Should NCAA pay student athletes?

[Thegreatone]

700WLW is talking about it now. I think Teague getting arrested is bringing this up.

What are your thoughts?

I am strongly against it. Most arguements that I hear are about poor kids who need more spending cash. These kids need to learn that they should expect to earn money by studying and doing well in school, not by being good at a sport.

97 percent of student athletes will never get paid for being an athlete. Why teach kids they can get paid for being good at football? Who cares? No one will care in 4 years when you graduate.

 

[ralph1950]

No.

 

[Thegreatone]

I just had a good convo on twitter where someone suggested that athletes get a percentage of sales from apparel companies. Jersey sales and such.

I like this. No way I would allow NCAA or universities pay athletes.

Gotta keep big money boosters like Ralph away too.

 

[Eternal E]

They should go with the olympic model where the NCAA doesn't pay the athlete anything, but they are free to seek out and receive endorsement deals on their own, just like any other student in college is able to do.

 

[DontMissHim]

They do get paid- free education. I don't want to see any payment what so ever, including jersey sales, endorsements, etc.--Reason being, you have a top recruit interested in a school, whats stopping a big time boosters saying "hey, you come here I can get you millions in endorsements and jersey sales".

The problem with any sort of money- it is a slippery slope. As much as programs (SEC) bend the rules now, it will be much worse with any sort of money involved.

 

[Thegreatone]

I do agree with DontMissHim.

A free education/meals/board is a great deal for playing a game. If the NCAA started paying athletes it would really effect my ability to enjoy the purity of the game.

It sucks that people go too far and pay players at some schools. One of the many reasons I do not enjoy SEC football. Treat football players like gods and give them a ton of benefits.

 

[Eternal E]

They do get paid- free education. I don't want to see any payment what so ever, including jersey sales, endorsements, etc.--Reason being, you have a top recruit interested in a school, whats stopping a big time boosters saying "hey, you come here I can get you millions in endorsements and jersey sales".

The problem with any sort of money- it is a slippery slope. As much as programs (SEC) bend the rules now, it will be much worse with any sort of money involved.

While you are correct about the big time booster influence, especially at a place like Maryland where they are in with Under Armor or at Oregon with Nike. However these are individuals that are receiving scholarships, they have the right as a person to seek endorsements or jobs, or any other means of income for their services outside of receiving direct money from boosters and the NCAA. If I am a player at a University, I would take that opportunity to market myself as best I can, and try to maximize the revenue I could be earning because my chances at success (professional leagues) as well as my window for making money (until mid 30's) are seriously limited.

 

[Cpaw]

They should go with the olympic model where the NCAA doesn't pay the athlete anything, but they are free to seek out and receive endorsement deals on their own, just like any other student in college is able to do.

I dislike this because we are already seeing the shoe endorsement companies trying to steer kids where they go via their AAU camps. If we allow Nike to sponsor these kids, they will have to much control over their decisions and would ruin the sport.

 

[ucswais]

There is no amount of money that will make them stop wanting more money. Pay them or don't pay them. I really don't care, but it won't accomplish anything at all with regards to paying off players or people stealing. They aren't doing things illegally because they're broke. They're doing it because they can, they want more money, and they're arrogant about what they can get away with. Paying them solves none of those problems.

 

[Kingsley Court]

I've always been against paying student athletes. After all, these are STUDENT athletes. Some of, if not the majority of these players could care less about the fact that they are students, paying them to play their sport would make it even worse. Once you start paying student athletes, as thegreatone said, it takes away from the purity of the sport.

Personally, I love people playing for their school and school pride. Once you start paying athletes, that aspect would go out the door. You are already paying them thousands of dollars for an education and room and board.

I also don't buy the argument that they are poor and have no money. This free education is supposed to help them get out of that lifestyle, and if they take full advantage of it, it can change their whole lives. Athletes bitching that they have no money are usually the ones that don't take full advantage of the free education, and the life changing opportunity that they were given because they are good at a sport.

 

[JasonS]

I've always been against paying student athletes. After all, these are STUDENT athletes. Some of, if not the majority of these players could care less about the fact that they are students, paying them to play their sport would make it even worse. Once you start paying student athletes, as thegreatone said, it takes away from the purity of the sport.

Personally, I love people playing for their school and school pride. Once you start paying athletes, that aspect would go out the door. You are already paying them thousands of dollars for an education and room and board.

I also don't buy the argument that they are poor and have no money. This free education is supposed to help them get out of that lifestyle, and if they take full advantage of it, it can change their whole lives. Athletes bitching that they have no money are usually the ones that don't take full advantage of the free education, and the life changing opportunity that they were given because they are good at a sport.

In addition to this, I know that student athletes get a stipend on a monthly basis. Some of them use this to live off campus. Some use it for food or dates or other things. At Ohio State, the last I heard was that players were getting about $1400 per month for a stipend. If you can't live off of $1400 per month in college, there is something messed up.

 

[UCBearcats]

They do get paid- free education. I don't want to see any payment what so ever, including jersey sales, endorsements, etc.--Reason being, you have a top recruit interested in a school, whats stopping a big time boosters saying "hey, you come here I can get you millions in endorsements and jersey sales".

The problem with any sort of money- it is a slippery slope. As much as programs (SEC) bend the rules now, it will be much worse with any sort of money involved.

Agree. They already get paid, they get a 100k plus education for free. The average student who goes to college and isn't fortunate enough to have mom and dad pay their way walks away with a huge debt they have to repay once they start working in the real world. Not to mention that most all student athletes don't move on to play professional sports. If you start paying players do you pay only the good players? What about the smaller schools who have no future pros on their roster and don't have huge athletic departments that generate a ton of money? Do all those kids get paid too? If so who pays for it?

It's a bad idea that hopefully never happens. I also agree that the NCAA should allow students to have their own deals if they're good enough to have a company seek them out for endorsements. Allow the companies that want to use students for endorsements to pay them but put on cap on how much that student can get paid or put in a stipulation that says the player has to use a certain percentage of that money to support community involvement or charity work.

 

[ervins84]

Olympic model would work just fine. Paying every single athlete is just dumb, but if Johnny's Car Dealership wants SK to do an ad for a few grand, then let them. If the #1 recruit coming out of college gets a deal with Nike,UA,Adidas or whoever for a couple mill, I think the world wont end.

Its also beyond silly that a kid can't make any money off his image/likeness wrt to jersey sales, endorsements, video games etc bc he WONT BE AN AMATEUR, but he can sign for millions with a MLB team, get paid, but still play college basketball, is an AMATEUR, AND remain their precious little STUDENT-athlete.

This entire notion of student-athlete is just dumb anyways.

 

[TheLivingLegend]

They are payed. Dumbest debate ever.

 

[UCalum08]

No way should a student athlete should get paid. They are already getting paid to go to school and room and board and free food, good food at That, they already get so much free shit as it is. No chance, they are already given more than anyone could have predicted. Maybe the NCAA should put their revenue to better use rather than filling their own pockets.

 

[thebeast]

No should never happen. They get paid upwards 50k a year for school plus they get all the nicest stuff, for free! I agree it would ruin the sport.

 

[DontMissHim]

They are payed. Dumbest debate ever.

Exactly, they are paid with free education. The shouldn't be a debate. Good point, LL

 

[Eternal E]

Exactly, they are paid with free education. The shouldn't be a debate. Good point, LL

So a student who receives a full scholarship academically can seek other avenues to make money, like endorse products or be in commercials. But an athlete receiving a full scholarship cannot do the same?

 

[ervins84]

So a student who receives a full scholarship academically can seek other avenues to make money, like endorse products or be in commercials. But an athlete receiving a full scholarship cannot do the same?

but then he wont have amateur status.......but if he's paid millions by MLB hes still an amateur..........

Makes perfect sense right? Gotta love the genius NCAA

 

[TheLivingLegend]

So a student who receives a full scholarship academically can seek other avenues to make money, like endorse products or be in commercials. But an athlete receiving a full scholarship cannot do the same?

Would never work... 1. Endorsing a college kid would be a huge risk, not many would take. 2. If that risk is taken its on kids who are more then likely going to the Pros, just wait. 3. Im personally not buying no college kids shoes/shirts/.... 4. Most importantly. These student athletes should be focusing on their education and their sport.

Again why am I having this debate.... Pay me to go to college, o and be some big shot on campus. Done. Deal. Sign me up.

Frankly if these student athletes start getting paid, id lose a ton of respect for college sports. And those student athletes complaining have already lost my respect. Pathetic.