The recent departure of four of Jamaica’s top field athletes to Türkiye has reignited a longstanding and often emotional debate: Should a cash-strapped government prioritize investing in athletes when nurses, teachers, and police officers are still fighting for livable wages?

It’s a fair question—but one grounded in a false choice.

This issue came to the fore again during my appearance on Lead Story on CVM TV last Friday. The suggestion was made that, in light of wage negotiations across the public sector, the government simply cannot afford to support its elite athletes. This argument, while politically expedient, ignores a key truth: investing in athletes is not a luxury or distraction—it is a strategic investment in national development, social mobility, and future economic growth.

Athletes are not entertainers performing for applause. They are cultural ambassadors, mentors, and living proof that talent, when nurtured, can transcend poverty, violence, and limited opportunity.

A Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who emerged from the volatile community of Waterhouse to become one of the greatest sprinters of all time, is not merely a track icon—she is a social blueprint. Her story tells thousands of Jamaican children growing up in similarly harsh conditions that greatness is possible. Every time a child ties their shoelaces to train on a patchy field, inspired by someone like her, a new path is being carved away from crime, hopelessness, and underachievement.

And these athletes do more than just inspire from afar. They draw the world to Jamaica. Just recently, Usain Bolt—arguably the most recognizable Jamaican alive—was named the country’s Tourism Ambassador. Why? Because of what he represents globally as the face of Jamaica. Who else could have been appointed to that role and be as effective? This is why a safer, more optimistic Jamaica, shaped in part by sport, becomes a magnet for visitors and foreign investment. An athlete like Roje Stona, had he remained and received the right support, could have also emerged as a powerful ambassador of brand Jamaica. The more we invest in our elite athletes, the more global representatives we cultivate—each one contributing to our tourism product, our national identity, and our economic prospects.

There is also real, data-backed evidence that structured investment in sport delivers tangible social returns. A 2000 study by the Australian Institute of Criminology, titled Sport and Crime: A Report on the Role of Sports in Crime Prevention (source), provides compelling insights.

The report concludes that sports-based programmes can help reduce antisocial behaviour and criminal activity, particularly among youth. It highlights that sport provides a structured outlet for energy, fosters discipline and teamwork, and promotes positive peer associations. These qualities are especially potent in communities plagued by gang violence or low academic achievement—challenges familiar to many parts of Jamaica.

In short: support for sport is support for public safety.

And for those who prefer to speak in dollars and cents, here’s the economic truth: sport pays back—often many times over. Major global events such as the Olympics and World Championships generate billions in tourism, merchandise, broadcast rights, and investment. But even on a smaller scale, successful athletes create economic ripple effects.

From endorsement deals and brand ambassadorships to local club growth and sporting clinics, athletes fuel an entire ecosystem. When they train and win in the national kit, Jamaica benefits—economically, diplomatically, and reputationally.

The Australian study goes further, linking sports investment to increased government revenue. A healthier, more engaged youth population reduces long-term healthcare and policing costs. A booming sports economy creates jobs. The contribution of sport to the national economy also potentially increases government revenue, thereby creating greater fiscal space. With that expanded fiscal room, the government is ultimately in a stronger position to afford more agreeable wages for civil servants—including the very nurses, teachers, and police officers at the centre of the wage debate.

These dynamics, if harnessed strategically, can power a more sustainable and balanced approach to national development.

The idea that we must choose between paying civil servants and supporting athletes is a false binary. In fact, it is poor planning and vision that pits them against each other. Jamaica must build a development model that recognizes how all sectors—education, healthcare, security, and sport—are interconnected. Undervaluing one only weakens the rest.

No one is suggesting that nurses, police officers or teachers be paid less. But just as the country needs skilled professionals to teach, protect, and heal, we also need athletes who can inspire, lead, and elevate Jamaica on the world stage.

The moment we treat our best athletes as expendable, we risk not just losing medals, but losing an entire generation of young people who might have followed their lead.

And if we fail to see the wisdom in keeping our best at home, others—like Türkiye—certainly will.

Leighton Levy is a veteran sports journalist and Content Editor at Sportsmax.TV. He is passionate about Caribbean athlete development and the intersection of sport, culture, and nation-building.

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The only thing more unstoppable than one star player is two star players. That is even more true when those weapons work in tandem, like in Penn State’s running back room where Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are about to embark on their fourth year together in college football’s most productive backfield timeshare. That dynamic duo is just one example of a one-two punch that will define the race to the College Football Playoff and national championship.

Some pairings work across positional lines. There are few factors more difficult to contain in modern college football than a prolific quarterback-receiver combination, and the sport features a number of them in 2025. Some are more difficult to predict than others, though, with the immense amount of turnover at the quarterback spot across the top national title-contending programs.

The best duos are often the ones whose components set each other up for success. At Texas, for example, opposing offensive lines cannot focus too much on blocking young edge rusher Colin Simmons, or else Anthony Hill Jr. will storm in and disrupt the pocket from the linebacker spot.

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Here are college football’s top dynamic duos for the 2025 season:

The Penn State running backs have been the definition of a dynamic duo since they signed together as blue-chip recruits in the 2022 class. Singleton and Allen split the ballcarrying duties from their freshman year onward, and their return for a fourth year in the best running back group in the country is one of the primary reasons why this might be the year the Nittany Lions break through for a national championship.

Neither Singleton nor Allen has ever rushed for fewer than 752 yards or six touchdowns in a single year. Last season was the first time they both crossed the 1,000-yard mark, and they combined to find the end zone 20 times on the ground and seven times through the air. They carried the Penn State offense at times throughout the run to the CFP semifinals and could face lighter boxes in 2025 with Drew Allar and the passing game likely to take a leap forward.

2. LB Anthony Hill Jr. & EDGE Colin Simmons, Texas

No tandem is as fearsome in the pass rush than Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons, both of whom hauled in All-American honors last season as disruptors on the Texas defensive front. Hill is back as college football’s most heralded linebacker, fresh off a campaign in which he led the SEC in tackles for loss (17) and forced fumbles (four) and Simmons returns as one of the nation’s top young defenders after a nine-sack true freshman campaign.

Simmons does his work off the edge while Hill mans the middle of the Longhorns defense as a do-it-all linebacker. They are just as formidable in run defense as they are at rushing the quarterback, and that they are back in the lineup this year is a key development for a Texas unit that lost a pair of stalwarts from last season’s defensive front to the NFL.

Jeremiah Smith was arguably the best wide receiver in college football as a true freshman. Imagine what he can do with a full year of experience under his belt. The Ohio State superstar enjoyed one of the most prolific freshman seasons the sport has seen in some time with his Big Ten-best 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, which more than delivered on the insane expectations he generated ahead of his Buckeyes debut. The only uncertainty around his 2025 ceiling stems from the quarterback spot, where a new starter will rise to the top of the depth chart, most likely in the form of Julian Sayin.

The Ohio State receiving corps was far from a one-man show in last year’s national championship run, though, and it will not be in 2025, either. Carnell Tate was a terrific third option in Year 2 with the program and looks poised to flirt with the 1,000-yard threshold himself as he picks up a greater share of the target load. After all, he managed to accumulate 733 yards in a room that featured high-volume weapons in Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

The Clemson defense took its lumps in 2024 but looks poised for a potentially dominant season with Tom Allen stepping into the coordinator role. He inherited an uncanny amount of returning production, and it all starts up front with perhaps the nation’s top returning defensive lineman in Peter Woods and an unstoppable edge rusher in T.J. Parker. That pair was already monstrous in the trenches but could take its production to an even higher level under Allen’s guidance.

Parker was absurd as a sophomore with his ACC-best six forced fumbles, 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He is an early first-round talent in the making who could very well average a sack per game in what will almost certainly be his last year with the Tigers. Woods, meanwhile, is a 315-pound force who is at his best when he mans the interior defensive line, and he should be the first defensive tackle taken in next year’s draft if all goes according to plan.

The top returning quarterback-receiver tandem in college football resides in the desert. Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson took the nation by surprise last year when they fueled Arizona State’s stunning climb to the top of the Big 12 and into the College Football Playoff, and their familiarity with each other and the Sun Devils offense lends itself to lofty expectations for the second go-around.

Tyson missed the conference title game and CFP quarterfinals with an injury but will be back at full strength to start the 2025 campaign. He racked up at least 125 yards in each of his final three outings before he broke his collarbone. With his top weapon back in the lineup, Leavitt projects as a Heisman Trophy contender in his second year at Arizona State. He flew under the radar to an extent when he moved from Michigan State as a four-star transfer but delivered on his former blue-chip recruit pedigree and gave reason to believe he could be a Day 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Honorable Mentions

WRs Antonio Williams & Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson

Clemson’s abundance of riches features a second dynamic duo, this one on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Cade Klubnik might have the best receiving unit in the nation at his disposal, and Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr. lead the group.

WRs Ryan Williams & Germie Bernard, Alabama

If not for the star at Ohio State, Ryan Williams would have been the face of last year’s freshman class. He can be a 1,000-yard star for Alabama so long as the quarterback situation allows. Germie Bernard actually outpaced Williams in catches after he transferred over from Washington, and his old offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, should know how to get the most out of him now that they are reunited.

WRs Cam Coleman & Eric Singleton Jr., Auburn

The other half of the Iron Bowl rivalry features an outstanding receiving tandem, too. Cam Coleman is about as exciting of a young talent as his sophomore classmate at Alabama, and Eric Singleton Jr. raises the Auburn offense’s ceiling as the top-ranked receiver in the 2025 transfer portal cycle.

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Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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LAS VEGAS — Bill Paulos is happy there will be more oversight, that the House vs. NCAA settlement demands more scrutiny of name, image and likeness deals within college athletics.

That a centralized clearinghouse will be in charge of regulating any NIL transactions.

Friends of UNILV is the collective for UNLV, one in which Paulos leads.

The House settlement allows athletes to be directly compensated by their schools via revenue sharing. There is a limit of $20.5 million this season, though that number has yet to be officially decided.

UNLV has opted in to terms of the settlement and will pay athletes directly. It’s unknown to what threshold the Rebels will reach when deciding how much to distribute.

Then there is the NIL money athletes can continue to receive.

NIL Go is the clearinghouse that will require any athlete to report deals more than $600. Contracts will be reviewed to guarantee they represent fair market value.

Whole new world

“I’m absolutely in favor of there being more (oversight),” Paulos said. “The unfortunate thing is there is a lot of mud in the water. Do you know how many applications there will be for anything over $600? Mind-boggling. We still don’t know what the real definition of revenue is going to be.

“It’s a new world with (the settlement) that will be in constant change. It’s like a new business model — NIL is the startup business. There will be trips and falls and mistakes, but there are a set of rules now. That’s a big step and certainly what the universities want.

“Things have gotten ridiculous with (NIL) across the country. It’s the Wild West. Hopefully, this means you will no longer have someone reach in their pocket and give a kid a million dollars for coming to their birthday party. You won’t be able to do that if you follow these new rules.”

Translation: A large percentage of previous NIL deals would not have been approved under the new system. Most of those were funded by boosters. You have a better chance at being approved via corporate sponsorships.

Which goes to the point about fair market value.

You would guess a starting quarterback at Alabama might be compensated more for a car dealership sponsorship in Tuscaloosa than one with the same deal in Provo, Utah. Even perhaps one in Las Vegas.

But the real goal is to eliminate any “pay for play” situations defined by NIL dollars. To curtail the millions often thrown at recruits to attend certain schools. The real goal is to tame the Wild West.

Here’s one fear, however: that many of the bigger deals simply won’t be reported for approval. That it will be more of a wink-wink situation between collectives and athletes.

“Look, if there’s a rule, someone out there is going to cheat it, unfortunately,” Paulos said. “But at least this is a beginning to try to control things. That’s a positive thing right now.”

Paulos said UNLV’s collective will pay the university some out of its donations while still compensating athletes via NIL deals. That there is still a Rolodex of donors willing to pay and that the collective can be a conduit between them and UNLV.

That commercial donors use such deals as business expenses when the athlete performs a service for them once cleared through NIL Go. The contract just can’t be excessive in what will be deemed fair market value or risk being rejected.

“We’ll be another fundraising arm for the university as long as it wants us,” Paulos said.

Coaches matter

The collective has taken in more money in the past four months than the past four years, Paulos said. He credits much of it to the excitement and anticipation of the football season, but also to coaches the Rebels have hired.

Lindy La Rocque reaffirmed her commitment to the women’s basketball program, ending rumors that she might be on the way out to take the head coaching job at Arizona.

Former Mississippi State and Florida coach Dan Mullen was hired to continue the historic levels football reached over the past two years under Barry Odom.

Josh Pastner, a former coach at Memphis and Georgia Tech, now leads the men’s basketball program.

It has all made for more interest in UNLV athletics and more donations to NIL efforts.

“Quite frankly, the entire university has also stepped up,” Paulos said. “We’re doing this the right way in accordance with every rule. I can tell you exactly what each kid has made over the last four years — how many hours he or she has worked and where. And we will continue to operate in this manner.”

Get those contracts ready to be approved.

It’s a whole new NIL world, is right.

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