I really wonder if it would be a good thing if big-time sports were banished from campuses, and colleges could then get back into the business of educating young people instead?
"only"....
the NCAA is out of control and is in cohoots with the media to bring in big money....that is not my fault...its the greed of the academia/media cabal....
the athletes need not play in college....they can go directly to some pro sports team...and suffer the consequences of no education, no training, no coaching up....
and if TPTB decide that they must pay athletes, they better be paying for the lacrosse team and the fencing team....
its not the fault of lacrosse nor fencing that they don't bring in big money..
“scholarships that cover only tuition, room, board, books and fees”
ONLY????? That’s big money right there. Most kids have to work a job, work through summers and take out loans to cover what is given in those “paltry” athletic scholarships.
What is the value of a degree from Stanford or Harvard???
If an athlete plays their cards right, they can get a free doctorate. Not a bad deal, really.
But like everything it is RACIST to give college educations to a segment of youth least likely to get one otherwise.
AAAAAAND - they are groomed and publicized for multi-million dollar careers. WAAAAH! They are soooo mistreated!!
Tuition, fees, books, room and board, and somehow seemed to drive much nicer cars than the rest of us could afford, even if some of them couldn't construct a sentence with a crew of laborers.
Yeah, right.
Article does not mention that only 2 college sports make a profit, football and men’s basketball. Should we pay those college athletes and not the others?
Is the goal to make money or educate students? Take the high dollar sports elsewhere and reward the students who are doing well at what college is supposed to be about.
“exploitation”.
Right. They are being voluntarily exploited.
How much will this increase college tuition?!?
Here are several options to deal with the issue:
Eliminate all scholarships and payments to athletes. Return to all sports being student athletes. All scholarships awarded on academic merit.
If #1 doesn’t work for them, here is the ultimate in fairness:
a) Require all athletic teams have a racial mix equal to the student population. Federal government racial definitions will be used to determine the student population mix and the mix on the teams.
b) If the university provides athletic scholarships, expense waivers, or other compensation to athletes, the awards will be the same for all athletes in all athletic programs.
c) Any compensation to athletes above direct education expenses (tuition, fees, books, room and board) will be taxable.
d) Athletes are required to carry a full academic load and be on track with earned credit hours required for graduation at the end of each semester or term. If athlete fails to meet any academic standard, he/she will be suspended from participation in athletics until she/he is on track academically. During the time of suspension all scholarship and other reimbursements cease.
e) Under no circumstance will a player maintain eligibility for a period of more than 5 academic years after he/she enrolls at in a college level athletic program.
What has changed in the last 15 or 20 years is that an increasing number of universities have dropped any pretense that their football and basketball players are there for an education. This is not limited to the black players, but certainly the influx of ghetto players who clearly have no business or interest in college has been the cutting edge of the change. They used to have to at least fake it, but many don't even bother with that anymore. But just because many of these players are purely mercenary is no reason to cry racism. The white boys never got paid. Why should the black guys be any different?
One solution would be to turn college football and basketball programs into straightforward professional prep leagues, pay the players what they earn at the gate, and shut down all the non-revenue sports. I would sooner get big time athletics off campus and convert all college sports back to club programs, which is how they began. The USA might not win many Olympic medals in gymnastics, track and field, and swimming without the college subsidy system, but if that's the way the cookie crumbles, so be it.
Well seeing how most of the colleges are teaching socialism, maybe we can show that what real socialism is.
All sport proceeds are pooled nationally. I mean *All*, from concessions boosters and Alumni, ticket sales and all the sports channel deals. The better the team does, the less money they get from the pool, the worse teams get more money.
Take from the rich, give to the poor. That’s the socialist way right?
But they are being paid. After the free education and free room and board and, for many, endorsements, we would be talking about at least a hundred thousand dollars a year for each athlete.
We can always just pay them that hundred grand, if that’s what they want and they can pay the taxes on it as well as provide for their own education.
Free the slaves!
No More People of Color on the College Sports Team plantation!
Let the NBA & NFL find & pay for their own players.
This is like saying that “racial prejudice” against whites, Chinese, and Indians causes the pathetically low wages of graduate student instructors and contract faculty.
Simple economics is sufficient to explain both situations: the universities want to take in as much money as possible and pay out as little as possible.
read a story today that viewership to this years Bowl games is down 36 percent.
5 and 6 win teams going to the nothing bowl?
Now, schools are just feeders for the pro leagues and no one cares about education (at least as far as the Athletic Department is concerned).
They are getting an college education free. How much is that worth? $20-50k per yr.?
If they want to be paid, pay them. Then charge them the going rate to go to college.
One other point. Many of them would never pass any scholastic entry requirement.
If you ask me they make out pretty well.
The entire article hinges on that sentence for which the authors provide not one shred of evidence.
Remove jock itch from the campi.....