In an interesting article for CNN/Sports Illustrated, writer Andy Staples lays out some compelling arguments regarding why Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor should leave behind the chains of the NCAA and find his way to the NFL. He says the same for four other Ohio State players,Boom Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas, who are expected to serve a five game suspension next season for selling some of their gear in exchange for a little cash and free tattoos. Staples argues that the NCAA is exploiting these young men by punishing them for making money off their own names and likenesses, even though the NCAA earns money from the very same images.

"Go pro. Do it immediately after the Sugar Bowl. Play the game, take a shower, and sign with the agent of your choice. Then go drink a Hand Grenade at Tropical Isle to celebrate," Staples said. "You can go to the NFL or the CFL or the UFL, where you'll be paid when someone profits from your name or likeness. You'll be fairly compensated for your contribution to your team's gross revenue. Should you benefit from your notoriety, you won't be punished."

Staples also makes the argument that by staying in college for another year, the players are risking a downgrade in their draft status.

"You'll have to sit out while your teammates play against Miami, Colorado and Michigan State. Then you'll get to return just in time for a trip to Lincoln to play Nebraska. Certainly, those NFL scouts won't downgrade you if you get mangled trying to shake off the rust against one of college football's best teams. Will they?"

Staples does a very good job of laying out the financial incentives that the NCAA has for restricting the players' ability to earn money from their own images. He references the school's website, where player jerseys are being sold for as much as $300 each, including jerseys with Terrelle Pryor's number on them.

Staples then goes on to describe the fan reaction to players leaving early:

"Sure, a lot of naïve fans will get angry if you leave early. Not all of them, mind you. Just the ones who think you should take your scholarship and shut up. Those people fail to understand that you are asked to work a full-time job as a full-time student. The difference is the guy who works 40 hours a week as a waiter at Chili's can afford tuition, room and board and still take his girlfriend to a movie on the weekend. And he doesn't make millions for Chili's. You do make millions for the athletic department at The Ohio State University. Let those fans get mad. You don't need friends like them."

Staples' arguments are simple, valid and fundamentally correct. There is nothing more unAmerican than a system of labor in which the rights of workers are restricted in a way that would rival any sweatshop in China or India. It is no coincidence that most of the individuals being exploited by this system are African American males. Besides the prison and educational systems, the NCAA extracts more wealth and resources from the black community than any institution in American history. Much of the reason Congress allows the NCAA to consistently violate the labor rights of athletes in basketball and football is because they are black and most college sports fans feel that a black man coming out of poverty should be happy to get whatever he is offered (no different from the starving five year old in the Chinese sweatshop). The rules of going pro are quite different in baseball, tennis and sports that are not predominantly African American - for example, there are no ridiculous and paternalistic age limits to keep players from going pro early, as if players aren't smart enough to make their own decisions. There is clearly a racial double standard within NCAA regulations. Congress allows this to happen by not holding the NCAA accountable on blatant anti-trust violations and the restrictions of labor rights. I've mentioned in the past that members of the Congressional Black Caucus should be presenting legislation to deal with this issue, and I hold to that point.

The NCAA should be confronted, and there are legal challenges seeking to do just that. Former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro helped to file a massive class action suit against the NCAA for their use of player images in video games and apparel. The attorneys in the suit were shocked that any industry in America was being allowed to use such egregiously biased compensation practices.

"We really couldn't believe that these compensation practices still existed in any kind of industry," said attorney Jon T. King, who works with the plantiffs. "We do antitrust cases in all sorts of industries, and when we learned about this disparity, it was literally shocking to us."

The bottom line is this: The NCAA is an organization that relies on historical racial disparities to earn a multi-billion dollar profit off the African American community (a form of legalized corruption). Not only are families left in poverty by this system, educational access is impeded by full-time practice schedules and travel to games. Adding insult to injury is the fact that many of the black athletes who give so much on the field are denied coaching opportunities upon graduation, further supporting this athletic caste system which rivals apartheid. While collegiate athletics is certainly interesting and entertaining to all of us, it's time to re-evaluate whether we are getting our fair share of the economic pie. The black male has been long asked to serve as the athletic donkey for a multi-billion dollar professional sports league. Perhaps we deserve better than that.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the bookBlack American Money To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.