Should Division One Male College Athletes be paid?

[bored1]

No offense to the women,But the fact is mens sports at this level is all about money,These youngmen generate a lot of revenue for the universities for which they play, For many the dream is to go to the next level either the NBA or the NFL few will make it to that level. While Im aware they get scholarships,I think they should be compensated for their play. Whats the harm in giving these kids a piece of the pie?

 

[lobito]

No offense to the women,But the fact is mens sports at this level is all about money,These youngmen generate a lot of revenue for the universities for which they play, For many the dream is to go to the next level either the NBA or the NFL few will make it to that level. While Im aware they get scholarships,I think they should be compensated for their play. Whats the harm in giving these kids a piece of the pie?

There should be as many womens pro sports out there, as there are sports for them in college, at least as many as there are for men. The only thing that most women atheletes do, is earn more money for the colleges, then what? there aren't many pro sports for women yet. Let's see, I think Basketball and Soccer, and that's all. It shouldn't even stop at division one. All colleges that make money form their sports programs, should ahve to pay their atheletes a cut of the profits. Male OR Female.

Lo

 

[VanB]

NO!
NO WAY!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[bored1]

Re: Re: Should Division One Male College Athletes be paid?

There should be as many womens pro sports out there, as there are sports for them in college, at least as many as there are for men. The only thing that most women atheletes do, is earn more money for the colleges, then what? there aren't many pro sports for women yet. Let's see, I think Basketball and Soccer, and that's all. It shouldn't even stop at division one. All colleges that make money form their sports programs, should ahve to pay their atheletes a cut of the profits. Male OR Female.

Lo

When you get to the Professional level no one will pay to see women play, While that may be an unpopular thing to say its the truth, Just witness the attendance at any womens NBA game. I believe the only schools that make money are the big division one schools where usually football revenues carry the load for just about everything. My alma mater has spent close to a billion over the past 10 years for athletic facilities.

 

[Weird Harold]

A thorny problem, indeed.

Given the current restrictions on scholarship atheletes by the NCAA's stupid rules, athletes aren't allowed to take a part time job, make any money from the use of their name, take any sort of gift from anyone -- even family in many cases -- Essentially, they're slaves as long as they accept a sports scholarship.

At a minimum, they should get a royalty on sales of paraphenalia with their name on it.

The NCAA's rules should be changed to allow athletes to do anything a non-scholarship student an do, OR they should be paid enough to compensate them for lost revenue from the jobs they're not allowed to have.

 

[Throbbin_Rod]

Because of the Title IX implications, you can't pay male athletes and not pay female athletes. The NCAA would get the shit sued out of it if it tried.

 

[Monazwx]

I agree

Essentially, these guys (and gals) are working. I'm at UM and the money that the nat'l champanions brought in here this year is amazing. I haven't seen the books but I couldn't look around without seeing a football shirt, cap, jacket, etc. From filling those seats alone, I'm sure a bundle was made! The colleges should compensate the althetes (male and female) because of their value. Maybe if althetes saw themselves as workers instead as gods, it would bring them down to earth.

NB- ALL the players I've seen here are pretty cool though.

 

[Azwed]

Any sport that makes signifigant revenue should give the atheletes some kind of a stipend. Not a lot of course but whatever a comparable part time job would pay. Say 6 dollars an hour at 20 hours a week would probably be sufficent.

The NCAA should pay the stipends too. They make millions if not billions off these athletes and they get shit.

Maybe if these athletes had some disposable income in college then less of them would quit school early to go pro.

 

[Todd-'o'-Vision]

They are being paid, They are at college getting an education to use, when the knee blows out unexpectadly

 

[KillerMuffin]

Athletes go to college as compensation for playing. They are getting paid via scholarships. If that's not enough for them then they don't have to play. They can pay for the education like the rest of the peons. A lot of those idiots play and skip classes. All they do is their sport and they never graduate. They not only wasted the cash put out to put them through school they stole a slot in a lot of schools that would have otherwised belonged to someone who wanted to learn.

Education is the absolute most valuable thing a person can get above and beyond money.

I have no sympathy for people getting a free ride and wanting even more. Particularly when zero graduation rates look like they're the norm. That's what we have professional sports for. They can be heavily paid that way.

 

[Monazwx]

But

Some althetes actually value their education and work very hard to grasp all that they can and

Not all go on to professional careers. Like Todd said, one injury can end it all . . .

 

[Weird Harold]

They are getting paid via scholarships. If that's not enough for them then they don't have to play.

Because of the NCAA's rules, Athletes on scholarship are NOT treated the same as those on other kinds of scholarships -- they are barred from ANY sort of additional income.

If a person on scholarship for "Under-privelidged Bavarian Shepards" wants to get a job at McDonald's so she has more than tuition, books, room and board, there is no penalty for either her or the school. That's not the case for athletic scholarships.

Granted, athletes are "being paid" via the scholarship, but the scholarship doesn't allow for extra cash to buy grandma something for her birthday or a sympathy card for a sick friend. The schalarship actually prevents athletes from earning enough for those little "extras" that other scholarship students are allowed to earn!

Either change the rules for Athletic scholarships, or give the athletes a modest stipend to compenastae for what they would otherwise be able to earn on their own.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Well, that definitely should change, WH. If a guy wants to work a job he should be able to.

 

[Azwed]

Because of the NCAA's rules, Athletes on scholarship are NOT treated the same as those on other kinds of scholarships -- they are barred from ANY sort of additional income.

If a person on scholarship for "Under-privelidged Bavarian Shepards" wants to get a job at McDonald's so she has more than tuition, books, room and board, there is no penalty for either her or the school. That's not the case for athletic scholarships.

Granted, athletes are "being paid" via the scholarship, but the scholarship doesn't allow for extra cash to buy grandma something for her birthday or a sympathy card for a sick friend. The schalarship actually prevents athletes from earning enough for those little "extras" that other scholarship students are allowed to earn!

Either change the rules for Athletic scholarships, or give the athletes a modest stipend to compenastae for what they would otherwise be able to earn on their own.

This has been an often discussed problem between me and my roommate.

One of the reasons Michael Vick left Virginia tech was because of the conditon that his family lived in. If your family lived in poverty and you could get a multimillion dollar deal just by signing your name to a contract you would probably do it.

Now of course a stipend or part-time job would probably not have helped out in this situation but it may help out in some others.

I would sat a stipend would be better then a part-time job because the job raises the problem of advertisements. The business the athlete was working at may, on purpose or just by accident, take advantage of his minor celbrity status to promote the business.

I mean come on only so many people can take advantage of these kids at once the NCAA is already doing that so lets try and limit other people.

Another thing to think about is this. How many college coaches do advertisements for local business? Is that fair to the athletes they coach?

 

[Weird Harold]

I would say a stipend would be better then a part-time job because the job raises the problem of advertisements. The business the athlete was working at may, on purpose or just by accident, take advantage of his minor celbrity status to promote the business.

One of the reasons cited for the rule against athletes working is that "boosters" pay them outrageous salaries for doing nothing -- or next to nothing.

There is also the consideration that weigt training and conditioning in the off-season is pretty much a full-time job, not to mention practice and travel during the season. A part time job just isn't practical for many of the athletes.

That's why I think royalties for the use of their name and a modest stipend is less likely to lead to abuse and corruption -- the NCAA's stated reasons for restrictions on athletes and scholarships.

 

[WhiteRose]

Granted, athletes are "being paid" via the scholarship, but the scholarship doesn't allow for extra cash to buy grandma something for her birthday or a sympathy card for a sick friend. The schalarship actually prevents athletes from earning enough for those little "extras" that other scholarship students are allowed to earn!

Been to a college party lately? Maybe they could take part of their beer money and buy grandma that birthday present, or get a part time job like the other students. They already have a free ride on an education and good schools, something that NOT everyone else can afford in the first place (oh, but the other guys aren't the ones who can run the fastest or catch that football...so they aren't the ones the matter, or maybe they had to help the family out during high school by WORKING after school rather than going to football practice...) It's called learning how to budget your finances...something EVERY college student has to deal with.

Sorry, I've seen too many college athletes not only waste the educations they've been GIVEN, take the easy classes because they can't make it through a regular college class with the other students who pay to attend and then barely make it through THOSE classes, and way too many of them end up being caught cheating (usually with the sanction of the school, "Look how much money they bring in!") because they couldn't handle studying AND playing their sports.

 

[SINthysist]

get the professionals and agents out of college sports.

NBA, NFL - Develop a farm system.

Colleges - Develop minds. Strong bodies help make strong minds. We need STUDENT-Athletes, not trainng halls for the pros.

They're making enough money to do that!

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Weird Harold]

Been to a college party lately? Maybe they could take part of their beer money and buy grandma that birthday present, or get a part time job like the other students.

If a scholarship athelete gets a part time job, that can (and HAS) ben construed as a violation of NCAA rules and result in the entire team being banned form post season play, the loss of one or more athletic scholrships, or othe rsanction against the SCHOOL -- not against the athlete, against the school's atheltic program.

I have never been to a college party, but I have read news reports of the NCAA investigation and sanctions levies against UNLV because two of it's basketball players went to a college party -- one also attended my someone the NCAA didn't approve of (A casino executive if I remember correctly.)

 

[Guest]

NCAA scholarship athletes are not allowed to make over $2,000 per year during any year in which they compete. Monthly stipends for full-ride athletes are usually around $600-$800 for those living off-campus and significantly less for those living on campus. This is a once per month payment that is supposed to cover rent, bills, food, laundry, entertainmen, etc. Practice on the field/court/pool, etc is usually 2 hours per night. Weight room and conditioning is another 2 hours, and videos/playbooks and all that technical stuff can run anywhere from 1 to 3 hours in addition to the above.
The school and the NCAA make money from merchandising, ticket sales, meet'n'greets and the like. Personally, I feel that the athletes should be allowed some of the take from this. I happen to be a scholarship athlete at a Division I school, and I can tell you that we're not all out there partying it up, and have barely enough money to get by every month. If I could get money elsewhere, I surely would. I make my $2,000 during the summer, and have to spread that out the rest of the year. I don't have to pay for books or tuition, but the other stuff gets to be quite much sometimes. Savings account? What's that? It would be nice to get a little bit of the dough that the University makes from us, but I don't think it will happen.

 

[Private Vasquez]

D'OH!!

That was me.
I just noticed something.....Whycome only the male athletes?

 

[WhiteRose]

They only caught two players? They aren't looking very hard at all. I've been two three universities, and at all three have attended parties the jocks have been at..often. Oops, but I guess the NCAA reps missed those parties...including the ones at the Playboy Mansion... Believe me, the jocks at the big schools (like USC), have it very well indeed, both on campus and off.

College is not a job, it's a place you go to for an EDUCATION.

 

[sigh]

if college athletes choose to engage in a sport as a preparation for a professional career, that's fine with me...as for the risk that's involved, it must be weighed against the potential reward when the decision is made...the potential rewards are huge and the risks are well known in advance

i chose college to prepare for a career too, and i was used as essentially free labor (actually less than free since i was paying for the right to be there) in the field of medicinal chemistry...the university made tons of money off what we were doing through grants from pharmaceutical companies and yet i received not a dime, and the academic scholarships i received paid for little of the overall cost

school is for learning...if you learn to be an athlete or a chemist or a physicist or a lawyer or whatever, that's your choice, driven by whatever strengths you have...rewards come after graduation...while we're there, there are dues to be paid