Ancient Greek ‘Amateurism’, the NCAA and the Courts |
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| Authors: | Anna McCullough Aswin Tony Subketkaew |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Classics, The Ohio State University, 414 University Hall, 230 N. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH, USAmccullough.185@osu.edu;3. Michael E. Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University, 55 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH, USA |
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| Abstract: | The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has recently been the target of many lawsuits challenging its definition and regulation of amateurism, which it holds as providing unique moral and social benefits for both its scholar-athletes and society at large. This conception of amateurism is inherited from nineteenth-century models of ancient Greek athletics via figures such as John Mahaffy and E.N. Gardiner. This influence is evident in legal cases involving the NCAA or athletics in general, and hence amateurism is cited by judges and others as a long-standing Western cultural tradition which encourages moral and social development. This is problematic, however, as not only is it historically questionable, but also the citation of cultural heritage in legal dicta has seen legal criticism or reversal. |
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| Keywords: | amateurism ancient Greece National Collegiate Athletic Association gymnasium Gaines Athens |
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