Semipro football player dies because of hit on field

My understanding is that semipro teams in most leagues like this allow former pros to play if they want...although no one is paid. It's mostly amatuer players though.

 

I don't think "semi-pro" means paid. Quite the contrary. I think that then it would be "minor league." I once knew a guy who would always call the local independent league baseball team a "semi-pro" team and it drove me crazy.

I think "semi-pro" is just a colloquialism that developed that means the purgatory between high school or college and professional ball. Kind of a term for 18-and-over leagues. I used to play on a men's baseball team, and we always wondered whether we were "semi-pro" or not, as opposed to recreational, as one of our opponents in the league we played considered themselves semi-pro and played a schedule that included games outside the league against tough competition.

 

Really, I think it's a vanity/self-aggrandizing label for men's amateur sports that has kind of stuck. Good marketing.

 

Merriam-Webster.

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiprofessionally

 

In terms of follow up, I'd be interested to learn about he state of the equipment that these guys use. It's one thing to play in an amateur softball league with a mitt that's close to falling apart of cleats held together with duct tape; it's quite another if you're playing tackle football and are using worn-out helmets, pads, etc. Obviously, I would have no way of knowing if that's a factor but it would be a question I would ask if I'm a reporter on that beat. Are these guys supplied with new equipment by the team or are they asked to provide their own? And who is check ing to make sure that the equipment is up to snuff?

 

I think that definition is outdated today, compared to how it is actually used.

I think there was probably a time in American history when "semipro" teams in communities were paid a pittance to compete. I think that time has long since passed. Merriam-Webster probably needs to update its definition to reflect current usage.

 

Time to ban football

 

I would want to know the size and skill level of the player that hit him. If a recent DI player unloaded on a weekend warrior, this might be the expected result.

 

If you're so inclined: When SJ threads become story ideas....

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8307997/why-men-dave-coleman-jr-willing-risk-much-play-semi-pro-football

 

According to the article, the players were paying to play, not getting paid.

"but on a team where getting a full squad of players to pay their fees and show up on time was difficult enough.."

 

I understand how the usage is morphing and drifting, but I disagree with it.

If you play something for free you're an "amateur."

If you play for one of the many professional indoor football leagues that don't pay a living wage, maybe that's a better definition of "semi-pro" ball.