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Paying college athletes

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Started 1 year ago by Brant
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Brant
Gahanna
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President Gee made some comments about the BCS today and reiterated his belief that a playoff system was Ã¢â‚¬Å“a slippery slope to professionalism.Ã¢â‚¬Â

But didn't we already start down that slippery slope a long time ago? Isn't it way past time to pay college athletes? Or, better yet, set up a minor league of football (and basketball) so that young people who want to play professional sports can do so without going through the charade of collegiate athletics and its antiquated myth of the nobility of amateurism?

Frank DeFord recently spoke of the Cam Newton "scandal" that's going on, and he observed that everyone makes money from college sports except for the athletes themselves. And no, the value of a free college education does not count. It's peanuts compared to what they could and should be making as professionals.

I know this idea doesn't get much support in Buckeye nation, but surely there's gotta be someone on CU who agrees with me. Or someone else who can at least give me a good reason why I'm wrong.

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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I agree 1000%. Huge sums of money are being made and there is basically a conspiracy to divvy it up among everyone but those principals.

It is a tangent, but the origins of "amateur" in athletics (including college) was the premise to keep out the lower classes and others who might actually want and need to benefit from their abilities. (Edit - I see deFord, one of the best sportswriters, touched on this.)

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
BCNation
Franklin Park
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I'm 100 percent against paying college athletes to play sports. 90% of those students won't professionally play sports, so why even bother?

Posted 1 year ago #
Pablo
Crestview Addition
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Pay them - not millions per year but more like a AA or AAA baseball player might earn. It is, after all, a development league (not all players in the minors make it to the show but they still receive a paycheck).

Posted 1 year ago #
groundrules

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you've said 'athletes', but what you're really talking about is football and to a lesser extent, basketball players. when you look at other sports were a professional career is actually lucrative, there is already a minor league system in place.

Posted 1 year ago #
howatzer

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Eh, I look at it as an inter or apprenticeship. There are lots of students doing high impact work, making firms or the University gobs of money that aren't paid commensurately (or at all).

And point 2: If it ain't broke....

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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Pablo wrote >>
Pay them - not millions per year but more like a AA or AAA baseball player might earn. It is, after all, a development league (not all players in the minors make it to the show but they still receive a paycheck).

This is about where I am on this topic too. One of the things that's always bothered me is that NCAA coaches are paid like professional athletes, while their players aren't paid at all. Then I look at merchandising, where guys like Terrell Pryor aren't allowed to be compensated with even the smallest of gifts...but stores around town make wheelbarrows full of cash selling his jerseys. Finally, these are kids who can't work during college...at all...not a summer job, not a weekend job, no job to put even a few bucks of basic spending money in their pockets.

I'd like to see them given sort of a basic compensation package that at least corrects some of those glaring inconsistencies.

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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howatzer wrote >>
Eh, I look at it as an inter or apprenticeship. There are lots of students doing high impact work, making firms or the University gobs of money that aren't paid commensurately (or at all).
And point 2: If it ain't broke....

Not at all like it.

Internships exists within a market where there are options for positions that pay you as well. For example, if you are a great software programmer you can go make money as a programmer and are not forced to accept an internship or nothing. The problem is not only are the universities making all the money, they've set it up so that an athlete is forced to make them that money in order to ever benefit.

Basketball is the worst in the blatant exploitation. In order to preserve the lucrative business, especially of the March Madness brand, there is a continual parade of 'one-and-done' basketball players who are in University solely because of collusion between the NBA and NCAA.

I am amused by the people who are perfectly OK with this system. Most of them would howl in protest at a system which forced people to join a union or otherwise restricts their ability earn money with their abilities. And yet they are OK with this.

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
fclaugus
Northwest Columbus
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If OSU had to pay athletes, how would it support the 36 teams? How could they afford to maintain the facilities? If anything, there should be a cap on the coaches saleries.

Who else is getting rich ?

About Ohio State Athletics
The Ohio State University Department of Athletics sponsors 36 fully funded varsity teams - 17 for women, 16 for men and three co-educational. The department is committed to providing its more than 1,000 student-athletes with the finest in academic and athletics support in order to ensure a quality and life-enhancing experience. The Department of Athletics is completely self-supporting and receives no university monies, tax dollars or student fees. In Fiscal Year 2010-11, the Department of Athletics will transfer back to the University more than $30 million in assessments, including $15 million in grant-in-aid costs.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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^ The Athletic Directors for one....

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>
^ The Athletic Directors for one....

OSU's AD makes high 6 figures, for the scope of that job seems completely reasonable.

ETA: Just checked, looks like he's gotten a bump up to a million even, which may be a bit excessive, but not crazy excessive. Particularly given the fact, that as noted above, this guy runs arguably the best athletic department in the country.

Posted 1 year ago #
bman
New Albany
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Paying athletes is a bad idea, a free college education should be enough for them. Keep it pure.

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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bman wrote >>
Paying athletes is a bad idea, a free college education should be enough for them. Keep it pure.

Absolutely, this isn't a business its college!

right?

Posted 1 year ago #
bman
New Albany
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Core_Models wrote >>

bman wrote >>
Paying athletes is a bad idea, a free college education should be enough for them. Keep it pure.

Absolutely, this isn't a business its college!
right?

universities need a way to pay for those facilities, coaches, and full ride scholarships!

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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universities need a way to pay for those facilities, coaches, and full ride scholarships!

You really didn't read this thread at all did you...

The Department of Athletics is completely self-supporting and receives no university monies, tax dollars or student fees. In Fiscal Year 2010-11, the Department of Athletics will transfer back to the University more than $30 million in assessments, including $15 million in grant-in-aid costs.

More like those academic types need the facilities, coaches, and full ride scholarships to fill their libraries.

Posted 1 year ago #
bman
New Albany
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Core_Models wrote >>

universities need a way to pay for those facilities, coaches, and full ride scholarships!

You really didn't read this thread at all did you...

The Department of Athletics is completely self-supporting and receives no university monies, tax dollars or student fees. In Fiscal Year 2010-11, the Department of Athletics will transfer back to the University more than $30 million in assessments, including $15 million in grant-in-aid costs.

More like those academic types need the facilities, coaches, and full ride scholarships to fill their libraries.

... and they are self-sufficient by selling their corporate souls out. I don't want colleges becoming minor leagues for the pros. I am not a fan of any pro team or sport.

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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I am not a fan of any pro team or sport.

I'm not sure where that comes into play.

Posted 1 year ago #
bman
New Albany
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Core_Models wrote >>

I am not a fan of any pro team or sport.

I'm not sure where that comes into play.

I don't want the college game getting any closer to the pro game. I would rather watch students play than paid men.

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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bman wrote >>

Core_Models wrote >>

I am not a fan of any pro team or sport.

I'm not sure where that comes into play.

I don't want the college game getting any closer to the pro game. I would rather watch students play than paid men.

SURPRISE! On that we agree ;)

I don't watch the NFL because there's a definite loss of passion in the game, IMO. I don't want that either, nor do I want crazy salaries or pay based on performance type situations. I do think, however, that when you tell a kid that between 18 and 22 he not only can't get a job to earn a couple bucks of spending money, but can't earn any money from the job he's doing that's generating millions, there's a misstep somewhere.

Posted 1 year ago #
howatzer

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Andrew Hall wrote >>

howatzer wrote >>
Eh, I look at it as an inter or apprenticeship. There are lots of students doing high impact work, making firms or the University gobs of money that aren't paid commensurately (or at all).
And point 2: If it ain't broke....

Not at all like it.
Internships exists within a market where there are options for positions that pay you as well. For example, if you are a great software programmer you can go make money as a programmer and are not forced to accept an internship or nothing. The problem is not only are the universities making all the money, they've set it up so that an athlete is forced to make them that money in order to ever benefit.
Basketball is the worst in the blatant exploitation. In order to preserve the lucrative business, especially of the March Madness brand, there is a continual parade of 'one-and-done' basketball players who are in University solely because of collusion between the NBA and NCAA.
I am amused by the people who are perfectly OK with this system. Most of them would howl in protest at a system which forced people to join a union or otherwise restricts their ability earn money with their abilities. And yet they are OK with this.
A.

Many professional jobs - law, medicine etc "force" people to pay Universities for degrees as a prerequisite. You could make the argument that law schools and the Bar Association "collude" to keep people out of the industry as "a system which forced people to join a union or otherwise restricts their ability earn money with their abilities".

Posted 1 year ago #