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The Missouri No Compromise
Achieving 21st Century Social Change in an Oligarchic United States
By David Hollander, Assistant Professor, NYU School of Professional Studies, Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media and Business
Research Assistant: Eli Nachmany, B.S. Candidate, May 2017, NYU School of Professional Studies, Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media and Business
4th Annual University of Louisville Ali Center for Athletes and Social Change Forum (April 9, 2016)
Background• Common complaint today in America—across interest groups—of
entrenched institutional unfairness serving the interests of a small, top-of-the-pyramid group who depend on this unfairness to maintain their wealth and power.
• America = Oligarchy
• Protest groups/opposition groups form, but change seems too hard to achieve
• BUT at the University of Missouri a social protest from the men’s football team achieved specific change in record time
QUESTIONCan we pull lessons from
University of Missouri and share and apply these lessons toward the
goal of achieving real social change in today’s America?
What Happened at Missouri?
Brief Recap and Timeline
Historical Significance of Missouri
36 hours.
Fastest result ever by a high profile national social protest?
Yes!
Analysis and Dynamics of Missouri
•Money talks…and is heard.
Lessons of Mizzou (Part I)Two Separate Groups Suffering in the Same Oligarchic
Structure
• Students at Missouri experiencing institutional racism, protests and hunger strikes yield no result
• At the same time, college athletes want to be paid—they have gone to court (O’Bannon) and NLRB (Northwestern) and got little or negative results
• Both groups were asking for change for themselves within available systems, officiated by people who are part of the oligarchic structure which has already foreseen them using the system and can control the outcome
Lessons of Mizzou (Part II)Utilizing the Oligarchic Structure Against Itself• Instead, Mizzou football players clearly saw their
indispensability to the oligarchic system of big-time, unpaid college sports, accepted it, and used it to help another group’s cause, because that group had a need outside oligarchic system of big-time, unpaid college sports which was not anticipated by the oligarchic system of big-time, unpaid college sports
• The demand was specific and clear: FIRE THE PRESIDENT
• Use existing oligarchy against itself by triangulating to cause pain in an area not yours, but leveraging
indispensability to your area in your area.
• The unfair system cannot exist without your participation. You’re indispensable to it. So use that.
• Identify your leverage point in existing unfair system, accept that position as your chip in the game, and make
demand specific.
The New Missouri Social Change Paradigm
What other demands could big-time college sports teams make from their universities/NCAA?
65-85 men’s D-I football/basketball programs can hold their schools hostage due to universities’ “tail wags the dog” financial model
Each school individually or collectively could demand specific changes in the following areas, for example:• Race/gender composition of faculty• Campus sexual assault• Tuition/student loan terms
Employing Missouri Paradigmfor other social change groups who could benefit:
• Donald Sterling’s racist remarks (2014 NBA Playoffs)• LGBT rights in Houston, TX (2016 Final Four)• Human trafficking in Brazil (2016 Olympics)
Thank you!Any Questions?
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