Should college atheletes get paid?

[dylo22]

With NCAA making billions off of tv contracts on march madness and bcs bowls, do you think college atheletes should get compensated for their work?

 

[ParishL31]

Nope. They'll get theirs in time if they're good enough to make it to the NFL.

Plus they get so many benefits like mansions being their "dorms", personal drivers, cars, super easy tests, and not to mention a full scholarship and free degree. And the endless supply of women thrown at them is a nice perk too.

I had a class one time which had our star wide receiver and a few other football players in it. I failed every test. I got a B in the class. That's how easy most classes are for football players.

 

[batgeek]

no.

 

[Member138406]

The good players already get paid.

 

[dylo22]

Yeah...part of me agree with you guys. A lot of college athletes gets a free ride through school and on top that they receive a lot perks....I understand that. But is that enough? I mean....they basically are doing the same things and taking the same risks that professional athletes are taking. The only difference is, a professional athletes get paid millions for what they do, and college athletes don't. Meanwhile, the ncaa and schools are making boat loads of money off these guys. So in a way I think they are being taking advantage of.

what do you guys think?

 

[ParishL31]

Yeah...part of me agree with you guys. A lot of college athletes gets a free ride through school and on top that they receive a lot perks....I understand that. But is that enough? I mean....they basically are doing the same things and taking the same risks that professional athletes are taking. The only difference is, a professional athletes get paid millions for what they do, and college athletes don't. Meanwhile, the ncaa and schools are making boat loads of money off these guys. So in a way I think they are being taking advantage of.

what do you guys think?

That is a good point. But college overall is a risk for everyone, athlete or not. As you pointed out the risks for athletes, there are also equal risks for normal students.

Normal students pay tens of thousands of dollars, many end up with over $100k in student loans by the end of their education. It's a gamble in hopes that after they finish, they'll be able to get a good job to be able to pay it back. If you lose that risk, you're stuck with a huge loan you can't pay back. If college athletes lose their risk of pursuing a professional career, then they're also stuck with being "normal" and possibly no degree if they bet too much on a pro career.

College is a stepping stone into the real world for either an athlete or a student. The risk is there. Students aren't compensated for going out of their way to get a better life. Athletes shouldn't either.

 

[dylo22]

College is a stepping stone into the real world for either an athlete or a student. The risk is there. Students aren't compensated for going out of their way to get a better life. Athletes shouldn't either.

I see the point you're trying to make, but I think students and atheletes play different roles within an institution which can not be rightly compared with one another. The business relationship between a school and a students is different from the relationship between a school and an athletes. From the perspective of a college, students are customers. A student pays tuition and in return the college provides an education. Athletes on the other hand are hired(recruited) specifically to perform well in the sport so that it would generate revenue and recognition for school. Their relationship is more like an employer and employee relationship.

With that said, employees of any kind are expected to get paid for their work. Right now, college atheletes gets paid through scholarships. My question is whether that is enough? Considering they are pretty much doing exactly the same things and taking the same risks that professional athletes are taking. Shouldn't they get paid for what they are worth?

 

[Vihzel]

In a way though, all students are "recruited". College atheletes are recruited for their athletic ability while college academics are recruited for their academic (in combination with non-academic work) prowess.

Think of college athletes as doing in long internships. A lot of them are already getting free rides in college and lots of perks. I don't see why they should be getting paid more.

I'd much rather see money that the university receives to pay for a better university instead of it going to 18 year olds freshly coming out of high school.

 

[Dark Jedi]

Most of your players has a full ride where they have to pay for nothing. How much for a year of school cost? Thats their pay. They also get paid in honing their skill under a coach that readies them for the pros. So they get paid a lot just not in the form of cash.


If you pay one sport then you will have to pay all the sports in that college. So how far will that money go? Plus the money the school makes off games goes twards the school to get better teachers and so on. So not like with a professional team where an owner pockets the majority of the money.

 

[dylo22]

In a way though, all students are "recruited". College atheletes are recruited for their athletic ability while college academics are recruited for their academic (in combination with non-academic work) prowess.
.

Yeah but college athletes generates revenue (a lot of it) for the school and ncaa. That's something a student does not do.

Most of your players has a full ride where they have to pay for nothing. How much for a year of school cost? Thats their pay. They also get paid in honing their skill under a coach that readies them for the pros. So they get paid a lot just not in the form of cash.

If you pay one sport then you will have to pay all the sports in that college. So how far will that money go? Plus the money the school makes off games goes twards the school to get better teachers and so on. So not like with a professional team where an owner pockets the majority of the money.

Only a small portion goes back to the school. The ncaa is pocketing a lot of it. Not to mention the coaches and staff are making millions as well. I agree they are paid through scholarships, but is that enough for what the market demand is for what they are doing?

You're right, it would be impossible to pay all athletes. Things would definitely get out of hand. What I think they should do (at the very least) is siphon off some of the winning from bowl games or march madness tournaments to the players and allow college athletes to do local/regional endorsements.

 

[Vihzel]

Yeah but college athletes generates revenue (a lot of it) for the school and ncaa. That's something a student does not do.

College athletes don't generate revenue for the school. The sport generates revenue.

 

[Mada]

No I don't think players should get paid, or at least paid as much as they are. $50,000 a year for the VIP player sounds good enough for me, because most of them are already getting full or big scholarships.

 

[Dark Jedi]

Yeah but college athletes generates revenue (a lot of it) for the school and ncaa. That's something a student does not do.



Only a small portion goes back to the school. The ncaa is pocketing a lot of it. Not to mention the coaches and staff are making millions as well. I agree they are paid through scholarships, but is that enough for what the market demand is for what they are doing?

You're right, it would be impossible to pay all athletes. Things would definitely get out of hand. What I think they should do (at the very least) is siphon off some of the winning from bowl games or march madness tournaments to the players and allow college athletes to do local/regional endorsements.

Nobody is forcing them to play the sports. If they don't like it? They can choose not to play. What's next pay high school kids to play sports? They get more than they should.

 

[dylo22]

College athletes don't generate revenue for the school. The sport generates revenue.

Well, they're doing most of the work. Without athletes, there is no sport. Even if you put in 2nd or 3rd rate athletes, it will not generate nearly as much as they are doing now. Remember the xfl?

 

[dylo22]

Nobody is forcing them to play the sports. If they don't like it? They can choose not to play. What's next pay high school kids to play sports? They get more than they should.

That's a really good point. Nobody is forced to play college basketball or football, but what are the options if they don't?

In basketball, you have to be at least one year out of high school in order to play pro in the nba. A player has the option of playing in europe or not playing at all, however your chances of getting drafted is significantly decreased. There's only one player in recent memory I could think of that went to europe out of high school and still got drafted - that's brandon jennings.

For Football is even harder. You have to be at least 3 years out of high school before you can get into the NFL. There's are no development leagues or overseas football to play. If you want to go pro you pretty much have to go to college. I don't want to say they are forced, but really there are no other options.

Ideally I think they should get rid of the age requirement for football and basketball. Players should be allowed to go pro straight out of high school similar to hockey and baseball. Professional leagues should also have development leagues for their players to train up if they are needed. Well, that's what I think anyways.

 

[Vihzel]

^ That's perfectly understandable but so many other professions have strict requirements as well. Just because it's hard to get into pro basketball and football doesn't help the argument that they should be compensated.

You have no options of becoming a medical surgeon without going to undergrad and med school like you have no options of becoming a big time football player without having to first go to undergrad.

How much do collegiate athletes get paid? With only the 3 big ones at USC as an example:

Tuition + Housing + Food + Other School Expenses = approx $60,000/year or $240,000 within 4 years

If that's not enough for an 18-22 year old, which we have to remember excludes all of the benefits of being a collegiate athlete, then I don't know how much one believes they should be paid. I have SO many friends that are simply thankful to God that they can even afford to go to college or are struggling to pay for college (even while on academic scholarships).

I recently had a client (I work as a real estate agent in Manhattan) who graduated from Columbia this summer and on her credit report, it showed that she had about $245,000 in student debt from going to undergrad and then law school. Thankfully she's now a corporate lawyer to pay for all of that within a reasonable amount of time, but for the millions of others...

One of my friends is studying psychology right now at UC Berkeley with about $110,000 in student loans by the time he graduates. He then will have to take out more student loans because you must get a PhD to do really anything with a psychology degree. He estimates that he will have about $180,000 in student loans before he begins to work.

My parents are currently paying about $48,000/year for me to attend NYU to study Real Estate Development. My parents just finished paying my brother's costs of $56,000/year to study veterinary medicine at LSU for the past couple of years.

If you ever have a child and he/she is recruited for a sport and is given a complete free-ride, be thankful that you're saving $10,000s - $100,000s (depending on public/private, in-state/out-of-state)

 

[dylo22]

^ That's perfectly understandable but so many other professions have strict requirements as well. Just because it's hard to get into pro basketball and football doesn't help the argument that they should be compensated.

You have no options of becoming a medical surgeon without going to undergrad and med school like you have no options of becoming a big time football player without having to first go to undergrad.

My point about requirements have nothing to do with college athletes getting compensated. I was simply stating that a high school basketball or football athlete don't have much choice but to enter to college. If it wasn't for the age restrictions, I'm sure those athletes will skip college and go straight to pro and we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place.

Again medical students don't generate revenue like college athletes do, at least not while they are still in pre-med or med school. Once they get in to residency and start working in a hospital, then they do get paid (not very much though, usually around 35k) because they are actually working and offering a service. Technically they are still learning while on the job (they're not doctors yet), but they are compensated for their work.

 

[Vihzel]

Again medical students don't generate revenue like college athletes do, at least not while they are still in pre-med or med school. Once they get in to residency and start working in a hospital, then they do get paid (not very much though, usually around 35k) because they are actually working and offering a service. Technically they are still learning while on the job (they're not doctors yet), but they are compensated for their work.

I'm not exactly sure if you know this or not but medical students don't go into residency until after they complete medical school. I know this because one of my good friends is a medical student at NYU.

In relation, veterinary students don't go into residency until after they complete veterinary school. I know this because of my brother.

 

[treb1797]

They already do get paid w/ an education. However, most choose to do zero w/ it. Look at the gifts the players get when they go to bowl games. So in a sense they get paid even though its not cold hard cash.

 

[dylo22]

How much do collegiate athletes get paid? With only the 3 big ones at USC as an example:

Tuition + Housing + Food + Other School Expenses = approx $60,000/year or $240,000 within 4 years

If that's not enough for an 18-22 year old, which we have to remember excludes all of the benefits of being a collegiate athlete, then I don't know how much one believes they should be paid. I have SO many friends that are simply thankful to God that they can even afford to go to college or are struggling to pay for college (even while on academic scholarships).

I recently had a client (I work as a real estate agent in Manhattan) who graduated from Columbia this summer and on her credit report, it showed that she had about $245,000 in student debt from going to undergrad and then law school. Thankfully she's now a corporate lawyer to pay for all of that within a reasonable amount of time, but for the millions of others...

One of my friends is studying psychology right now at UC Berkeley with about $110,000 in student loans by the time he graduates. He then will have to take out more student loans because you must get a PhD to do really anything with a psychology degree. He estimates that he will have about $180,000 in student loans before he begins to work.

My parents are currently paying about $48,000/year for me to attend NYU to study Real Estate Development. My parents just finished paying my brother's costs of $56,000/year to study veterinary medicine at LSU for the past couple of years.

If you ever have a child and he/she is recruited for a sport and is given a complete free-ride, be thankful that you're saving $10,000s - $100,000s (depending on public/private, in-state/out-of-state)

Hey $240000 is a lot of money, I agree. The degree that they will be receiving also has value (or not...that's a whole another debate). The problem I have is that the ncaa and colleges are making so so so much more than what the students athletes are paid (in tuition and other perks) for. In some ways I feel like the student athletes are being taking advantage of.

To explain this a little more, I'll put it in another way - a hypothetical situation. Suppose you're a brillant software developer coming out of high school and some college recruits you to go their school free of charge, with perks as long as you develop this software for them that will make them hundreds of millions of dollars on. So, you go to the school, you work hard on a team to develop the software in which the school then markets and sells to make tons and tons of money. However, instead getting a share of revenue for the software that you help create and EARNED, you're only going to get your free tuition. Mean while everyone else around you...school, admistration etc are getting really rich off of your work. In a situation like this, wouldn't you feel being taking advantage of? I think I would. If I work hard for something and it generates a lot money as a direct result, I expect to get a fair share on the earning. If I don't and I only receive the free tuition/perks from it, then I think I'm getting a raw deal. Yes, full scholarship is a lot of money, but it still pales in comparison to what the school is making off of you and your work.

As I mention before students are not the same as athletes. We really can't compare the two. Athletes are like employees, they help to produce something of value that other people are willing to pay lots of money for. Students on the other hand are like customers. They don't generate anything of value for others. The value received from their education is only for themselves.

I know this all seems unfair because athletes are making so much money..blah blah blah. But hey that's just the way things are. Not every job is created equal. Some jobs just have a higher market value than others. I'm a software developer and I make twice as much as my friend who is a teacher. Is that fair? Probably not. But that doesn't mean I don't deserve my salary or a my share of the revenue that the company makes. I still worked for it and earned it.

 

[dylo22]

I'm not exactly sure if you know this or not but medical students don't go into residency until after they complete medical school. I know this because one of my good friends is a medical student at NYU.

In relation, veterinary students don't go into residency until after they complete veterinary school. I know this because of my brother.

I know. that's why I said... "Once they get in to residency and start working in a hospital, then they do get paid".

 

[esthernrob]

no. they already get tuition via scholarships... that's like getting paid, right...

 

[ParishL31]

It's a good point you bring up that others are reaping the revenues brought in by star players. However, on top of scholarships and perks is the intangibles. If you go to a good school and play well, you'll be noticed by the pros much easier. The school is advertising you to the pros as well as the student athlete advertising for the school.

Also, they're still students after all the fame and glory. They still have to go to class and get grades in order to play. As we've said before, those classes are not cheap.

Also, aside from the obvious education from whatever major you choose...college is also a stepping stone from being a teenager to progressing to an adult and adapting to the real world and learning responsibilities and how to take care of yourself. The NFL makes high school kids go to college for a bit so they can mature before entering. Same with the NBA. Imagine how bad it'd be to have some immature brat high school kid that's dumb as bricks on a pro team, that image for that team would be horrible, let alone no one would want to deal with it.

The NFL should never recruit straight from high school for the safety of the players. A high schooler that is 200 pounds is enormous. Throw that in the pros and they'll get broken in half. They aren't physically strong enough, let alone mentally mature or strong enough either.

 

[dylo22]

It's a good point you bring up that others are reaping the revenues brought in by star players. However, on top of scholarships and perks is the intangibles. If you go to a good school and play well, you'll be noticed by the pros much easier. The school is advertising you to the pros as well as the student athlete advertising for the school.

Considering all the tangibles and intangibles, I still think it doesn't add up close to what they should be earning. I mean the ncaa is making a boat load of money from this.

At the very least I think they should allow students to do local or regional endorsements. I mean they worked hard to be where they are. They should allow them to be able to capitalize on their opportunities.

Also, they're still students after all the fame and glory. They still have to go to class and get grades in order to play. As we've said before, those classes are not cheap.

I see this differently. To me, college athletes now a days are treated as full time athletes first, and then (if there is time leftover) as students second. Like a couple of others have mentioned, they make the curriculum super easy for these athletes. They barely have do anything to get a decent grade in the class. In my freshman year of college, I had an introductory class with a few football players in them. I think I saw them maybe 3 times the whole semester and somehow they manage to pass no problem. Are they really getting an education? I'm not so sure.

Also, aside from the obvious education from whatever major you choose...college is also a stepping stone from being a teenager to progressing to an adult and adapting to the real world and learning responsibilities and how to take care of yourself. The NFL makes high school kids go to college for a bit so they can mature before entering. Same with the NBA. Imagine how bad it'd be to have some immature brat high school kid that's dumb as bricks on a pro team, that image for that team would be horrible, let alone no one would want to deal with it.

That's debatable. Guys like kevin garnett, kobe bryant, dwight howard, tracy mcgrady, richard lewis... (there are more) didn't go college and turned out just fine. I'm sure there were bad ones as well, but I could also find good and bad examples from athletes that came out of college.

I really don't think going to college necessarily teaches kids to be less braty or smart. Having your tuition/housing paid for, all the perks, fame and school made easy for you is not real world responsibilities. If any thing I think it leads them to be more braty and pretentious.

The NFL should never recruit straight from high school for the safety of the players. A high schooler that is 200 pounds is enormous. Throw that in the pros and they'll get broken in half. They aren't physically strong enough, let alone mentally mature or strong enough either.

I agree physical development maybe an issue for high school football players. That's why I think the NFL should have a development league or farm teams to help train up athletes much like hockey or baseball. If they are ready, they can move up. If not, they can stay longer in the D league or get released.

 

[9to5cynic]

I'd have to say no. I mean, I do see that the NCAA is making a boat load off of the players and teams, but that in turn benefits the school (if they do good, more people may want to go there/donations)...

But players are getting paid, it's the scholarship. And, from my experience, schools tend to do a lot to allow players an easier time in class. By that I don't mean automatic A grade, but they get alternate test dates, that, for non-athletes would be an extra couple of days to study. (Not saying that athletes don't study, but if they are on the road for away games...)

Very interesting topic though.