NCAA student athletes getting paid

[SG_Player1974]

I think that half of your post should have been directed at Larry but....

As far as study time and balancing is concerned.... how is it being done now and how was it done for the last 40-50 years? All the time I see, during collegiate sports broadcasts, some honor student that is maintaining a 3.5 GPA while being a starter on the field/court AND participating in school programs. How do they do it? Do they have it easier than the students that need to be paid? They look like they are eating OK to me. How is it that they ALWAYS have someone to point to in these situations?

So... let me make sure I am getting this right. You are contending that if every college athlete were to be paid a small stipend per week/month/quarter/etc. that this would all be OK? On one hand you are saying that these kids are having a hard time balancing a schedule that I am 99% convinced they knew of beforehand BUT....somehow they will be able to handle this stipend money with no problems?

Good luck with that.

I say give it to 'em then! Minus taxes of course. It is income after all and will most likely be above the reportable amount. Hopefully, they can provide a mandatory break from their hectic schedules to file their 1040s

 

[Larry Gude]

And to Larry.... your comment about the $50 million and the labor quota ONLY applies to Penn State. Let's go ahead and average that out against ALL Div-1A colleges and come up with a number. I will guarantee you it will be a far cry less and will bring those labor rates more into focus.

Right but that becomes an exercise in chasing statistics. Your comment is fair enough yet then we get into variables like how much more or less tuition is somewhere else, who bends their admission standards the most to get jocks, what the actual requirements are for jocks in terms of classes they take, how culpable the school is in terms of, like the recent North Carolina thing, cheating on jocks classes and grades to keep them eligible and if this amounts to defrauding the jock in terms of the value we're talking about in terms of what the tuition is really worth if they teams have them in basket weaving so they can play, etc, etc, etc.

On top of that, a little searching shows most Big 10 football programs, which includes our Terps, not exactly football leviathans, will make nearly $50 mil, each, per year, JUST from the new TV deal. So, while you're going to find some well under $50 million, I would venture that $50 mil is going to be a fairly decent average for the, what, top 50-100 programs nation wide. So, yeah, it seems that 85 kids a year (I looked that one up) who can gt full rides are helping to rake in nearly $600,000 per player for their ride that, is well under my 20% and as low as $9500 for instate tuition so, a local kid is helping bring $60 in for every $1 of tuition he is getting.

I'm not seeking a pity party for these kids. I am pointing out that these kids help a business make a #### ton of money vs. labor costs in most any other business.

 

[Larry Gude]

Again, don't equate scholarships with "future professinals" or blue chips. That is a VERY small fraction of people and too often, special "things" are done to accomodate them (and that's BS). The VAST majority of kids are using their talent to obtain an education that wouldn't otherwise be afforded to them and it's too often impacted because of unbalanced expectations of their time.

That's why I like a system where you are given some sort of credit for classes after your playing career. NBA is something insane like 3 kids out of 10,000. Football is like 1.6 per 100, only baseball is over 2% so, for the VAST majority of those kids that tuition ain't worth a hell of a lot if you're taking light classes and not doing well in the them.

Again, using 35% income: labor from food service, a kid would earn over $200,000 a YEAR or $800,000 for four years which is a damn sight more than he's every going to see from a professional playing career for the VAST majority.

College athletes are nothing but CHEAP labor. VERY cheap.

 

[Hannibal]

I think that half of your post should have been directed at Larry but..

As far as study time and balancing is concerned.... how is it being done now and how was it done for the last 40-50 years? All the time I see, during collegiate sports broadcasts, some honor student that is maintaining a 3.5 GPA while being a starter on the field/court AND participating in school programs. How do they do it? Do they have it easier than the students that need to be paid? They look like they are eating OK to me. How is it that they ALWAYS have someone to point to in these situations?..

Things are much different. Sports were never the money maker it is now so the dynamics of the deal and the emphasis on the success of the sports have changed. There is far more pressure on the student athletes. As to how they do it (in terms of making grades), I guess that is based upon the individual. I had a successful academic career myself and balanced it well with my playing career. I did; however, have to endure the money issues noted previously. I also believe my academic accomplishments could have been better with the availability of time and flexability. Quite honestly, some people are geared to thrive in that environment (high intensity, high pressure, go go go, etc.) while others are not.

So... let me make sure I am getting this right. You are contending that if every college athlete were to be paid a small stipend per week/month/quarter/etc. that this would all be OK? On one hand you are saying that these kids are having a hard time balancing a schedule that I am 99% convinced they knew of beforehand BUT....somehow they will be able to handle this stipend money with no problems?....

I am contending that if all student athletes are paid a modest sum (proportionate to the hours they commit to team/university mandated events), you would solve one of the bigger issues facing student athletes. Again, I stress this isn't money in an amount one would brag about. Even $20 a week would prove beneficial. But I am not saying that "paying" them solves all the problems and it certainly doesn't solve the imbalance of a schedule. However, it does resolve one of the negative results of that imbalanced schedule and eliminates one of the unforeseen hardships they are faced with.

I say give it to 'em then! Minus taxes of course. It is income after all and will most likely be above the reportable amount. Hopefully, they can provide a mandatory break from their hectic schedules to file their 1040s

That's all semantics really. Players aren't taxed on their cash stipend they receieve when travelling that goes to paying for their dinner. And before you get all hot and bothered about that amount, it runs about $15/day and is intended to cover all three meals. Keep your fingers crossed you get to stay at a hotel with a contenental breakfast .......

The more this conversation goes on, the more it seems as if there is a real sore spot for those who went to college on a scholarship. I am not sure why that is. Maybe there isn't, but there is certainly an apparent lack of understanding as to what really happens once pen meets paper in many instances so spare me the sarcasm. I fully agree there are those who abuse the system but the vast majority do not and those same majority don't reap the same benefits as those who cheat. And there will always been people who scam the system but that should not affect how the "good" ones are handled.

 

[Tilted]

The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday handed down what could be an import decision on this issue. If it stands in the Ninth Circuit (i.e. it isn't overturned by that court sitting en banc) it may lead to the Supreme Court hearing the matter because it seems to create a split among the various federal circuits.

The decision is a mixed bag. But the court found that, in at least some contexts, NCAA rules relating to the compensation of student-athletes violate antitrust laws.

Here is the ruling in O'Bannon v NCAA.