I think the obvious solution is not to make colleges pay them, but rather allow them to be paid by others (eg. Boosters, fans, etc). The issue with having colleges pay athletes is that few athletes are valuable enough to deserve pay above and beyond a scholarship. You also get into title IX issues as well. The simple, short answer is to get rid of the prohibition on athletes accepting money, require the money be reported to the NCAA, and cap the gifts the can accept at some amount that isn’t too egregious (say, $100k). That way, if some billionaire wants to pay for great team, he can do so without taking money from tax payers.
Why should you determine the salary they receive, rather than letting the market for their unique skills establish it?
Because they are already getting a free education. At some point they owe someone something for that. Quit pretending they are being exploited.
Same question - why the cap? I don’t have a salary cap at my job, and I’m free to negotiate whatever the market will bear. I presume you are too. It’s true that the NFL and NBA have salary caps, but those caps are negotiated with the respective players’ unions - I don’t think that would work in the NCAA. What grounds do you have to arbitrarily limit their earning power to $100,000?
“Student athletes” are already being paid.
“Using these valuations, and adding in the value of a scholarship, a student athlete at a major conference school on full scholarship is likely receiving a package of education, room, board, and coaching/training worth between $50,000 and $125,000 per year depending on their sport and whether they attend a public or private university.”
Add in health insurance and other grant/aid packages, plus the connections athletes make that grease the skids towards good jobs after school (assuming they don’t make the pros), and the payments/benefits are even higher. Oops, let’s not forget Pell grants.
Athletes in the “money” sports want more? Screw that. Have the NFL, NBA etc. pour more money into minor/developmental leagues and offer scholarships for when athletes don’t make the pros. Time to de-emphasize the $$$ craziness on the college level, not contribute to it.
The problem with this is boosters are going to give money, gifts, etc to the star linebacker, running back and quarterback and give jack s_hit to the the offensive and defensive linemen. I doubt that the punter will be as well rewarded as the star receiver.
I’m not pretending, I’m outright stating it, at least for the players in the big sports. DI football and basketball players are brought into educational settings they’re barely qualified for, given an “opportunity” that they can’t possibly take advantage of, and make a shitload of money for their schools without getting a damn thing in return.
You’ve already admitted that the whole system has to be restructured. If they’re not being exploited, why the need for restructuring.
Except the big football and basketball programs bring in big money to the school. If all the best players go to the minors that won’t happen.
Kind of like in the NFL? I mean, that’s how the market determines salaries. At some point, the booster is going to want a big time left tackle to protect his investment at QB and a ball hawking linebacker to get the ball back to in his QBs hands.
Right, those athletes are given scholarships and then refused the time to take advantage of them. It’s as if your boss offered to pay for you to take a European vacation every July and then refused to approve your request for time off. On paper, that payment looks great, but from a practical perspective, it’s fucked.
I think being able to play sports is a privilege. I think the majority of that extra money should go into supporting the non revenue sports, which, as I understand things, this is the way it works. I do think they should get a small salary and the fact that they are not prepared for college level work at a major university is a separate issue. But you’ll get no argument from me that (low income) students should have better preparation in high school. And the pressures put upon them should be reduced. They should feel no more pressure their time than a non scholarship student who has to spend 20 hours a week stocking shelves at Home Depot.
Right. And if you are going to such a bare bones capitalistic model then you get rid of the scholarships. Being a student athlete should have some privileges and protections so that you can focus on your academic career.
Look, the big football and basketball schools do not want scholarship athletes in those sports to “focus on” education. That would make them students, which would make them less (de facto) professional players, and therefore much less valuable to the schools.
The majority of student athletes in this country are not in revenue producing sports. Some don’t even receive scholarships (Division III for example does not allow scholarships but there are also non-scholarship participants where they are allowed.) We’re talking about two distinct categories where they aren’t sharing the money, football and men’s basketball. Outside the major conferences there’s not a whole lot of money even in the “revenue” sports. Frequently breaking even requires Cupcake U going on the road to get pummeled by Majorpower U in exchange for a big check. It’s not win one for the Gipper. Mostly it’s lose one to pay for the rest of the season and have a some left over for field hockey and wrestling.
Two sports at a small portion of schools are generating profits. Crafting a rule that will apply equally to University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan could be a challenge with unintended consequences for the bulk of student athletes who don’t generate profits.
The highest profile college sports programs, maybe, but not “most.”
What about the community college student who’s on the volleyball team, for example? What’s the case for paying her?
They are employees, at least at Northwestern University they are. I have no idea why they are not treated as such, even today, except that vast numbers of people don’t want them to be treated fairly.
Well, we will just add them to the long long long list of people who get treated unfairly. Most of whom don’t have the privilege of a free education. I want them treated fairly too. But to hear you tell it it seems they are working in a coal mine slaving away for $9 an hour.
The education isn’t free. The education is made available in exchange for the recipient playing a sport or sports for the college or university. You know, like how most people receive some form of compensation for work they do at the behest of and on behalf of another.
Except that playing football, or wrestling or gymnastics is a privilege, unlike stocking shelves at Home Depot, which is as you describe, a job you do in exchange for compensation.
They don’t get a free education. They get a free diploma.