This is part of the problem in this debate, right here.
Why must everything be "fair" and "just"? Where did this idea come from that if somebody is making money, and you indirectly contribute, that you are entitled some sort of piece of that money?
Aside from argument, this is a genuine question: why do you consider it an indirect contribution to the NCAA and the schools making money and not a direct contribution? It will help me better understand your point.
The tradeoff is made clear to these athletes. You play for us, we won't charge you to come here. Whether the athlete values the education or not is irrelevent. If they don't think this tradeoff is fair, well, you know my answer to that. They have a bevy of options.
And again, too much focus on pro bound athletes here. Tiny percentage. Miniscule percentage. This idea that college athletes don't value the scholarship is ridiculous. Why are we so concerned with the Dwayne Wade's getting paid? They are going to get paid down the road, THANKS TO THE EXPOSURE THEY GOT FROM THE COLLEGE. And do you really think an of these players matter? They don't. There will be 100k at Michigan this week no matter who is playing.
I agree with everything except this here. I'm not really sure what you mean. Regardless of who is playing, they are contributing. So the same logic for the argument would apply regardless of who is playing.
Maybe the argument wouldn't exist if everyone playing in the NCAA came from a more-than-well-to-do family? Is that what this means? That people are only cuing on the gap between what the NCAA makes versus what the players are directly given because the players are [or at the very least are perceived to be] mostly poor black kids?
I agree that when kids squander their opportunities it is at the very least
mostly their fault, and usually probably entirely. I agree that too much emphasis is given to the minuscule percentage of players that actually contribute financially to the schools primarily through football and men's basketball.
But yeah, these poor kids, my god are they being scammed!
They aren't entitled to shit beyond what they already receive. Quite frankly, its not even their business how much money the schools or the NCAA generate.
My whole point is that the schools and the NCAA make money off of them. If you see the exposure they get from college and their free education as a fair exchange for them playing, then that makes sense.
But stating you don't care at all isn't the same as saying you don't care because they get free education. The 'trade-off' implies the pursuit, if not necessarily the acquisition, of a fair exchange. Saying "they aren't entitled to shit beyond what they already receive" implies that you think 'what they already receive' is fair payment, which I consider a valid point...
The ideal of the scholarship for athletics is that the players are given free education because of their athletic prowess. So far as I can see, the argument stems from the fact that schools and the NCAA make so much money from the contribution of FB/MBB athletes.
Like I said, I would understand one-hundred percent if you said it's fair because they get free schooling. That's what you seem to be saying, and that makes sense. But it doesn't make sense to me that we wouldn't at least ideally be looking to do the fair and just thing.