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Originally posted by Wahalla
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Machel Turner
Monday, April 27, 2015
(L) HYDE... missed Penn Relays 2015. (R) O’HARA... in action at Penn Relays 2015.
I would like to address the controversy surrounding Michael O'Hara and Jaheel Hyde competing at the Penn Relays this year due to their alleged "commercial partnerships" with Digicel and LIME, because there is clearly a lack of understanding of the rulings (and the subsequent reversal in O'Hara's case) by the general public. For me, the issue has also highlighted some questions surrounding our athletes and the decision-making displayed by themselves, their parents, coaches, and other advisers.
I think every person can agree that you are considered a professional in any arena once you are receiving payment directly for your skills. Any decision by these young men and/or their teams to enter agreements with private companies makes them professional athletes; and there is nothing wrong with this decision at all if they are 100 per cent aware of the consequences that come along with that decision.
At the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level, students who have received such payments are ineligible to receive scholarships and compete, as the NCAA, in its current state, is for amateur athletes only. This had bearing on the reasoning for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's initial ruling in the matter that O'Hara and Hyde were ineligible to compete as amateurs in the high school portion of the Penn Relays. Some of the commenters that have followed the numerous articles around this story fail to understand this simple fact and continue to spew opinions that the ruling was simply a case of 'bad mind' by the authorities. Attempts have also been made to equate scholarships (athletic or academic) to brand ambassador agreements, but that is simply just not the case.
The ruling, however, did leave the athletes free to compete in the Olympic Development races at the meet, which would see them go up against grown men and fellow professionals, if given approval by the meet director. Hyde -- wisely in my opinion -- opted to take this route. Sadly, he did not run, but it would have been a pleasure to see him compete against (and beat) adults in his 400m hurdles race. He has not rescinded his "contract" with LIME, which signals to me a clear intent to pursue his professional athletics career while attending a tertiary institution in Jamaica.
O'Hara, on the other hand, put together a legal team and fought his ban, eventually leading to the dissolution of his Digicel "arrangement" as reported by the Jamaica Observer in the April 24, 2015 article entitled 'O'Hara eligible'. It seems he has placed importance on competing at this event as a high school, amateur athlete and was willing to do anything to make this happen. There are Olympic Development races in the 110m hurdles and 100m dash in which he could take part, but he has instead chosen to partake in the relays with Calabar. I am aware that there are chances for the Calabar team to break records at the event, which have now been boosted by his inclusion. However, in a year in which there is a possibility to take part in the National Senior Championships, in order to seek a place at the World Championships in Beijing, one can only wonder if the decision weighed all the pros and cons -- unless, of course, he has no plans to enter these events. A place in the Olympic Development races would have given him a chance to measure himself against fellow professional athletes and work on his start, which is a particular Achilles heel of his in the shorter races, in another pressure environment. With the National Junior Championships also upcoming for a place on the team to the World Youth Championships, the Penn Relays seems fairly inconsequential from the outside looking in. Not to mention the fact that he has competed at the Penn Relays numerous times before in the high school category, taking part in these races would have allowed him to keep a "corporate agreement" while competing against seniors.
What is absolutely clear is that the decision to become a brand ambassador for Digicel was taken without a thorough understanding of all the consequences, and this is something that must be addressed. I can only hope that O'Hara is able to surround himself with a team of good advisers as he transitions from junior standing to seek a professional career in track and field. Mistakes like this can be made now, but can place a big strain on his career if he makes another misinformed decision at a later stage. While it is important that we positively support our young athletes, we must make sure that their mistakes are not swept under the rug. They must be held accountable for the decisions they make along with their parents, school administrators, and coaches. This learning experience will be valuable for O'Hara, and I look forward to his continued success and growth on and off the track.
In closing, I would like to add my voice to those suggesting that ISSA needs to put in place rules that specifically speak to instances of sponsorship for student athletes based solely on their athletic prowess. Leaving the issue alone will only leave the body open to further controversies in the future. The adoption of such rules will also serve to protect the student athletes, as it will still allow them to take up scholarships abroad if they so choose.
Machel Turner is managing director of Prime Time Sports Management Caribbean. Comments: [email protected]
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