College football star walks away—and why it’s good for workers

On Tuesday, University of Las Vegas quarterback Matthew Sluka quit the school’s football team—in the middle of an undefeated season—because he said they weren’t living up to promises they made to bring him to the school.

• In a social media post Tuesday, the up-and-coming QB said certain promises weren’t being lived up to and he doubted those promises would be kept, without citing specifically what the school had promised him.

For context: The NCAA refuses to allow student athletes to be paid directly, despite the fact that student athletes generate over $18 billion annually for schools.

• The NCAA was forced to adopt new rules in 2021 to allow student athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness, in deals that can be facilitated by the schools though not paid for by them.

ESPN reports that Sluka was promised $100,000 in deals before the transfer, but after transferring was only paid $12,000. That’s $88,000 less than what Sluka was promised. So he walked.

The big picture: Worker advocates say Sluka’s decision highlights the importance of workers demanding their fair share, especially when they feel they are not being properly compensated.

• Of the billions of dollars generated by student athletes for schools, only 18% of the revenue was returned to the athletes—who are workers, and who generated the revenue—while 35% went to coaches and administrators.
  

• By walking away, advocates say that Sluka asserted control over his labor, just as workers in any field should withdraw their labor when employers fail to meet agreed-upon terms or expectations.

Go deeper: The case for paying college athletes.

👀 Under the Radar

Here are some stories the algorithms might be keeping out of your feed.

• Elon Musk is about to cross a new line with an ungodly amount of wealth (CNN)

• A school privatization activist praised by Donald Trump has been put on leave after part of his NSFW past was revealed (NBC News)

• How Israel has unleashed hell in Lebanon, its neighbor to the north (Jacobin)

• Here’s a list of the most ignorant things JD Vance has said… which would be funny if he weren’t a serious contender (The Root)

• MAGA Republicans have pushed through a crazy voting change in Georgia that critics say will cause “chaos” on Election Day (ABC News)

• One block on the Outer Banks has had three houses collapse since Friday (Washington Post)

• Police have arrested several people after an American woman died in the first use of controversial suicide pod (CNN)

• AOC has come up with a novel solution to our housing crisis—that’s already being used in Europe (of course) (New York Times)

Man executed despite objections from prosecutors, jurors, and the victim’s family

On Tuesday night, prison workers in Missouri executed Marcellus Williams, a 55-year-old Black man who was convicted of murder—despite objections from prosecutors, jurors who heard the case, and the victim’s family.

The backstory: Williams was tried and convicted of the murder of a white woman in St. Louis in 1998 and sentenced to death in 2001, despite no forensic evidence linking him to the crime scene or murder weapon.

• The evidence was so unclear that Williams was granted a stay of execution twice to allow more time for DNA testing.

• In August, prosecutors reached a plea deal with Williams that would have allowed him to avoid the death penalty, a move the victim’s family supported and a judge accepted.

But: Missouri’s Republican Attorney General took an extraordinary step and challenged the deal. The state’s Supreme Court agreed, clearing the way for Williams’ execution by lethal injection on Tuesday.

The big picture: Critics say this case highlights fundamental issues with the death penalty, including the risk of executing someone who is innocent—not to mention the racist bias of capital punishment in the U.S.

• Since 1973, over 200 people sentenced to death in the U.S. have later been exonerated.

• Right now, people of color makeup 54% of those currently awaiting execution (despite making up only 31% of the larger population).
  

• Defendants convicted of killing white victims are 17 times more likely to be executed than those convicted of killing Black victims.

This high error rate and systemic racism leads many to believe that our system is too flawed to allow the state to carry out such violence, particularly since studies show it does not deter crime and is actually more expensive than imprisonment.

Go deeper: Read the details of Williams’ story, or read about why many oppose the death penalty.

✊ Get Involved

Don’t just read the news, take action and shape it! Here are some ways to get involved around this week’s major stories.

• Tell Congress: Abolish the Federal Death Penalty. Sign the petition by Death Penalty Action to ban the use of capital punishment by the Federal Government.

• Support the Movement: Join or donate to the National College Players Association, a 501c3 group that’s advocating that all student athletes be paid for their work. Join if your athlete, support otherwise if you can!

• Take to the Streets Against Genocide: Actions are planned across the country for October 5 to mark one year of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.