SMOKE AND NOISE

Last Updated (Wednesday, 19 August 2009 14:08) Written by Steve Bruhn Thursday, 20 August 2009 01:56

Will amateur MX stars race GPs to avoid being exploited like college athletes?

Maybe.

Due to the rule change that moves the age to turn AMA pro to 18, instead of 16, at least one mini-dad may not be bluffing when he says (according to this thread on Vital) http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Cianciarulo-to-Race-GPs,601331 that they will race GPs rather than stay amateur for an additional 2 years.

Background:

The advertised version of the reason for this rule change is that 16 is too young to start racing SXMX as a pro, and that this was the request of OEMs that have been hiring teenagers to race. That has some validity, but it's been a long tradition and it's not the whole story.

It's no secret that hiring teenagers as young as 16 in a competitive market has some weirdness. When you hire a 16-year old motostar, you also get mini-dads that have been spending their own money and time to get Jr. to the pros for up to 12 years in the mini-wars. Naturally, they won't like spending time and money for another 2 years due to this rule change and are anxious to see Jr. get the prize-a nice salary and a chance to become the next RC or Stewart.

Some are home-schooled due to the time required to travel great distances to stay on top.

Factory deals for the elite sometimes add travel money for parents in the beginning. It's hard for a lot of dads to "let go" once Jr. turns pro, adding headaches for team managers. Conflicts are common. 

Adding to the weirdness, families have turned to agents, sometimes years before Jr. turns pro, and these agents can end up in the middle of everything.

Behind the Smokescreen -The College Ball Model, but Worse:

This may seem like a just a wise move to make sure young stars are more mature when they turn pro, but it's really a move to exploit young athletes and make them work for free, just like in college ball.

At least college ball players get some education if they really try when they are playing free for 4 years. The whole college ball thing is a total scam. Colleges have great sports rivalries and spend a great deal of money on programs, but amateur rules keep the players working for nothing. If you get hurt playing college ball, sorry about that. If you run out of money, you might get some "$100 handshakes" at the boosters banquet, but you are on your own. It's simple exploitation, but everyone seems to be used to it.

College programs are simply semi-pro teams that don't have to pay people to play. Because atheletes want to land a big deal when it's over, they have few options. AMA pro SXMX racing is about to do the same thing. It's just 2 years instead of 4, but instead of college, you get 2 more years of expensive travel at family expense, and it's the same exploitation. You can't blame parents if they want to check out GPs instead.

The Big Dirty Secret:

There is one truth about this situation that will be covered up and denied at all costs.  Try discussing it on a message board on Vital and watch how fast it gets edited out and accounts get blocked!

Efforts are already in place to take this exploitation to another level. It's already been tried and covered up and denied. You can call it "Racing for the Company Store."

Just suppose (not to mention any names), that one private entity runs amateur races, runs a magazine and web site, stands in front of the news to control what people see and read, and has it's own agent or agents working the amateurs over in private. Not only do they want to exploit young racers for two years like colleges do, they want a chance to control their access to the pros and profit from that as well, block rival agents, and increase their chances of making a cut off their pro salaries when it's time.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is just made up. It's already been tried and covered up.

The GP Option:

Will young stars really cross the ocean to race GPs instead of being exploited for 2 more years? Yes, it's certainly possible and a few will find a ride. 

It's not as hard as it sounds for Americans who aren't usually into international travel. It's just different. The support network is pretty good. There are people to stay with and teams and riders have learned to look out for the youngsters. Plus if you get hurt, you don't have to worry about bankruptcy due to medical bills, something America hasn't been able to figure out!

Reed did it when he went pro and did fine.  He matured a lot in the 2 years he spent in Europe when he left Australia with Ellie, and it worked out pretty damn good.