Beyond Tressel: College Athletics’ Real Scandal

[NAHSTE]

Beyond Tressel: College Athletics’ Real Scandal

Great piece. Shit is broken, it has been for years, and it's only getting more broken. Overhaul that shit now, or risk losing college sports altogether.

 

[ralaw]

Hmm, I disagree with his use of the phrase "financial exploitation of student athletes". Regardless of how much is being brought into the school I just don't see it as student-athletes being exploited. As someone who owes roughly $75,000 in student loans I would love to be exploited to the point where I didn't have that debt.

The fact remains that upon graduation much like the rest of their graduating class the overwhelming majority of student athletes have to find a job and work. Due to their athletic talents many of these athletes have been rewarded with college degrees that many otherwise wouldn’t have had and they don’t have to pay a dime back. Not to mention that due to them being recognizable student athletes many of them acquire connections in various work places that provide them opportunities that many do not get. For instance, I know of a local college athlete who is having his graduate school tuition is being paid for and upon completion they're going to be "groomed" to be an athletic director.

Student athletics certainly makes a lot of money, but I don’t see why student athletes should be treated as professional athletes and paid a percentage. IMO that would cause a host of other issues that really doesn’t need to be opened.

 

[steeljake]

i couldnt agree more ralaw... these kids get a free education at top tier schools, plus free room and board and money to live on. i would argue that the majority of student athletes are just that and that this small percentage that we see getting busted or making the so called big time are persons who otherwise would have been working at mcdonalds. these kids are givien huge opportunities that the rest of us have to bust ass for and all they can do is cheat and cry when they get caught.

 

[Bear Pand]

Please.

NCAA (and others) make millions off of the ad revenue, merchandise $$$, ticket $$$ these kids create. And their reward is a free education?

Yeah that's fantastic. Until you realize these kids get shuffled into BS majors, BS classes and in some cases have people do their work for them. And that a lot of these kids really shouldn't be in college to begin with but get accepted because they can run fast and make the school some $$$.

Gordon Hayward chose Butler over Purdue partially because they wouldn't let him be an engineering major. They said he wouldn't have time to do bball and engineering. Lol at not letting a kid choose the school's trademark major because it'd interfere with athletics. I also had a friend who got into one of the special "football player" classes. Was some online only, one quiz a week joke of a class. And this is going on at Purdue, a university that doesn't care much about athletics and is super serious about academics.

It's a farce. Some old model that doesn't really make sense anymore. NCAA should be extremely lucky that there's very few viable options for kids who want to play in the NBA/NFL, outside of going to college.

 

[manchild24]

Please.

NCAA (and others) make millions off of the ad revenue, merchandise $$$, ticket $$$ these kids create. And their reward is a free education?

Yeah that's fantastic. Until you realize these kids get shuffled into BS majors, BS classes and in some cases have people do their work for them. And that a lot of these kids really shouldn't be in college to begin with but get accepted because they can run fast and make the school some $$$.

Gordon Hayward chose Butler over Purdue partially because they wouldn't let him be an engineering major. They said he wouldn't have time to do bball and engineering. Lol at not letting a kid choose the school's trademark major because it'd interfere with athletics. I also had a friend who got into one of the special "football player" classes. Was some online only, one quiz a week joke of a class. And this is going on at Purdue, a university that doesn't care much about athletics and is super serious about academics.

It's a farce. Some old model that doesn't really make sense anymore. NCAA should be extremely lucky that there's very few viable options for kids who want to play in the NBA/NFL, outside of going to college.

On a smaller scale, a guy a work with, his son plays at Bucknell and wanted to major in engineering. It would ahve kept him out of the gym and in the library more, the coach told him and his dad, its Bucknell you can get a any job in the country with any degree from Bucknell.

 

[BrntO4Life]

the coach told him and his dad, its Bucknell you can get a any job in the country with any degree from Bucknell.

:lolwut:

 

[ralaw]

Please.

NCAA (and others) make millions off of the ad revenue, merchandise $$$, ticket $$$ these kids create. And their reward is a free education?

Yeah that's fantastic. Until you realize these kids get shuffled into BS majors, BS classes and in some cases have people do their work for them. And that a lot of these kids really shouldn't be in college to begin with but get accepted because they can run fast and make the school some $$$.

Gordon Hayward chose Butler over Purdue partially because they wouldn't let him be an engineering major. They said he wouldn't have time to do bball and engineering. Lol at not letting a kid choose the school's trademark major because it'd interfere with athletics. I also had a friend who got into one of the special "football player" classes. Was some online only, one quiz a week joke of a class. And this is going on at Purdue, a university that doesn't care much about athletics and is super serious about academics.

It's a farce. Some old model that doesn't really make sense anymore. NCAA should be extremely lucky that there's very few viable options for kids who want to play in the NBA/NFL, outside of going to college.

The kids have a responsibility to themselves. The issue isn’t the schools steering kids to certain majors, but kids going to college (who in some cases wouldn’t even be in college) and not caring about their education. If they cared about their education they could declare whichever major they want and coaches would just deal with it. Coaches are about keeping kids eligible and not whether Jimmy is going to be able to be an engineer in 10 years. Coaches are paid based on winning and graduation rates, so they’re obviously going to steer kids into suspect majors to keep them eligible. However, the athletes have to take responsibility for their education like the majority of college students do. Gordon Hayward not going to Purdue is an example of this.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I'm with ralaw, the article lost me with this notion that these athletes are "exploited".

If you don't want to be "exploited", refuse the evil, exploitatious scholarship you are offered, go to school on your own dime, and play intramurals.

And if you want to talk about exploitation, how about these kids who leave school early for the pros? They use & exploit the system. I think if you leave early, you should forfeit your scholarship and be forced to pay back the two or three years of free education opportunity you stole from someone else.

 

[FedEx227]

I still think it should be a free market system where if they want to get cars or free housing so be it.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I still think it should be a free market system where if they want to get cars or free housing so be it.

Slippery slope.

The divide between the large schools and the small schools would widen considerably. Forget free cars and a nice condo, you would end up with a gradual evolution of college players making millions of dollars. You would have a system where wealthy fans control college athletics.

Don't forget Title 9. How do you make that piece fit?

It just opens up a pandora's box of issues. This is exactly why a coach can't buy a player lunch or pay an electric bill. The line must be drawn at everything or there is no line at all.

 

[FirstTimer]

Slippery slope.

The divide between the large schools and the small schools would widen considerably. Forget free cars and a nice condo, you would end up with a gradual evolution of college players making millions of dollars. You would have a system where wealthy fans control college athletics.

Don't forget Title 9. How do you make that piece fit?

It just opens up a pandora's box of issues. This is exactly why a coach can't buy a player lunch or pay an electric bill. The line must be drawn at everything or there is no line at all.

This.

I think people view this issue too narrowly and just apply it to big time schools/programs or big time sports. Yeah Football and basketball make tons of money for the school but they are also using that money to fund other programs and other sports.

Who do people think should pay these athletes? Boosters? The school? It's easy to just say "Fuck it. Pay them." But where is this money going to come from? Will it require other programs to be cut, that may not be legally able to be cut?

Overall I think the solution is much harsher penalties for those involved. From the school, to the coaches, to the players to the boosters.

 

[Senser81]

Hmm, I disagree with his use of the phrase "financial exploitation of student athletes". Regardless of how much is being brought into the school I just don't see it as student-athletes being exploited. As someone who owes roughly $75,000 in student loans I would love to be exploited to the point where I didn't have that debt.

Student athletics certainly makes a lot of money, but I don’t see why student athletes should be treated as professional athletes and paid a percentage. IMO that would cause a host of other issues that really doesn’t need to be opened.

To me, this seems like the argument against pro players making a ton of money..."I make X amount of dollars at my job, why should a guy get $10M a year for hitting a baseball?"

There are huge amounts of money being made in college football and basketball. The coaches are making a ridiculous amount of money mainly because the players can't get paid, so the money has to go somewhere to maintain a competitive advantage.

I don't see the issue as being one of academics or equality or Title IX BS. The issue is that the football and basketball players generate revenue for the University that is vastly disproportionate to the monetary value of their education/scholarship, so, IMO, those players deserve to have a bigger piece of the financial pie.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

To me, this seems like the argument against pro players making a ton of money..."I make X amount of dollars at my job, why should a guy get $10M a year for hitting a baseball?"

There are huge amounts of money being made in college football and basketball. The coaches are making a ridiculous amount of money mainly because the players can't get paid, so the money has to go somewhere to maintain a competitive advantage.

I don't see the issue as being one of academics or equality or Title IX BS. The issue is that the football and basketball players generate revenue for the University that is vastly disproportionate to the monetary value of their education/scholarship, so, IMO, those players deserve to have a bigger piece of the financial pie.

I fundamentally disagree with this, but for the sake of the argument, where do you propose drawing the line? And when you establish that line, how do you enforce it?

 

[Senser81]

I fundamentally disagree with this, but for the sake of the argument, where do you propose drawing the line? And when you establish that line, how do you enforce it?

As it stands currently, there really is no definitive "line", its more like a jagged scribble with 1,000 different rules. And there is also no enforcement, really.

I'm not concerned with everyone following the rules, because people don't follow the rules now.

As for where we draw the line, I don't know. Some of the rules in place are ridiculous (players can't sell their own 'memorabilia', players can't have jobs, etc.), so perhaps just doing away with those rules would help. I'd also be agreeable to men's football and basketball players getting some type of annual payment. If people were aghast with this, you could say that only players who are academically eligible will be able to receive the annual payment.

 

[FirstTimer]

As it stands currently, there really is no definitive "line", its more like a jagged scribble with 1,000 different rules. And there is also no enforcement, really.

I'm not concerned with everyone following the rules, because people don't follow the rules now.

As for where we draw the line, I don't know. Some of the rules in place are ridiculous (players can't sell their own 'memorabilia', players can't have jobs, etc.), so perhaps just doing away with those rules would help. I'd also be agreeable to men's football and basketball players getting some type of annual payment. If people were aghast with this, you could say that only players who are academically eligible will be able to receive the annual payment.

I was under the impression they could have jobs...just not washing cars at the local car dealership for $100 an hour.

 

[ralaw]

I just don't like the idea of paying college athletes, because it seems to me that it would just open up even more issues and certainly wouldn’t eliminate the corruption that already takes place…..I could see it becoming worse. I just think a college degree is enough, because if used correctly along with their influence it can set them up. However, it’s on the student athlete to realize that. If you’re going to pay athletes for making money for the school then why not just make them employees and not force education on them? Why not just make big time college sports semi-pro and give them contracts.

 

[FedEx227]

Slippery slope.

The divide between the large schools and the small schools would widen considerably. Forget free cars and a nice condo, you would end up with a gradual evolution of college players making millions of dollars. You would have a system where wealthy fans control college athletics.

Don't forget Title 9. How do you make that piece fit?

It just opens up a pandora's box of issues. This is exactly why a coach can't buy a player lunch or pay an electric bill. The line must be drawn at everything or there is no line at all.

That's why I'm not saying the institution should do anything, they shouldn't. They shouldn't get paid and they can't get paid because of Title IX and the multitude of other reasons both financially and ethically.

But if a booster or a used car dealership wants to give the star QB or star PF a car, who cares? Why not establish it as the near-professional sport that it is?

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

That's why I'm not saying the institution should do anything, they shouldn't. They shouldn't get paid and they can't get paid because of Title IX and the multitude of other reasons both financially and ethically.

But if a booster or a used car dealership wants to give the star QB or star PF a car, who cares? Why not establish it as the near-professional sport that it is?

Because it won't stop at cars.

What if T.Bone Pickens decides he's going to die soon, wants to see some championships, and decides to spend his fortune on paying for players to come to Kentucky? And then Phil Knight does the same at Oregon? You have no issue with turning these players into millionaires, and completely blowing up the entire structure of college sports?

Why do this? Get tougher and force people to comply. It isn't diifficult, its just that nobody has the balls to do it. Or in some cases, they have financial interest to protect.

 

[Bear Pand]

The kids have a responsibility to themselves. The issue isn’t the schools steering kids to certain majors, but kids going to college (who in some cases wouldn’t even be in college) and not caring about their education. If they cared about their education they could declare whichever major they want and coaches would just deal with it. Coaches are about keeping kids eligible and not whether Jimmy is going to be able to be an engineer in 10 years. Coaches are paid based on winning and graduation rates, so they’re obviously going to steer kids into suspect majors to keep them eligible. However, the athletes have to take responsibility for their education like the majority of college students do. Gordon Hayward not going to Purdue is an example of this.

So it's cool for the university to pay coaches million dollar salaries while they make a mockery of the whole "student-athlete" label?

 

[Senser81]

I just don't like the idea of paying college athletes, because it seems to me that it would just open up even more issues and certainly wouldn’t eliminate the corruption that already takes place…..I could see it becoming worse. I just think a college degree is enough, because if used correctly along with their influence it can set them up. However, it’s on the student athlete to realize that. If you’re going to pay athletes for making money for the school then why not just make them employees and not force education on them? Why not just make big time college sports semi-pro and give them contracts.

You could do that. But I would liken to "scholar-athlete" situation to being a Graduate Assistant or Teaching Assistant, who is being paid by the University for services provided to the University but also being a student at the University.