Behind the scenes: 'On the Line' depicts rigors, pitfalls of college football programs

They rise before the sun, practice, work out, eat, run to class, practice, meet with their trainers and tutors. Next comes homework. And a little sleep.

"On the Line:  A College Football Play" premieres May 18-20 at Bloomington's Ted Jones Playhouse and shows how college sports can shove student athletes to the verge.

College football and basketball are big money makers, and students do much of the often unpaid work. Playwrights Jonathan Michaelsen and Ansley Valentine provide a look at the makings of an ace running back. Protagonist Anthony Teague is one winning season away from making it big; he's also about to crack.

Will the pressures of getting passing grades and receiving handoffs from the quarterback tear him apart? "On The Line: A College Football Play" examines the humanity and inanity in universities’ most visible product: college football.

“It is exciting to bring this story to the stage," Valentine, who is also directing, said in an email. "So many people watch college football but have no idea about the academic supports behind the game. I think the audience will be fascinated and moved.”

"A full-ride scholarship is worth a lot of money. However, I know that some players get support, and (some) struggle to pay for food and rent while at school."

While not all sports are money machines, Valentine said since the advent of name-image-likeness, more athletes are able to make at least some money from their star status. "Of course, that is not everyone, but it is an improvement." (According to USNews.com, NCAA rules on athletes getting money and other perks for their name, image and likeness changed suddenly two years ago.)

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Valentine and Michaelsen are both Indiana University department of theatre, drama, and contemporary dance faculty members. Michaelsen's academic career has included stops at universities in both Conference USA and the SEC, and he has long watched mixed messaging from academic institutions as they encourage college sports.

“When I was on faculty at the University of Alabama, you couldn’t get close to campus," Michaelsen said, "much less to your office on game days; the university was entirely given over to the over 100,000 fans."

Does college football exist to support academia, or vice versa?

College football is theatrical and dramatic, and characters abound.

Fans, skeptics and universities will find the play rife with conversation starters. The action occurs in the world of big-time college football, with themes including fan culture, pressure to succeed, ethics, privilege and race.

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The concept of paying college athletes is unregulated, Michaelsen said. "It's the Wild West." They're not actually employees of the school, and in fact, many college athletic departments don't break even.

Sports can be a way for people to go to college

A coach's job is to win. But what about the student athlete's job? It's both to win and to learn academic subjects.

Many talented young athletes come to college having received no college prep. Some can kick a ball but know little about cosmic rays or primary sources. The school's athletic department pays for tutoring during semesters, making sports, for some, a viable entry to college.

What does "student athlete" mean?

Money gushing into college football, such as huge spending on facilities, coaches' salaries, paying salaries to some players, and the gambling industry encouraging betting on college students, all made Michaelsen wonder what the term student athlete even means.

College football is both massive and campus-specific. It's a system connected and constricted. Traditions, rules and penalties work alongside affirmation of identity and belonging. It can also offer a path to success (academia or sports), not just for the school and staff but for athletes and sometimes the fans.

Look past the cheering to find a cultural and financial giant, complete with lists of ethics for educational institutions.

"We're perhaps more accustomed to such contradictions in for-profit enterprises, but what does being a party to this mean for our colleges and universities in the long term?"

The cast includes both IU students and members of the community.

If you go

WHAT: "On the Line: A College Football Play," a new play by Jonathan Michaelsen and Ansley Valentine. Note: The play deals with adult subject matter and is for mature audiences.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. May 18-20. Note: There will be a talk back with the audience each night. The playwrights would like to hear viewers' opinions.

WHERE: Ted Jones Playhouse, 107 W. Ninth St.

TICKETS: $15, general admission, at the Bloom (Buskirk-Chumley) Box Office, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.; at buskirkchumley.org or at the door.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 'On the Line' depicts rigors, pitfalls of college football programs