Should Student-Athletes Get Paid?

Before we begin this debate, let’s take a look at the expenses these Student-Athletes have covered for them on a full ride scholarship. I know not all student-athletes get this luxury of a full scholarship but let’s do the math anyway. Provided in the links are the tuition costs for the University of Alabama and University of Oregon. Let’s use Alabama for our math shall we. It costs around $20,000 for a semester at Alabama for non-resident(doesn’t live in state) students.

Cover that over the average of two semesters per year over four years for a Bachelors Degree (or sports eligibility) you get $160,000. What if the Student-Athlete gets a red-shirt? Well now you add a fifth year. So just in tuition alone (which covers meal plan, housing, class fees and books) the student-athlete will cost the school any where between $160,000-$200,000. Now we throw in some equipment, travel, medical , tutoring, clothing, and other miscellaneous entertainment/expenses, let’s be conservative and add it up to another $10,000 (we know it’s more) per player per year. With 85 students eligible for scholarship that’s $3,400,000 per year in tuition and program expenses for all student-athletes in the football program conservatively. Oregon is more expensive believe it or not.

“The simple answer to should college athletes get paid is yes.  The NCAA, the conferences and the schools are making too much money riding the backs of the athlete. College sports is run like a business if you look at the TV contracts and agreements most teams have with shoe companies, so why not pay the employees?  Isn’t that the role the college athlete plays in this?  They shouldn’t be looked at as amateur athletes any longer.”

Kureen Paige
– Sports Unbiased 

Let me make one thing clear that I forgot to mention in my video (shown below). I am all for Student-Athletes making money outside of football or whatever sport they play. You want to get a job, great. You want to have an endorsement deal with someone, Awesome. You want to receive gifts from non-sports related activities or recruiting incentives, Go for it. I am all about human beings having the right of free will and the pursuit of happiness. Something I agree the NCAA should change. Now you might not agree with me but I think it is ridiculous for Student-Athletes or anyone to speak of or believe that the NCAA or University owes them any kind of compensation.

You are a STUDENT-Athlete. Keyword, STUDENT. We all know the end game is you playing football for the school but you were brought in as a STUDENT to learn and educate yourself to get a career that isn’t in sports. The STUDENT needs to be aware that his “compensation” is a degree that is paid in full. Even if it’s not paid in full, a huge chunk is knocked off compared to every other Student working and going to school without a scholarship. Student-Athlete= $0 debt. Student without a scholarship= $160,000 in debt. All the Student-Athlete has to do is do the homework and pass the test. It’s a selfish act to demand money from an institution that has given you so much and lets you play football. Keyword, LETS you play football. It is a privilege, not a right to play college sports.

Yes the NCAA makes billions and you were the players that everyone was watching but the fact that you want more is just baffling to me. Greedy in a sense. It’s not the NCAA or schools fault you didn’t go pro. Why not use the skills and free education you received in college to better your situation? Things got lost in perspective and now all the money has everyone blinded. They forget why you go to college.

“The answer should be no. For one thing, define “college athletes.” Are we talking collegiate fencers, rowers, gymnasts, and field hockey players too, or just those from the revenue generating sports like football, basketball, and to a lesser extent hockey and maybe baseball? Would these athletes get paid in relation to performance or playing time or would the supposed wealth get spread around equally? Many D1 college athletes already get a free ride in the form of scholarships and should have medical protection, if they are injured in the pursuit of their sport. Otherwise, they should not get paid.”

Brian A. Podoll
– Sports Unbiased 

Now I’m not sticking up for these big wigs among the NCAA and Conference committees. I think they’re all scum for the most part. What I get fired up about is the notion that these STUDENTS deserve actual money. I have no problem with a monthly stipend that was introduced before and then later repealed. That’s fine, help them have some sort of life besides football and school. The bigger picture is not being seen here. Especially by Ed O’Bannon (Google him).

If you make it a standard that every Student-Athlete, former or current, gets a percentage of the money generated by the NCAA and Universities, I can GUARANTEE they would start cutting programs and scholarships. Title IX would get blown up. Say goodbye to almost everything but football, basketball and track & field (Olympic sport, have to keep it). The sports programs that are known bank busters but stick around thanks to basketball and football will be gone. Scholarships would shrink in some schools. Now that kid who had a chance to get in based on athletic ability can’t. Position has already been filled. You really think the NCAA is going to pay for it all? No. They will tie the revenue back to the Universities and make the Universities fork out most the dough and many schools will drop out of college athletics all together. In football the field will be cut down to about 64 teams cause they’re the only ones who can turn enough of a profit to pay out.

“I absolutely think athletes (primarily those who fail to advance to the professional level) should receive some sort of stipend or fund set up by either their schools or the NCAA. The NCAA as a whole generates close to a billion dollars in revenue annually from television, product, and other media deals from companies such as Nike and EA Sports. Only a small percentage of athletes advance to the professional level and I think its time that all athletes are compensated for their services, ultimately it is because of them the schools are generating revenue. ”    

J.R. Williams
– Sports Unbiased 

It’s a lose-lose situation in my opinion. It stinks. I don’t like it. No one will be happy until these kids get paid and if they do get paid it’s going to turn college athletics into a circus. It might even cripple it as we know. I come from a family that never really had money. We had enough to get by but didn’t live very comfortably when I was younger. My father has always preached to me to not bite the hand that feeds you and do not ask for more than the rewards you were already given. Somehow, some way, we lost sight of what makes college sports pure and amazing. If tuition isn’t enough, if a degree isn’t enough, if the spotlight isn’t enough, if getting paid isn’t going to be enough, than what and when is enough?

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Should STUDENT-Athletes Get Paid?

Video commentary brought to you by Scott Swingle and TheSwingleNetwork

httpv://youtu.be/MGdy7cvYf6Y