There are certain topics that get under my skin as a sports fan. I love reading headlines and seeing recaps from games that went into triple overtime, saw a player hit three home runs in the same game, or created a new record while an old one was broken.
However, it drives me crazy to read about things like Roger Clemens having a relationship with a 15-year-old girl, Marvin Harrison saying he did not shoot a certain gun, and OJ Mayo taking illegal benefits.
Most of the off-the-field stories consist of real news that as sports fans, we would like to know. But I personally don't care if OJ Mayo, or any other college athlete for that matter, gets a secret amount of cash to spend as he sees fit.
The only time something becomes a big deal and causes SportsCenter to interrupt with breaking news is if the news involves a high-caliber athlete. To me, there isn't a difference between OJ Mayo getting a house in his name and some University of Texas player drinking at a bar for free during his whole college career.
They are both getting something that they didn't pay for. They are both using their status as a college athlete to get what they want. On top of all that, neither one of those examples helps them play football on the field.
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These guys aren't using steroids or going to jail on drunken driving charges. They are poor college students who will take anything thrown at them to make college more fun and a little easier. If some random agent wants to buy a player a BMW to drive around in while he's in college, who is that hurting?
I do realize that if this started, it will open the floodgates, and pretty soon the high-profile collegiate athletes will be no different from Lebron James or Peyton Manning.
One of the reasons I love college sports is the purity of the game. While there are several players out there who are playing just for the scouts, for the most part everyone on the field or court is playing to win and only for that reason.
Paying college athletes is the best solution. I know it sounds wrong and feels like I should be slammed for just writing that, but why not?
Sometimes, the athletes put in more time and work than some people do at full-time jobs. They do receive a scholarship, but at the same time if they didn't most of them could apply for financial aid and grants to cover most of their expenses anyway.
Paying athletes on a yearly basis is a lot different than one athlete in particular getting a new hummer or cash under the table, I'll be the first to admit that. I just think it would be easier to differentiate who is abusing the system if all athletes got something for their time.
If every athlete out there is making $400 a week, there should be no reason for any "superstar" to want special treatment. As it is now, most college athletes are broke because they can't get a job with their practice schedules and travel time.
Athletes should be well compensated for their time. Paying athletes under the table with money or material things will never stop. As long as the players aren't getting paid and don't think they will get caught, there will always be someone with too much money or too much ambition that will give them whatever they need knowing it will come back ten fold down the road.
Collegiate athletes provide entertainment for the whole country and put in countless hours a week to make sure they play up to society's standards. It's about time we pay athletes what they deserve so we can start turning on the TV and hearing about how close the NBA playoffs are and stop hearing about 19-year-olds taking money.
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3 months ago
This is the stupidest thing I have ever read
from 3 months ago
Nice constructive response! You dont have to agree, but everyone has their own opinions, and you can easily go write an article in regards to the subject. He wrote what he felt, wrong or right, respect that.
3 months ago
College players do get paid, its called scholarships. I will be paying for my education for the next 30 years, while athletes get a free education, free meals, free tutors, free clothes, free housing, and tons of other perks never mentioned. Athletes are well taken care of, trust me! All Mayo needed to do was wait one year and he could have been a millionaire, instead he went the greedy route and accepted $30,000 in cash and gifts. I don't have a problem with buying a player a meal and taking care of him at a bar, but $30,000 is out of control. All this would do is kill the college game and it would be the NBA and NFL on a smaller scale. All a good player has to do is play 2-4 years at a college and then they can move on to make millions. I think 2-4 years is a small price to pay for what they get in return.
from 3 months ago
Bingo..
Me and My family have to pay for my college education. These guys get to go for free. That is enough payment.
They get free books! I pay 300 bucks a semester on books, and that is 300 more in their pocket to spend on necessities(and I'm sure like Corey said they get free food). Come on seriously. Get a job if your so poor.
3 months ago
Oh come on, you don't have to be that harsh.
3 months ago
I somewhat agree with your points, but I'm going to play devils advocate. The problem with paying athletes becomes: where does the money come from? Looking away from major D1 programs such as Ohio State, Texas, USC etc., smaller schools can't meet those demands. Believe it or not, many athletic programs lose money, including some large programs, and now they are supposed to pay them? Are schools going to start taking away from academic programs to ba able to compensate their athletes? Are they ging to start cutting the smaller non-profitable sport programs? You can't look to womens sports due to Title IX, so if programs are to be cut, it will more than likely come from the men's side. Also with Title IX, you are looking at compensating all women's programs as well. So while $400 per athlete may sound like a small amount, you spread that over an entire athletic program, thats A LOT of coin.
What effect would this have on smaller schools, such as the one I attend, who absolutely cant pay their student athletes? We would surely have to cut our entire sports program (as many other schools would) due to the fact we can't offer compensation like other schools can. No recruit would want to come here when another school can shell out some money.
I think the problem of corruption runs much deeper than compensation, and while it sounds like an ideal solution, whos to say that $400 compensation wont be enough? Maybe some kids want more, so they go out ad do the same things they are doing now. This is just a very sticky and difficult situation, and if the answer was easy, it would have been fixed by now. Good article.
3 months ago
Read here:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6243-Scholarship-Athletes-Do-Not-Deserve-Extras-110108
3 months ago
A couple of issues from an adult and a parent.
The problem does not lie in the underage participants in the equation. The problem is the adults - the parents, the agents, the schools and the system. Constraints need to be put in place from keeping those greedy constituents at bay. If that means making them wait a bit longer to cash in, so be it.
What you are suggesting is that the players should get paid. They get scholarships, but we know that is not enough - or is it? The issue is the alumni wants a winning program. In order to compete they need good players. In order to get good players, they need to do things that I believe are immoral and illegal. The authorities have to step in a regulate and enforce that process.
My suggestion is to regulate agents, alumni and parents by not allowing students to enter professional sports until they are 21 years of age. No minors allowed. That gives the student an opportunity to do something that these greedy bastards are not allowing them to do - grow up normally.
When are 21 them they can do whatever they please - leave college a year early, whatever. Parents are making bad decisions for kids and agents and ADs are helping them along. By waiting until the student is an adult, that alleviates some of the problem. It also may enhance the quality of individuals coming into professional sports by having them stay in school longer and maturing. A 19-year-old should not be put in this position.
3 months ago
"Sometimes, the athletes put in more time and work than some people do at full-time jobs. They do receive a scholarship, but at the same time if they didn't most of them could apply for financial aid and grants to cover most of their expenses anyway."
Some financial aid is a gift which does not need to be repayed. Other forms, however, require it.
Also, I would be quite upset if the financial aid for which I was declined was instead being used to pay for some guy's flat screen tv or latest shoes.
I agree with the above posts that these students ARE being paid with their free ride to premiere institutions. What was OJ Mayo getting per year at USC, if we only look at scholarship? $46,070 (the price of tuition, room and board at USC).
I see what you would like to do by giving athletes something tangible in addition to their scholarship money, with your suggestion of $400 a week (which, by the way, works out to $20,800 in joy money a year). But here's the problem with that---
1) Just because an athlete is being paid his $400 by the institution, it in no way eliminates the hangers-on and negative influences present right now. Boosters and agents will still be hounding the athletes. Except now the only thing that changes is we have a floor for hidden weekly payments-- they can allow the athlete to be paid more than $400 a week under the table.
2) Is this $400 a week set universally? What if a school in LA, NY, Chicago, Seattle, or San Francisco wants to give their students more than $400 to deal with the high cost of living? What if, then, other schools decide they can afford to pay more than $400 a week? Do we really want to open all these floodgates and welcome bidding wars for athletes? Will there be any ceiling on these salaries? If not, I guarantee you the concept of amateur athletics on the college level will be 100% shot. The major programs will be able to afford the best athletes, and the disparity between the haves and have nots will only be increased. And once you enter that world, there is no turning back, because then you will be chided for denying a person the opportunity to be paid.
College athletes get free rides to college, and then some. We really don't need to open Pandora's Box.
3 months ago
Just wanted to thank everyone who posted something constructive and created a debate. Most of the points I have read caused me to adjust my thinking and just wanted to say to everyone who gave their opinion thanks!
3 months ago
Plus everyone was writing about how wrong everything is and while the system needs adjusting I just thought I would represent the other side of the coin.
from 3 months ago
I've done that many, many times. I love to be devil's advocate. Just look at some of my articles, you'll see that. I applaud you for representing the other side.
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