The money has gotten obscene in college athletics

[Chard]

Tio, the revolution happened over 60 years ago, maybe it's time to give the labels a rest?

And yet you cling to the very ideas and post them on this board as if they were any less moronic than when the "revolution" was happening.

This isn't a conversation about Title IX, fixing the broken system, or your humble brag about how you spent 7 years at FIU getting a double major in Communications and Spanish while working at Pollo Tropical.

Brag? WTF? Yeah, I worked my way through school. But hey! At least I wasn't a second-class student! I had the privilege of graduation with debt. I was forced to! (ASU by the way. Continue to make ***** up though if it amuses you.)

 

[Canesq]

Booster's paid off his house, and all of Saban's income is taxable. as I said, players are free to play football elsewhere and get paid for it, but guess what? that platform and pay will be a joke compared to what the NCAA offers. Question: how do you feel about recruits parents being so involved in their recruitment and almost shopping them out? because that will only rise to an even more obnoxious level if you bring more money into the equation for the athletes.

I don't disagree that it's complicated but should that mean nothing should be done just keep the status quo?

 

[SayWhat]

You understand that college football is a multi-BILLION dollar industry subsidized by taxpayers and propped up by federal, state, and local public policy, right? The value that student-athlete provides far outpaces the modest indirect payment that they receive while the institutions they play for (and their business partners, consultants, and intermediaries) are making money hand over first.

I bet you believe professional athletes get paid too much as well. For every $100M contract, there is an owner that is making $300M off his back.

The idea that taxpayers pay for college football is inaccurate to say the least. Big athletic departments run on the revenue generated by the program and contributions made to the athletic department. Other contributions to the schools are not used by the athletic departments. Smaller conferences, the MAC for example are kept afloat by regular students through athletic funding as part of their regular tuition that they have to pay.

Those who say tax dollars are used by state schools are factually incorrect. Maybe 20 or even 30 years ago, not anymore.

How much schools make, that's hard to pin down. Even with ACC money, we were running ahead, but not much. Outside of the power 5, most athletic budgets barely stay afloat.

 

[Canesq]

That’s like asking why an employee of a huge corporation can’t steal the product and sell it on his own. The schools brand made those players. Without the schools they are nobodies. It’s called life, you gotta pay your dues and the way they get treated, I would say they are doing just fine.

You can’t have a job bc of boosters and fans. You really think these kids wouldn’t have no show jobs and get paid 10 times their wages under the table?

So just shut up and be thankful for your free tuition and board boy! I got it

 

[Canesq]

Jarren Williams represents the .0005% of college athletes that anyone has ever heard of. The changes you people are proposing would affect college sports across the board.

Again I'm not saying it's an easy fix. It's complicated and has other consequences but keeping the status quo isn't the answer either

 

[RVACane]

You understand that college football is a multi-BILLION dollar industry subsidized by taxpayers and propped up by federal, state, and local public policy, right? The value that student-athlete provides far outpaces the modest indirect payment that they receive while the institutions they play for (and their business partners, consultants, and intermediaries) are making money hand over first.

I bet you believe professional athletes get paid too much as well. For every $100M contract, there is an owner that is making $300M off his back.

For real dude, every industry is like that. The only difference is that we are talking salaries in the millions not thousands. I have no sympathy for any of these poor players and owners.

 

[SayWhat]

This is absurd. And, because you believe they would be lucky to get into a community college then it’s alright to treat them as second-class students?

Reciprocity and market value are totally different things. Players currently are forced to trade athletic talents for a scholarship AND LIMITED student activities. No other scholarship students have the same restrictions as athletes do.

This topic always brings out the people who hate scholarship athletes.

I have no problem with student athletes, I was one. They certainly aren't treated like second class students, unless it's by other students.

Restrictions are limited to a paid job. You have on campus housing for free. Should you choose to live off campus, you get an allowance for housing that is market value, mid to high market value at that. You get a stipend for whatever you want to spend it on, every school is different. You can have a tutor anytime you want. You can eat for free anytime you want in your own dining hall that is restricted to athletes.

You want to be active socially on campus, you can, but as part of your athletic scholarship, you've gotta be where they tell you when they tell you. That means mandatory study halls, workout sessions, and practice. Beyond that, your time is as free to do with as you please like anyone else.

The football players in the big conferences get full rides along with the basketball team. The other sports get partial scholarships by and large. Drop down a level, not even the football players all get full rides. Go lower, the amount you pay goes up.

I have no issue with any student athlete getting whatever for free. That's up to the schools to finance. Cry me a river though on the poor, disadvantaged, and taken advantage of student athletes. As I said, many wouldn't make it to college without relaxed standards. They wouldn't be afforded an opportunity to higher education. Even if they could get in, they would come out with a fairly large debt to pay and even then, they would have to work for spending money as well as food, room and board, etc. That or their parents float the bill. Either way, they've got it sweet. It might not be perfect, but it's better than most of those entering college these days where more and more yearly leave with debt.

 

[RomeoJunior]

Reality #1: I dont like the concept of college players being compensated.

Reality #2: College players deserve to be fairly compensated.

 

[SayWhat]

No, amateurism goes out the window. Its already a business except its being run like the mafia. Just legitimize it. Its already being done all over Europe. Every top soccer player (and i believe their basket players also) went to some soccer or basketball school.

They aren't considered schools, they're academies. Somewhat like IMG, but they don't have anything like what our schools do in college. Most Europeans I've known think our

First of all … and this will be a view that’s not widely held on this site … I’m at the point of eliminating sports in education - especially on the high school level. Yup, almost there. So I don’t care about sticks and short ends.

Second … maybe there doesn’t need to be 100+ D1 programs, maybe there should only be 60.

Lastly, schools have the option of stepping up or dropping down/out.

Poland, no jokes, did this basically as their education was so far down the list it was embarrassing to them. Consequently, their education, with all of the funding going towards education skyrocketed.

Tons of money are spent on sports and it benefits very little of the population.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

So just shut up and be thankful for your free tuition and board boy! I got it

Yes bro it’s obviously modern day slavery and if you can’t see that you’re racist.

This is the dumbest of all takes when it comes to this subject. It’s a job. No one is forcing them to do it. They signed on the dotted line and agreed to play. They are being compensated for their play.

Do you consider yourself a slave bc the CEO makes more money than you do off your work?

 

[RVACane]

I have no problem with paying student athletes as it will help kids live more decently. That said, it won’t stop the bags issue. The bag schools will still drop bags and kids and their handlers will still look for them, above and beyond any stipend they get.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

Thanks. I don’t think we’re ever going to agree on this but I do like and respect your post.

Restrictions of a paid job is a big thing, especially when the issue is about being paid/not paid. A restriction that isn’t imposed on other scholarship holders (that’s second class, to me, in that both are not afforded the same relative rights, but I’ll withdraw it). It also smacks of communism that others determine what is enough for someone else. Maybe a kid wants to drive a Ferrari 812 Superfast...stipend ain’t covering that. Also, to the extent that most athletes who might not qualify are being educated, there’s little difference; (some) schools are running a mill for athletes to stay eligible, they’re not trying to educate them. So, it’s not exactly a fair trade.

College isn’t for everyone and community colleges are underutilized, so the debt … well, it’s relative.

There is a big point you’re omitting here when you compare this to communism. Nobody is forcing these kids to do anything. They are willingly and happily accepting these scholarships and the restrictions that come with it.

 

[I'm james Jackson brother]

PLAYERS SHOULD GET ALLLLLLLL THAT MONEY AND LET .........

TENNIS VOLLEYBALL BASEBALL SWIMMING AND ALLLLLLLLLLLL THEM OTHER SPORTS PAY FOR THEMSELVES AND IF THEY CAN'T OH THE FU.CK WELL. NOT TO BIG TO FAIL............THIS IS AMERICA WHY IS SOCIALISM ACCEPTED IN THIS FORM I WONDER.


IF THIS WAS LACROSSE PLAYERS MONEY PAYING FOR........... I DIGRESS

 

[Canesq]

Yes bro it’s obviously modern day slavery and if you can’t see that you’re racist.

This is the dumbest of all takes when it comes to this subject. It’s a job. No one is forcing them to do it. They signed on the dotted line and agreed to play. They are being compensated for their play.

Do you consider yourself a slave bc the CEO makes more money than you do off your work?

That was the point of the lawsuit against Northwestern University. The players want to be treated like employees which would open them up to a panoply of rights. How many football players have the time to major in mechanical engineering especially if you are the star middle linebacker at Bama? It's a farce to say they are students first.

So if you're indirectly preventing me from majoring in something I can be productive in after graduation then allow me to make money from football.

Matt Ryan is free to do commercials without the Falcons or the NFL getting a dime. Nesta wants to do the same he gets kicked out of school.

I don't see how the NCAA will be able to continue preventing the above scenario. I think that may be the happy balance because I don't see paying all the players a percentage as that raises other issue.

Can you imagine how much additional income Tim Tebow could've made while at Florida without using any gator imaging or materials?

 

[NC_Canes_11]

That was the point of the lawsuit against Northwestern University. The players want to be treated like employees which would open them up to a panoply of rights. How many football players have the time to major in mechanical engineering especially if you are the star middle linebacker at Bama? It's a farce to say they are students first.

So if you're indirectly preventing me from majoring in something I can be productive in after graduation then allow me to make money from football.

Matt Ryan is free to do commercials without the Falcons or the NFL getting a dime. Nesta wants to do the same he gets kicked out of school.

I don't see how the NCAA will be able to continue preventing the above scenario. I think that may be the happy balance because I don't see paying all the players a percentage as that raises other issue.

Can you imagine how much additional income Tim Tebow could've made while at Florida without using any gator imaging or materials?

I guess Andrew Luck and others who got real degrees did it by magic? Football didn’t stop Berrios from keeping a 3.9 and getting the degree he wanted You can be a student first if you want too. It’s nobodies fault but the players that they don’t.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

I’ve been to two communist countries and I can assure you that not everything is “forced”. Athletes are accepting them because that’s the deal, but like Curt Flood, or Ed O’Bannon it’s possible to recognize that the deal you signed was a bit too much. There’s a reason why first year law students learn how to write contracts … and how to break them - even when people have signed them “happily and willingly”.

They don’t have to sign the deal. Welcome to adult life. Sure some people can get out of bad deals but 99% of people can’t and for good reason. I can’t just drop my student loans bc I no longer agree with the deal I signed to take them.

And to act like players don’t have rights is absurd. They are well compensated. A scholarship to Miami is worth close to a quarter million dollars. Time to grow up and be grateful

 

[4everlost]

the original intention of ncaa oversight has gone so far askew there in no chance that the current system will ever get better. the whole concept was keeping the integrity of AMATEUR athletics. total fail. big money made sure of that. the only way to fix the system is to destroy it and abolish the ncaa.

afterwards a new system can be created to maintain amateurism. the first thing is to make the system voluntary, not mandatory. however, once in...always in. those that want to maintain academic integrity will opt in. others will not and they will have a different system.

the opt ins would agree to raising academic requirements for athletes to near what it is for the other students. this adds value to their college career because after graduation they become more marketable in their chosen field. their scholarship, plus admissible extras are all they get.

those that take this route will be obligated to stay in school for as long as it takes to graduate. the nfl would be prohibited from drafting these athletes prior to graduation. not that many would look to the nfl. this association is for student athletes. it's not a free farm system for the pros.

fewer bowl games, or none, as this system in not for making money only.

most college teams will probably opt for the alternate system which, i assume, would be similar to what we currently have.

right now there's like 130 div 1 teams and 4 make it to a playoff. in this system the powers that be could opt for more games if they choose.

it's all a matter of what's more important....money or integrity. i know this would probably never happen because the current system is so entrenched in the american psyche and culture that such a dramatic change is virtually impossible.

i am sorry for not using any caps, but i'm right handed and had a full right shoulder replacement on monday. can only type with one finger on my left hand.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

You’re a communist if you believe that. They are compensated. To say they are “…well compensated” is to assume that the level of compensation that is satisfactory to you should be satisfactory for everyone/anyone. That’s absurd to anyone who isn’t a communist. They can want more whether you like it or not. That’s being an adult; crying about what others have or are getting is being a child who needs to grow up. So a value “close to quarter million dollars” for a scholarship only means something to the person who believes that’s enough.

Im a communist bc I believe they are compensated enough? That’s called having an opinion. I believe I should make more than I do, does that mean I’m entitled to it? It’s my choice to go to work everyday. By accepting that im being an adult bc I need money to pay my bills.

Nobody is forced to do anything, but there are consequences if you don’t. These kids don’t have to do anything. Maybe they make it without football, maybe they don’t. Just like everyone else who isn’t a D1 athlete, you don’t have to go to college and take those loans, and maybe they make it without a degree maybe they don’t.

 

[gruntking]

That one word negates everything you wrote in that paragraph. No one is forced to do anything. They can excel in the classroom and get scholarships.

If you're talking about situations like the NCAA coming down on athletes selling a school-provided something in order to have food to eat, I think we can agree that is a problem. However, that doesn't mean the solution is that players have to be paid.

Also, "second-class students?" Explain.

I agree with the issues you addressed. If monies were to be paid to athletes... how much and to who would be a can of worms. Do rich schools pay their players more than small schools. Does everybody in sports get the same amount at a school? is the money distributed within a Conference? Do sports like tennis players get any money? Is this going to effect recruiting with small schools adversely?
I can think of plenty more difficult issues that will arise from this topic. IDK about this.

 

[RVACane]

I agree with the issues you addressed. If monies were to be paid to athletes... how much and to who would be a can of worms. Do rich schools pay their players more than small schools. Does everybody in sports get the same amount at a school? is the money distributed within a Conference? Do sports like tennis players get any money? Is this going to effect recruiting with small schools adversely?
I can think of plenty more difficult issues that will arise from this topic. IDK about this.

Yup... Many issues. How about a cost of living adjustment based on where your school is located? The cost of living in Miami is far more than in Tuscaloosa meaning that money will go farther in most, if not all other places so Miami student athletes need more money in stipend than kids at other schools in order to have a level playing field.