ABSTRACT

College sports in the United States generate billions in revenue annually. On April 29, 2020, the Board of the National Collegiate Athletics Association supported rule changes allowing “student-athletes to receive compensation for third-party endorsements both related to and separate from athletics.” While the Board’s recommendations are still under consideration, the move would enable college athletes to profit from the use of their “name, image and likeness” so long as they were not directly remunerated by their academic institution. Sports, like football, impact young bodies in ways that have life-long consequences, and in ways that are obvious in the performance of these sports on the field. The theatre offers more than just a comparison to sports but can also be seen infecting sports: creeping into the playing field or arena, where lights, music, and pyrotechnics contribute to the illusion that the athlete’s work is effortless or even natural. In sports plays, the work of actors is emphasized through their physical activity.