I remember standing outside of Heritage Hall on the USC Campus and watching some our assistant coaches get into their Porsches and Mercedes and drive off after practice. I was headed to eat dinner at the cafeteria, while they were headed to a nice restaurant in Los Angeles to grab a meal. I was amazed at how well they lived.
We players used to stand outside the campus store and see thousands come in to get our replica jerseys or USC football memorabilia, but we couldn’t afford to buy them ourselves. My parents bought some items when they came out for the Rose Bowl, but I wasn’t able to buy anything and send back to them.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing football at USC, but deep down I knew something wasn’t right. We players couldn’t afford to go off campus for a $20 dinner, but money was flowing all around us to everybody else. I would see all the big smiles around the football office when we won because they knew it meant more money for them.
We were national heroes and celebrities, but couldn’t afford to take our girlfriends to the movies. We knew something was wrong because we worked hard every day, but everybody else put money in their pockets.
I’ve learned over time that big-time college football and basketball is corrupt to the core.
During the past decade, nobody dominated college football like the University of Southern California. Pete Carroll was the head coach and had amazing success. When he left to coach the Seattle Seahawks, the school had its scholarships reduced, was ruled ineligible for post season games and placed on probation for violations which occurred during Carroll’s tenure at the school.
Carroll wasn’t fined a dime and says he had no idea there were any violations occurring. Reggie Bush had to give back his Heisman Trophy. Carroll made millions while at USC, now he’s making even more as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. You don’t think Carroll knew Bush and other players were receiving different types of compensation.
Do you think this is going on at other big time schools right now?
Kentucky head coach John Calipari has been one of the most successful basketball coaches in 
college basketball over the last decade. He had great success at the University of Massachusetts, but when he left the school was placed on probation by the NCAA and penalized scholarships for violations which occurred during Calipari’s time at the school.
He went to Memphis University and by coincidence the same thing happened. It was discovered that one of Calipari’s best players, Derrick Rose, didn’t take his SAT test in order to qualify for attending Memphis. Someone else took the test for him. The school was penalized by the NCAA and placed on probation, but Calipari left with no penalties.
How is it that Calipari was recruiting Rose, but knew nothing about Rose not taking the exam? Since he was in charge, shouldn’t he be held accountable? Isn’t this against the spirit of the laws of our country?
Calipari is still making millions of dollars coaching college basketball, despite the blemishes on his record. There’s a tremendous incentive for college football and basketball coaches to cheat. If they win, they’ll make millions of dollars even if they get caught cheating in the future.
UConn coach head coach Jim Calhoun is also making millions off of the sweat of poor youngsters whom he convinces to come to the University of Connecticut to play college basketball. He will miss some games next season because of an NCAA violation, but that won’t stop him from continuing to roll in the cash.
Big time college football and college basketball is corrupt to the core. Many of the adults around the sports are making millions and millions of dollars, but the athletes, many of whom come from impoverished backgrounds, are rewarded with scholarships and stipends to make ends meet.
You can be sure that Villanova basketball head coach Jay Wright is living in a multi-million dollar home on the Main Line while his players go home to the ghetto neighborhoods of North Philadelphia, Bronx, New York, Brooklyn, New York, Bayonne, New Jersey, or Baltimore, Maryland.
Wright is probably getting ready to leave on a long trip with his family to Europe for a nice vacation. He’s able to eat in the finest of restaurants, while his players would be fortunate to ever have a couple hundred dollars in their pockets.
Scottie Reynolds never got a piece of the millions of dollars he helped bring to Villanova and helped put in Wright’s pockets. Isn’t that against the spirit of this great country which we live in?
Shouldn’t he and his family benefit in the same manner that Wright and his family benefit?
I doubt that Wright pays for his automobiles or for his home. He’s turned down offers from other schools which are willing to pay him more than Villanova.
Many times the athletes who attend the universities and play basketball aren’t capable of passing classes at the schools they’re attending. How is a player who reads at a fifth grade level going to pass classes at a legitimate university?
Should we allow coaches continue to recruit these players, benefit from their talents then “kick them to the curb” after they’ve been used up? The players goes back to the ghetto and the coaches get another $5 million-dollar-a-year contract.
People think the sports industry is exploding financially but the truth is that the entire entertainment industry is exploding financially. If you have a valuable entertainment property, you are a multi-millionaire and possibly a billionaire.
Right now if you can play basketball on the level of the top colleges, your skills are worth millions of dollars and that’s why the coaches go to so much trouble to recruit the top talent to their schools. The coaches don’t say it but they know the talent of these players are worth millions, but they also know that the NCAA has set up a system where the person with the skills doesn’t get compensated but everybody else does.
One of the great aspects of our country and the free enterprise system is that if you help other make money, you make money as well. That’s true everywhere but with big time NCAA football and basketball.
There are companies like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and Reebok, who would pay collegiate stars millions if they got the chance, but the NCAA doesn’t allow it.
It’s as if one of the main goals of the NCAA is to make sure they keep the poor players poor.
It’s alright for Carroll, Calipari, Wright, or Calhoun to get richer, but it’s bad for any of these poor kids, who are helping them make millions to make any money. Their families remain in the ghetto despite the fact that their sons are being used to make millions and even billions for others.
Could you imagine if the NCAA trying to stop Marc Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook, from receiving his billions of dollars? Would it be fair for Harvard to create a rule where the school receives the money from any ideas you have while you’re attending the school?
I believe big time college football and basketball players should be paid. They generate billions of dollars but are compensated for their efforts with a scholarship to a particular school.
The NCAA just signed an $11 billion dollar contract with CBS Sports and Turner Sports for NCAA basketball tournament. The NCAA makes millions and millions of dollars by selling sportswear with the teams logos and players pictures on them.
Everybody gets a piece of the millions and millions of dollars, but the young men who risk life and limb out on the football field and basketball court.
This is my first piece about this subject, there will be many more to come. HBO Sports will have an hour special tonight delving into this subject. I encourage you to check it out. It’s supposed to be quite illuminating.
I agree G 100%,
But look around our Anmerican Capitalisitc SOciety..
Whenever there is big Dollars involved, you can expect corruption,cronyism and people looking the other way which $$$$ fly out the window.
Check the recent stroy on the Fiesta Bowl Chairman and Committee who alledgely can’t account for $2 Million Dollars on where it went..
But this type of greed is not unique to the Sports/Entertainment Industries..
Look at Wall Street/Big Business, at the Oil Industry, the US Military, the Judicial System, and Department of Homeland Security, and all of Governemt where it be Local,County,State of Federal.. The quick and easy buck has become the “American Way” over the last 30 years and you can see the consequences of this short-sighted behavior…the manipulation, the oversaturation,the cover-ups and the plain flat out lies..
Absolutely disagree with paying athletes. Introduce money for athletes into an already corrupt system and it’ll get even worse! Money isn’t a cure for evils, but the love of it will lead to all kinds of issues. Why not pay all economically deprived kids who busted their butts getting good grades to enter a college… Where does it end? Do we want salary scales for student athletes? Are you going to allow money to enter hands of Division 1a, 2 and 3 athletes? Better think this through a lot more carefully Garry.
I do not agree players should be paid anything. Yes they are blessed with god given talent. The coaches and the school have all the risk and player are given an opportunity to a better life with a college degree. I do believe that if a great talent can not pass the basic requirement that every other student must pass to get into a college, the great talent should never get a chance to go to college. The players have been given special treatment from middle school to high school. Now we should continue to give players that can not qualify for college on thier academics a free ride to college? These players also get special treatment with logging, meals and stipends. The coaches that are making millions put in their time, whether with a college degree, interships and assistant jobs. They have earn the right to make money now, the players have not, they just have god given talent.
Lets take a look at a normal person. They get a job at hopefully $50000+/year. The employee works for a company an create a new procedure that saves the company over 1 Million a year, does that employ get any of the savings? No. If he/she is lucky they might get a 3% raise that year.
What kinda crap is that dude? Logically if a player is bringing in that kinda cash and notiriety to the school they should be compensated. You think a players family should still live in a roach infested ghetto building while there son(who they raised right and kept them off the street so they could earn the scholarship)i sbusting his tail to fill the arena ior win a title..get wem to the tourney.
The coaches and the school have all the risk? Huh!!?
I’d like too see one of you guys send your boy to college and his name is on the back of a jersey of 80% of the fans and your struggling to send the kid 100 bucks for fatkid snacks and a movie with his shorty. Yeah…that makes allota sense.Sure you would have these same right-wing b.s. attitudes if you were mailing the check to your boy up at college.
It’s called…the hand your dealt.
Athletes with superior talents recieve scholarships to attend these Universities, that in itself is more than enough compensation for their hardwork on the court/field. Collegiant athletes have the decision to bypass their final years of college to earn cash in the Pros if they are lucky enought to make it.
I think the Players should be compensated at the Collegiate level,but it must be incentivized based on their Grades, and keeping on a program to graduate
with whatever program they are in
Reach a certain GPA and stay on target for own own class’s graduation
and you can get up to XXXX of $$$ (maximum amount, or get student loads wiped away)
Take longer to graduate and have a marginal GPA, and you get a lower amount of $$$
Fail to go to class and graduate, and you get zippo…
Do so communtiy service in the Summer and work with kids whether it’s the Boy Scouts, PArks and Recreation, coaching at summer camps, referring Summer leagues and and then be eligible to earn more $$$
This will help the 98% of the student-athletes who will not become professional players and become rich to at least earn some $$ while going to school and learn the value of working hard towards thier educational goals and learning the value of earning a dollar off the field/courts
Couldn’t possibly disagree with you more G. First off, almost every college student is poor and can’t afford to go out. Why do you think Ramen Noodles exist. The argument that they are making millions off of the players is also flawed because owners, execs, directors all do the same thing to us.
You conveniently like everyone else who makes this argument leave out the fact that the majority of these student athletes that you are talking about don’t belong at the universities that they are at. See Derek Rose as an example. They are given an opportunity that most of the rest of the people have to earn and that is a free education, free housing, free meals, free tutoring, free shoes and clothing. These players probably are given 50K worth of free things per year if you add up tuition, room/board, books and other services that are available to therm. So why do you see it as nothing?
Next they get to play with some of the best coaches/players in the game which gives them the opportunity to make money down the line. They get a try-out on a national stage with some of the best minds in the game. They get to be on tv and they get the opportunity to be national heroes. This is like a paid internship/co-op for them.
What about the players that don’t go pro? Well, stay in school and get a degree which opens doors that may have not have been available to them before. If they don’t finish and don’t go pro, then that is on them. I would bet that a lot of them could catch on as part of a coaching staff if they really wanted to.
I do agree that these coaches are getting off when they shouldn’t. But that has nothing to do with players getting paid. The NCAA just needs to start doing more to these coaches. They should be held accountable for everything that happens in their program. The NCAA is a joke though. Look how they let Cam Newton off.
Why can’t the kids sign with agents? That way the agents take the risk. If the kid pans out the agent gets rewarded. If he doesn’t they eat the money they invested. Problem solved!
The Agents are just like Industry/Corporate/Government Lobbyists which just poison the system..
Ok, the coaches, presidents of the universities are corrupt because of the corrupting influence of money, let’s make it fair by extending the corruption to student athletes. The solution is to get the money out of amateur sports, universities, and return them to the purpose for which they were created: to educate men and women, prepare them for life, and introduce them to society as productive human beings
Oh, so if a player has great talent thier parents should also get a reward? I see they did create them, so yes the college they choose shoud relocate the family to a better neighborhood.
If I was lucky enough to have my son get a full scholarship, and have 80% of the fans were wearing his jersey. I would point out to him that he has to be better then everyone else because the media is watching him. I would make damn sure he did everything right, to set an example for future athletes.
Couldn’t agree more G – that the system is wrong.
1: allow agents to lend money to potential pro athlete and split the endorsement money for the program with athletes who maintain a certain GPA. (anything over 30K a year into a 401K or something to that effect)
2. Audit the NCAA. Who are they, why could they possibly need all of the $ they get from basketball alone? – There should be an antitrust issue b/c there is no competition possible. Again, split the funds amongst athletes and set them up for a little now and most in IRA/401k
LOL…anyone saying college players should be compensated are ridicolous!
The very good college players normally have athletic scholorships, that is their compensation! They go to school for free, the degree in the end is the compensation.
If the player is that good where the majority of the fans are wearing his/her jersey and stadium is selling out due to his/her talents, this should mean this player has a pretty good oppurtunity to play professional sports, where they will be over compensated….
Everyone always want to change something up…
Money would only complicate things…
Paulman,
Is your solution just for student-athletes? Why not give every student an opportunity to earn money base off of GPA? IMO, a medical student with a 4.0 GPA is more valuable to the world then an athlete.
As for these young men risking life and limb on the basketball court. Are you serious. If these young men didnt get scholarships they would still be playing on the playgrounds for no pay or education, don’t give me risking life an limb. Now for football, once again these young men love the game. If they were not give scholarship, but had a way after high school to play minor league football for 50k+/year(i.e. UFL) they would do it in a heart beat. I understand the games are violent and injury is a concern. Ever try driving in NY during rush hour, that is violent and injury is a concern, but millions do it every day.
G, Nova is about 50K a year to attend. Do the math and guys like Scottie Reynolds are getting 200K in compensation. Also, cry me a river about the $20 for dinner off campus argument. Not having $20 to go off campus for dinner is a part of being a college student.
To KeithDoc,
Because Most Universities don’t make the large amounts of $$$ from their full time-students as they do from their Student-Athletes..These large state Untiversities like Penn State,Ohio State, Michigan,Tenn,LSU,Texas make more $$ on a Football Saturday afternoon then any Science fair, Debate Team, DJ Contest, etc,etc..In fact, on a Fall Saturday at a home Penn State Football game, State College becomes the 3rd Largest CIty in Pa, and how much $$$ is generated for the Town,the School, Hotels,Restaurants, Stores and the like… SAme thin with Ann Arbor, Knoxville, and all across the Country.. DOn’t you think that these Student-Athletes should be compensated from drawing all this $$$ into these Schools and Communities..and I am not talk a big amount of $$, something like $2500 a Semester up to $5000 per Calender year based on Students GPA, Course Load, target for graduation.. These Athletes are spending countless hours year around to perform at high level for their respective schools and shouldn’t have to live off Mac N Cheese,Tuna Fish & Genesee Cream Ale like I did when I went to School
Paulman,
I am not so sure the schools are actually making money off the sports. Just this week I was reading that some of the football teams that made bowl games actually lost money. The money they make is from non-athletes wanting to go to the school and alumi donating to the school. As for alumi donating the athlete alumi are the one that donate the least amount percentage wise of thier salaries, so the school that gave the players their stage to show thier talent nationwide to make it to the pros are not giving back to their school the way the teachers, lawyers and other academic studies give back.
Holy shit….I actually agree with Realtalk….what the hell is going on.
Take the Uni of Michigan…..
$20,000 a year for non-resident on an undergraduate degree. $10,000 a year for shared residency. And then there’s the meal plan…..what’s that? Another few thousand?
So a student athlete on scholarship is already compensated a minimum of $30,000+ per year. Not bad for playing basketball at 19 don’t you think?
And at the end, they get to walk out the door with a piece of paper on the wall and no debt.
Meanwhile, joe medical student is beginning his career $100g in the hole……
Compensation….just because many athletes don’t appreciate the value or importance of the compensation they do receive, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The fact that many student athletes don’t recognize the opportunites a free post-secondary provides for them, and instead clamour for a small weekely pittance so they can take their GFs to dinner is completely representative of the “not enough…I want more” generation.
Oh….I do agree that graduation rates for student athletes (esp foot and bball) are autrotious, and that the Unis themselves plaze 0 emphasis on student achievement or success.
Practice scheds must be scaled back to allow the athletes to attend class, games must never interfere with examss/instructional time etc.
I love Gregg Easterbrook’s proposals to tie football bowl eligability to graduation rates etc. They are student athletes. Student comes first.
To Dr Keith,
I am sure some Schools are mis-managed or don’t compete well enough and lose some $$ on their athletics.With most schools,the Football and Men Basletball generate the $$$ for these Schools to field other competitive teams and have start of the art training facilities and practice fields,etc,etc..
Also, I am sure most Alumnis and Donors contribute larger amounts of $$4 for the Schools and programs that win more consistently so everything goes hand in hand here.. All I am saying is that many of these Student-Athletes could use some pocket $$$ to help with living expenses, gas $$ for car, clothes,nights out with his girlfriend..
Bugsy….you took the words right out of my mouth. Completely agree
G:
Check out last night’s PBS Frontline. The NCAA makes $750 million a year off march madness and they get to use the players images even after they leave school. Ed O’Bannon is leading a call action suit, his image was used in a video game.
Student-athletes should have to work for their money just like everyone else. Playing a college sport is not work. That being said, they currently don’t have time to work. I think the solution is for the NCAA to decrease the amount of time these teams demand out of their players. This way they have time to work in the summer, so they are able to save money for things like clothes and dinner with the girlfriend.
You people who agree are unreal. I guess you fail to realize that the school makes the money, regardless of who is playing there. While they need good talent, talent is everywhere. They get a 40k dollar education for free. They are well fed. Do you think I was entitled to take my girlfriend out to lavish dinners? Why are they different then everyone else? Because they can ball? Whos fault is it that they read at a 5th grade level? These great parents that you say kept them off of the streets and guided them toward scholarships live in these places voluntarily. There is much cheaper places to live then the ghetto, yet people still live there. They could live in a rural area, get better educations, probably for cheaper then living in a city. Also, they are sleepwalking to a degree if they want it. Is it the colllege’s fault that so many waste their free time, instead of getting educated? That like the fab 5 doc said, its cool to go to jail? Schools place people into normal jobs. Every one of these kids thinks they are going to make millions, and dont concentrate on their studies. They could be getting a more hands on education ie free tutors and everything else, yet dont take advantage of oppurtunities afforded them.
@stopgoat …This is the most ASSININE statement I have ever heard….so much so that I can’t even comment
“These great parents that you say kept them off of the streets and guided them toward scholarships live in these places voluntarily. There is much cheaper places to live then the ghetto, yet people still live there. “
Student athletes should not be paid beyond the scholarships they already recieve. How do you determine who is “big time” enough? The few programs who make money? That money is used to pay for education and other non revenue generating sports programs who also have scholarship athletes. So basically let’s do away with all non BCS div 1 schools except for Boise State and TCU? No more college basketball except for the big boys? And no other sports ever? That sounds great. Because the money you are proposing to pay these “big time” athletes covers these programs and the scholarships for those programs. I worked 50 hour weeks while taking a full credit load to afford rent food and books and still graduated with a $60k tab. And that’s fine. If I had athletic talent I wouldve been given a free education, which would have been amazing.
Why is that assanine? Is that the cheapest place to live? Do you think that comment has anything to do with race? This whole article is ridiculous and racist. The poor black kids getting taken advantage of by the big rich white coaches and presidents. Or the fact that he mentions another student who PAID DAMN GOOD MONEY to go to Harvard comes up with an idea should give it to the school? He is paying to get an education. Why would the money even be in question? He has nothing to do with the NCAA because he was in the process of becoming a proffesional. Or the fact that he just throws out there that coach Wright doesnt have an auto payment or mortgage. Yeah, Im sure hes been just skating through his entire life for free. He never sacrifcies anything for what he has, right?
I continue to be amazed at those who think the power mongers with all the money should just be allowed to keep it to themselves. You really think the schools and coaches are taking risks? Are you that dumb? exactly what risk is the school taking? will they close if the kid fails? I see why the rich get richer, dumb asses like you all are enablers!!
I’m a Penn State grad in Engineering and I coach youth football. At the 135lb level our playbook consists of 28 plays. We review film on Monday nights, practice on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday night. We play on Saturdays.
I would imagine that college football players have two hours of weight/stretch training, time for injury treatment and then practice every night. Play on Saturday, recover on Sunday, start over.
While in school I had to study for several hours per day around my part time job that I worked for spending money.
Only the rarest of boys can major in a subject of substance and play football. Forget a part time job.
I would support five or six year scholarships so the footbal players can take a light load in the fall. After 4 or 5 yrs they get a full year of no football. I would also support a weekly stipend during the football season. Say minimum wage times 20hrs.
On another note. PSU’s six home games pay for the ENTIRE athletic program.
I certainly agree with you, G.
I firmly believe that “talent” should be rewarded appropriately. I’ve never once have been interested in seeing a great coach do his thing. It’s the players who I enjoy. That’s not to say that coaches don’t add to or even dictate the success of such players, but the fact remains that the cameras are not focused on the sideline or bench, they are trained on the field of play.
Your comparison to Marc Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook, is quite poignant.
Also, I agree that a player who reads at a 5th grade level receives little benefit from his/her academic achievement. He or she can be passed along in school, but probably wouldn’t be able to function in corporate America after graduation.
It befuddles me why some have such a negative views of athletes and their earnings, while actors and entertainers who are also handsomely paid get a free pass. I never read anything negative about an actor demanding X amount of dollars to do a film. Who wants to see a film about Martin Scorsese? It’s the actors in Goodfellas who draw the lights and cameras.
It sounds great when talking about USC, Penn St and the other big time programs that make big money. Since we are being so fair in this discussion it’s only right to pay all the athletes attending the colleges. Oh wait, then only about 5 schools in the country may be able to pay for that from the atheltic revenues. So should all the others schools expect more tax payer money or raise the already bloated tuitions to pay all the athletes that many argue are already being paid in scholarships and meal plans. The point made that less than 1% (including all collegiates athletes) make it as a professional athlete is the best arguement that the kids have to take advantage of a free education that sports has given them. We all know the 3.5 year average NFL career, well now the 25 year old has to get a job. That college degree has a lot more value now.
Sports is a great way to wealth without making it as a pro. The message has to be understood by the poor kids because the middle class kids see sports as a way to pay for college and a better life. If a kid only wants to be a professional athlete then why should he be paid along the way if he doesn’t make it as a pro. Here’s an obvious statememt ” The kids have to be educated on the impotrance of an education”. Are we that pathetic of a country?
G … if you pay college players how do you determine what they get paid? I believe these kids are given a wonderful opportunity to go to school for free for approx. $30-50K per year … approx, $120k-200K over 4 years. Isn’t that enough? They go to school for free and and if they are good enough to go pro they get their pay day. If they aren’t good enough they have received a free education with zero debt to enter the real world. Any normal kid would die for that.
Rasta,
How are the schools and coaches taking the risk? If they recruit a player that violates the NCAA rules, the school takes the hit. If the coach recruits players that just cant get it done, the coach loses his job. With Reggie Bush, the school lost out on a ton of crap. Ok Reggie had to give back an award that he was not eligable to win anyway.
As for paying the athletes. They are paid usually a stipend which is $250/month. I have a stepson that has gotten himself in trouble with the law, but still has talent and was offered a full scholarship, $350 towards books each year and $250/month stipend. This was a small catholic school, not a bigtime school. The problem with the NCAA is that student-athletes cant have jobs. Reason is, false jobs. An alumi can offer a recruit a part-time job that pays them $500/week, well the next school will have an alumi that will offer the same recruit a part-time job that pays them $1000/week.
As for Marc Zuckerberg, you dont think Harvard doesnt use his success to get more Harvard students? Yes, they do.
As for the actors and entertainers, well now we are no longer talking about college, we are talking post college. That is another debate.
But as for the discussion of scholarship, there are other full ride scholarships beside athletic. ROTC and academic, now typically these scholarships are paid for by outside sources not the school as in the athletic scholarships.
@Stopgoat…I think it’s assinine because you stated that they live there VOLUNTARILY…my friend no one I repeat no one lives in the ghetto by choice…….crime, drugs, violence and poor schools plague the ghetto ..who in their right mind would live around that isht by choice…they have no other choice…
LMAO, I’m also curious to find out where you can live for less money other than the ghetto? LOL? I’m sure if that place wasn’t hood before it is hood now!
Sources of mine said that the “Northern Lights’ district in PHilly is pretty reasonable..
I’m sorry but I don’t agree with this article at all. Yeah they are corrupt, but paying th players will not solve any problems. In fact, it will most likely anger every other student in the country. We go to school to be professionals too, even if it is not in a sport. I watch my political science professors pull up in their Mercedes and BMWs everyday before class. I’m in the same situation as these players. I can’t afford to buy a $5 dollar foot long from Subway. Almost ALL college students are poor. You say these guys talents are worth millions of dollars and are not as smart as most. Are you saying then that the brains of college students who go to college aren’t worth anything while they’re in college. Those people are the people who go on to be doctors and lawyers, teachers and businessmen/women who make this country run. That is priceless and there is countless money involved in all those areas. My professors are millionares just like these coaches. Why shouldn’t I get paid for what I go to college. I don’t get any of the money that these professors and presidents are making. They live in big houses and eat fancy food while I live in a dorm that doesn’t have air conditioning and reaches temperatures near 90 degrees. I eat the same cafeteria food as the athletes. The fact is that they are students and are not professionals just like I am a student and am not a professional. We both are going to be drowning in debt when we are done with our education. I’m sorry but your argument that athletes should get paid when they already get special treatment is absolutely absurd. I use to enjoy reading your articles, but this just completely lowers your credibility. To everyone else, sorry for the rant lol.
@ Erock
What about the kids who come from the exact same situation, but their God given talent is their brain? Are you saying they shouldn’t receive compensation even though their parents worked just as hard to raise them? Your comment makes zero sense.
I hope G is actually reading these comments right now and responds with a counter argument.
Eaglesfant37,
What is your financial committment to your school? I’m guessing only your tuition. The football players through their hard work bring in millions to their school. These football players work more than 40hrs a week in preparation for their Saturday games. They don’t have enough time for proper study let alone time to work a job for spending money. Can’t you see that you are not the same as them. They are doing a lot more than you every day from April through November.
These 2 college sports are a total RACKET…. and to make it worse they have this phony moral attitude towards their bogus rules… NCAA is a sad joke