hopefully making it into the NBA, MLS, MLB. On one hand, this action is very positive and, on the other hand, it is negative. It is great because the Americans are giving these young and ambitious athletes the chance to live their dream; however, because these players are enslaved in their own dreams, they are also very vulnerable to financial exploitation. By the end of their high school and college sports careers, the athletes end up being responsible for an inordinate amount of money to whomever is their sponsor, that is whomever was responsible for bringing them to the U.S. in the first place. Often, the individual serving as the intermediary will request and receive money on behalf of the players without his or her knowledge. Then, they are blindsided by a debt developed in their name and from which they did not benefit. Can you blame these young athletes? The only thing they did wrong, was wanting to enhance the quality of their lives. Regardless of which paths are chosen and eventually traveled by these African athletes, they all enact incredible courage, determination and ambition to succeed in life.
One final note, I believe that involvement in amateur athletics while completing one’s college education before pursuing a professional sporting career gives the student-athletes something to fall back on in case they fail to make it as a professional. After all, realistically only 1 out 16,000 high school student-athletes successfully make it to the professional level in sports[1]. This statistic underscores the importance of young people completing their education throughout college in order to have a successful and fulfilling life outside of professional sports.
There is plenty of raw athletic talent in Africa. With the right coaches who are truly committed to the development of their athletes and who possess sound knowledge and skill, these athletes can go far and prosper. Finally, if the local African governments will invest the necessary support, financial, infrastructural, or otherwise, that the athletes need to continue their development right there in their native countries, we can prevent the loss of this raw talent from Africa to Europe and the U.S. Government investment will enable the creation of an international platform from which local African athletes can showcase their talent and, when sufficiently developed, progress towards the professional teams overseas. Government involvement will also keep a watchful eye on recruiters and coaches, circumventing corruption and abuse of young, vulnerable athletes for monetary gain. Nevertheless, I want to end this article by briefly introducing my next topic of discussion by stating that the African governments have major roles to play in sport in Africa not reaching its potential.
Note: In my article, I refer to the
continent of Africa as if it was a country when, in fact, it is not; however, this is my way of
promoting PAN-AFRICANISM.
[1]
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (2012). Estimated Probability and Competing in Athletics
Beyond the High School Interscholastic Level. http://freedom.mysdhc.org/guidance/information/From%20High%20School%20to%20Pro%20Statistics.pdf?plugin=RWD&Templates=RWD&printversion=2
Comments
Post a Comment