Daily Times

Two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is all set to headline ‘After the Final Buzzer’ on Tuesday at the historic Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

Hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the panel discussion will be followed by an exclusive film screening of ‘Student Athlete’.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will feature as a panellist in the award-winning panel for a special conversation about the exploitative world of college sports, the rules of amateur athletics and how Rep Al Lawson’s bill – the NCAA Advancement Act of 2019 – would change the student-athlete landscape. Also featuring in the panel discussion will be US Rep Al Lawson, Florida’s Fifth Congressional District, Steve Stoute, Producer of ‘Student Athlete’, Trish Dalton, Director of ‘Student Athlete’, Robert W Turner II, PhD, Former NFL athlete and author and Natasha Cloud, Basketball player for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

Released in collaboration with HBO Sports, the sports documentary ‘STUDENT ATHLETE’ is co-directed by Trish Dalton with the production team spearheaded by NBA superstar and three-time world champion LeBron James, one of today’s most socially responsible and community-minded athletes.

Indeed, with ‘Student Athlete’, Sharmeen hopes to change the way the NCAA operates and with this partnership with the congressmen, they are one step closer to bringing legislation that will empower athletes.

“We have had success in the past in Pakistan with legislation surrounding honour killings and feel that it is important to use film for social change and to force difficult conversations to affect change,” Sharmeen says.

“Every year, billions of dollars are generated off the backs of an unpaid labour force: college athletes. The panel discussion will examine the rules of amateur athletics and tackle how my bill, NCAA Advancement Act of 2019, would change the student-athlete landscape. The legislation would eliminate the ‘one and done’ rule, provide medical coverage for sports related injuries, and create an easier process for student athletes to gain work opportunities while in school. As a former college basketball player, I understand firsthand the sacrifices and struggles student-athletes face. My goal with this bill is to provide NCAA athletes the support they need to be successful long after their college playing days are over,” Al Lawson said.

Unpaid college athletes generate billions of dollars for their institutions every year. ‘Student Athlete’ unveils the exploitative world of high-revenue college sports through the stories of four young men at different stages of their athletic careers, as well as a coach-turned-advocate and a whistle-blowing shoe rep who exposes the money trail. The documentary spotlights former NCAA and NFL coach John Shoop, New Jersey high school basketball phenom Nick Richards, now at the University of Kentucky, Mike Shaw, who played at the University of Illinois and Bradley University, Shamar Graves, a former wide receiver at Rutgers University, and Silas Nacita, a walk-on who played at Baylor University.

‘Student Athlete’ is an HBO Sports presentation in association with LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson at Spring Hill Entertainment and Steve Stoute at United Masters; directors, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton; executive producer, Rick Bernstein; supervising producer, Joe Perskie.