Break a Leg

Trey Smith

What is it that someone might say to a thespian as they approach their opening performance in a new play? Break a leg. I don't know the origin of that phrase, but I do know that it's not something that is said to athletes! Breaking one's leg in a sporting event almost always means that you won't be participating in that sport for a good long time.

On Sunday, in a nationally televised college basketball game, a guard from the University of Louisville broke his leg during the game. The break resulted in a compound fracture which featured his bone sticking out of his leg. According to those who saw the events unfold -- I wasn't watching -- it was a gruesome sight that caused a few of the other players to vomit.

When I read about this incident later, I figured that the university and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) would cover the medical costs. That seemed to me like a no-brainer, but that may not be the case at all. According to David Sirota, it is not uncommon at all for the student-athletes and his/her family to get stuck with the bill!

On its face, that is absolutely outrageous. As Sirota points out, "NCAA basketball is a $780 million-a year business that makes 1 percenters out of NCAA executives, coaches, athletic directors and college administrators," but it doesn't necessarily cover the medical costs of the players injured generating that staggering amount.

I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised. That's how our system works. The workers are expected to generate most all of the actual capital without actually sharing in the mammoth profits created.