College Athletes Are More Than a Number, Why We Need to Understand That

[mestevo]

Quote: Originally Posted by buckeyedawgtribe

I am with OBannon they should get a percentage of profits since we all know they " are in the game". College athletes should not get paid. Free education, Free Room, Free meals is enough. Once they graduate and are in a video game they should get a small stipend from the sale of that game.

Thing is, does every single athlete get all of that? (Free room, meals, etc)

Wasn't aware food was part of their scholarships either...

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[JerseySuave4]

Quote: Originally Posted by mestevo

Thing is, does every single athlete get all of that? (Free room, meals, etc) Wasn't aware food was part of their scholarships either... Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

They get free tuition, free place to live, free books and they get a few bucks either weekly or monthly for meals and such. When my brother played college football on a full ride, he still took out a loan. He said just about every player on scholarship did and they just used that loan for personal use such as a car or something else they may need. Plus these guys at big schools get money under the table. I've seen it firsthand. I won't say who or with what school but i've personally seen a player after a game get money.

Even with all that though, with the amount of money some of these programs generate, its hard for the kids to see that and not think they deserve a piece of the pie. However, a lot of these schools football/basketball programs really drive the rest of the school's sports and help support them financially.

I do think college kids should get a small portion, here's my only issue. How do you decide how much? Should the punter get the same amount as the Star QB? Do you pay based on performance? Is it a flat rate? Should the swimmer make the same money as the football player? Do athletes who's sports don't generate the football/basketball money deserve to get paid?

It's very easy to simply say these guys should get paid, coming up with a real solution isn't that easy.

[wallofhate]

Players (especially star players) get special treatment. Is the dirty little secret that players don't talk about. From drunk driving swept under the rug to rape and violence on other students that also receive the same fate. Not showing up for classes and showing up but being sleep and disruptive. Test being taken for players hell I went to school with a star basketball player that could bally read. Im not saying all players do this or it happens everywhere but it does occur more frequent than many of us want to believe. So they get special treatment it may not be financial but it almost means the same in the long run especially when you add the free ride. Try that sid as a regular student and see how fast you get charges and kicked off campus

[soxnut1018]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerseySuave4

I do think college kids should get a small portion, here's my only issue. How do you decide how much? Should the punter get the same amount as the Star QB? Do you pay based on performance? Is it a flat rate? Should the swimmer make the same money as the football player? Do athletes who's sports don't generate the football/basketball money deserve to get paid? It's very easy to simply say these guys should get paid, coming up with a real solution isn't that easy.

Allow college athletes to hire agents and to unionize. The market will determine how much players get paid, just like other professional sports.

[Sundown2600]

I just have to laugh at some of these answers. I love how ppl blame the players in the lawsuit just because they are afraid of losing their precious video games. Give the NCAA a pass and blame the players when the NCAA makes the ridiculous rules to start with? Think...

[K0ZZ]

Introducing an agency system for college athletes would be awful for the parity of the sports as well as the attending students whom are only seeking education.

That being said, I'm not familiar with the NCAA business model but they should definitely be operating as a NFP, with any excess money over basic expenditures being reinvested into the colleges academic and athletic programs as well as scholarship programs. College tuition is rising above inflation as is. Bringing in another sizable expenditure is not the answer.

Things such as the school providing meal cards, covering books, room and board is totally fine. I'm not against increasing benefits for student athletes in the sense of giving them necessary amenities but an all out agent (or purchase) system would cause even further rises in tuition.

[soxnut1018]

Quote: Originally Posted by chicagopax

Introducing an agency system for college athletes would be awful for the parity of the sports as well as the attending students whom are only seeking education.

If coaches can earn salaries and hire agents, why shouldn't players be able to?

[K0ZZ]

Quote: Originally Posted by soxnut1018

If coaches can earn salaries and hire agents, why shouldn't players be able to?

They are receiving scholarships.

High school coaches receive stipends/ additional salary for coaching their sports. The individual high schools receive ticket sales, so high school athletes should receive a weekly paycheck correct? There's a massive difference between making a career out of something and being semi-professional. College athletes much like college students with their sights on professional leagues are learning the skillsets and conditioning from these coaches to groom themselves for their future careers while those that don't have a future in professional athletics are making approximately 10K - 60K (typically in the middle) per year in scholarships. (60K is the high end, if I remember correctly Miami U is 55K? Number could be off)

As long as they want to hold onto the student-athlete label they need to operate as such, legitimately the NCAA has not been holding to that ethos. If they continue down the path they are going (encouraging trivial systems that collapse regional conferences in favor of increased budgeting for the schools therein) than it will come eventually. That shouldn't be the intent for college athletes. The NCAA is in the wrong at the moment, there is no denying that, but two wrongs don't solve a problem.

Not to mention while it works for the main revenue grossing programs (NCAAF, NCAAMB), what about the other sports that are already subsidized by budgets coming from the 'main two'.

Colleges at their forefront are an educational institute and they provide their service in exchange to the outstanding college athletes whom utilize their talents to further the interests of the schools. Now that is a little less shady (keyword: little) but it's obvious the NCAA is grossing revenue beyond what they are reinvesting back, and as long as they want to maintain the moniker's of student-athletes and continue stressing parity, the true solution is a re-evaulation of the governing body of the college as well as a more formalized and standardized distribution of incomes so that the schools as a whole are benefiting from athletic programs and don't stress their foundation.

The current system needs to be amended / laxed in some cases, that much is true. There is some ridiculous stories out there, but simply trying to apply a basic economic principle for an intricate system isn't an answer. (Implementing the agency system and allowing the supply and demand of student athletes settle an equilibrium price)