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Should College Athletes Be Paid?

  • Good post, cobby and I think that's what it comes down to. Sacrifice for the better good. I don't think you can get rid of athletic scholarships either. A lot of students wouldn't be able to go to school and it really isn't fair for them to pay AND devote time to a sport, because sports do take a huge time commitment.

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    Twitter - @JEdwar247

    Josh Edwards

  • cobbycobb said...

    Because of Title IX this is impossible. Most schools don't make money from their athletic department and if you pay one sport then you also have to pay all the other sports. It would bankrupt the schools and take away from the overall scope of schools athletic departments. Thousands of kids wouldn't be able to go to college because they'd lose their scholarships. Granted most of the non-revenue sports only offer a portion of a scholarship but that's better than nothing at all.

    I also agree that the kids are getting an education, great medical/dental insurance, clothing(free shoes, school apparal), housing, and food. Now, could they also be given a little more of a stippend to help compensate for them not being able to work a regular paying job? Sure, perhaps that could be looked at by the NCAA as a need based grant for athletes and the money come from the BCS, TV deals, and NCAAT. Many of the kids that get athletic scholarships come from poor families and don't have money to go out, for a cell phone, or get a bite to eat off campus.

    I agree, so I offer this suggestion again...

    What I would prefer is... instead of paying the athletes cash, use (for exampple) good grades, community involvement, how they behave (on and off campus), class room participation, etc as incentives to earn other perks such as movie passes and gift cards for retail/restaurant purchases. C'mon, these kids deserve SOMETHING!

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    JawJacker

  • Actually, you jumped to my next proposal. So great thought. Why not reward the kids who do well in the community and classroom? I like the idea of gift cards though. It means that those aren't being used on other "things."

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    Josh Edwards

  • Only problem with that is that it opens up more problems. You hear all the time about kids who get passed through colleges and are barely able to read or write their name. It's not as prevelant as it used to be but it still happens way more than it should.

    It would also make more kids go for lesser degrees. A lot of these kids would change their majors from the more difficult courses and classes to easier classes in order to be able to take advantage of those 'perks'.

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    Stoopified!

    cobbycobb

  • Also a good point. Great world when you can't trust anyone to do the right thing, huh? These are our amateurs though. They can't be doing anything wrong...

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    Twitter - @JEdwar247

    Josh Edwards

  • cobbycobb said...

    Only problem with that is that it opens up more problems. You hear all the time about kids who get passed through colleges and are barely able to read or write their name. It's not as prevelant as it used to be but it still happens way more than it should.

    It would also make more kids go for lesser degrees. A lot of these kids would change their majors from the more difficult courses and classes to easier classes in order to be able to take advantage of those 'perks'.

    What if the perks suggested were distributed in such a way to give an added incentive to stay in school longer? Offer a little their freshman year and increase the amount each following year. Of course... still base it on grades, community service, how they behave, etc. I don't see how the possibility of earning gift cards and movies passes would dictate a students course selection.

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    JawJacker

  • He's talking about forged grades and rewarding those who take easier majors just to receive the perks.

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    Twitter - @JEdwar247

    Josh Edwards

  • If the school makes money off them or pays the coach over $250K, sure. Why the coach salary? B/c the school must think the sport is of value to them.

    vhcat1970

  • I say yes, but I can also tell you it will never happen because if the schools paid the players it would then be categorized as a for profit business and all the revenue would then be taxable costing them billions. By keeping it amateur, it is considered a non-profit educational endeavor for tax purposes.

    "Ignorance is constricted awareness" - Deepak Chopra

    Deeeefense

  • Very good points by both of you. Again, I can understand why they should be paid. However, it's a whole different animal to be able to come up with a plan to be able to do so.

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    Josh Edwards

  • With all that's been said, IMO.. the NCAA should not punish the students and/or the university for any money that an athlete receives from an outside source (including alums). As long as the university "itself" is not directly giving money to a student, then there should not be a problem.

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    JawJacker

  • Again, you're allowing money to become a recruiting advantage. That's no different than the Yankees of MLB.

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    Twitter - @JEdwar247

    Josh Edwards

  • I said it before. Make all student-athletes that need money apply for student loans and be responsible for paying back the amount borrowed. If banks or credit unions are shady in lending to players, the FDIC or NCUA will come down on them twice as hard as any NCAA violation. Therefore, they would not want to run the risk of being put out of business.

    kaocats

  • Sports are a big time commitment and often eliminate any possibility of having a second job to "pad their pockets." I don't think it's fair to make them pay for schooling. Not all are going to go pro, so it is vital for them to at least get a degree. Even though some don't take advantage of the opportunity.

    This post was edited by Josh Edwards on 4/10/2011 at 1:32 PM

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    Josh Edwards

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