Enlightened Understanding

My favorite book in the Bible (yes, I have a personal testimony) is Ephesians because unity is the keynote.  Written in response to the newly converted Jews who often separated themselves from their Gentile brethren, Paul tells a wonderful story of what God has done to encourage the Ephesians in response to the false teachers who had entered among them in an attempt to corrupt the truth…that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.  He gave us what is eternal and what is internal and what we really need in Christ.  He chose us before the foundation of the world in Christ Jesus.  He predestined us to adoption as sons in Christ Jesus. That’s a work of grace.  We lost our right of relationship.  By grace He came back to redeem us…through the blood of Jesus Christ.  He forgave us of our sins. He made known to us the mystery of His will, how everything is summed up under the headship of Christ.  He sealed us with the Holy Spirit so that we might be kept until the day of redemption, absolutely, totally, eternally secure in our salvation. He gave us the Spirit as an earnest of our coming inheritance.  

In addition to confirming the truth to the Ephesians, Paul prayed for them.  His prayer, if you put it in a simple way, was a prayer for a deeper understanding…a deeper understanding, not just of the Word of God, but of the God of the Word.  The main focus of His prayer was that that the Ephesians would come to a deeper understanding of God, “...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you might know three things:  what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.

By now you are probably asking yourself, "What does the book of Ephesians have to do with sports?"  Before I respond, consider just a few facts:

*ESPN agreed to pay a staggering $2.25 billion over the next 15 years to the Southeastern Conference for the conference's TV rights.  Combined with the 15-year, $55 million per year deal the SEC struck with CBS for the over-the-air package of games, the conference will be paid an average of $205 million annually in media rights beginning in 2009…nearly three times what the SEC had been receiving as part of its current deal.  
*Arizona has just completed a 12-year, $80.4 million extension with Host that runs from 2007-2019, says Scott MacKenzie, associate athletic director. The deal increases the school's annual rights payment by at least 10%, he says. "It includes a lot of rights. It's pretty much the kitchen sink."
*Tennessee announced a 10-year, $83.4 million deal with Host this year that will run from July 2007 to June 2017. The new contract boosts Tennessee's guaranteed annual rights fee by 168% to $6.8 million.  The school gets $68 million in guaranteed rights fees, plus $15.4 million in capital improvements such as an electronic, or LED, billboard at Neyland Stadium and LED equipment at Thompson-Boling Arena.
*Kentucky is in the second year of a 10-year, $80.5 million deal with Host and Gray Television. Kentucky is guaranteed $79 million, according to the university's announcement of the deal. Under terms of the contract, Host and Grey will also invest $1.5 million in new scoreboards at the Memorial Coliseum basketball facility and Cliff Hagan Baseball Park.
*California is in the second year of a 10-year, $40 million deal with North Carolina-based ISP that's paying the school between $3.2 million and $4.2 million annually. California also has a revenue-sharing deal that boosted its total 2005 compensation to $4.7 million.
*CAA Spots, founded only a few years ago, negotiated nearly $700 million in contracts for MLB, NFL and NHL client.
*Nike's endorsement and sponsorship financial commitments have increased to approximately $3.4 billion, a 105% increase from 2006.
I could go on…and on, and on.  The point is, while we are bearing the brunt of a souring economy, a growing prison population, deepening disparities in healthcare and education, the lack of availability of affordable housing, the subprime meltdown, environmental racism, and the ever increasing digital divide, the sports business industry which has been built on the backs of our children and community continues to thrive.  If you don't believe me, check out the rosters of Ohio State and USC when they play on September 13, two schools with a combined annual athletic department budget of nearly $200 million.

At ESP we have a hope, a dream and a prayer that God might enlighten the eyes of our understanding so that we might unite to gain better access and control of the natural resource of our athletic talent.  While a great share of the sports business industry pie will not break the cycle of drugs and prisons, the cycle of unwed mothers and absent fathers, or other generational behaviors and acts that plague our community, it can no doubt act as a catalyst and a funding source to help move us from perennial consumer to owner and the master of our own fate.  In the words of Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention last night, "the time is now to unite."

If you have questions or require additional information on how you can participate in FAIR, FraserNet's Athlete Initiative for Reform, please feel free to contact George Fraser at gfraser@frasernet.com or contact the writer, Everett Glenn, at eglenn@espsportslawpro.com or 562.619.8460.