Paying college athletes?

[longhorn_22]

Discuss.
I vote 'They already are'. They already are getting paid for the most part. Free tuition and the benefits of being a college athlete is getting paid enough (for scholarship athletes). The second they start getting paid, it's going to slowly increase and snowball from there. Not only that, I see my tuition increasing to compensate for this.

[catamaran]

Their "salary" is paid through tuition/education, room and board, and the stipend. What is missing in the argument about paying athletes is that while colleges are making money off athletics, there wouldn't be an expenditure for college athletics without schollies etc. It would be like the "Golden" days when anyone could play a sport if they had spare time but they would have to pay their own way

[mslacat]

My initial reaction to this question has always been no, but I have a big problem with coaches salaries getting to be ridiculous levels. If these athletes are going to put forth a product in which a coach is making a million dollar salaries it has gone too far. At the Big Sky level it seems there is a good balance. To have a kid scraping together enough money to go out to a movie and then have the coach drive up in his hot sports car. Something is wrong there.

[catamaran]

The biggest problem I have with that scenario is that the college actually pays for these vehicles (or they are donated, not sure) at MSU

[G.W.Bush]

The biggest problem I have with that scenario is that the college actually pays for these vehicles (or they are donated, not sure) at MSU

MSU's cars are donated. I am sure the University picks up the tab on gas and insurance though.

[whitetrashgriz]

i voted yes and i think that i will always feel this way. are they getting paid already? sure. room, and board, and a free education is nothing to laugh at. however, who made the rule that said that this form of payment should be all that these guys should be allowed to get? what if the pro leagues did this? let's say you get drafted in the nba. that in itself is a privledge. you get to travel the country, and make great money. but what if someone said that all players will make the same amount of money despite their status. afterall, they are still getting paid. it doesn't seem fair. if all of a sudden dan dickau is making the same as duane wade, you could see a problem. sports are a business, and many people are making a lot of money on these players. it's not as big of an issue at the small colleges such as montana state, but their are companies that have made millions selling leinart and bush jerseys for the last 3 years. whose to say they don't deserve any money becuase they have their education paid for. mslacats post was on the money. some of these kids don't have any spare money, yet i'm sure they appreciate the education. but no one thinks it's a weird world when a coach is worth millions, and the kids he's coaching have to borrow money from their folks until they either play pro, or get a job? we'd never see pro athletes get treated this way, and unfairly make a lot of money using a high profile athletes name, so i don't like it that it happens every year, at every university on some level in this country.

[catamaran]

So where does the cycle end. If college athletes start collecting paychecks, are they ameteurs anymore. What separates the NCAA from the NBA or do they become competing businesses? Kids don't have to choose college. They do so because they/their families value some sort of education rather than immediately entering the work field ie professional sports

[whitetrashgriz]

So where does the cycle end. If college athletes start collecting paychecks, are they ameteurs anymore. What separates the NCAA from the NBA or do they become competing businesses? Kids don't have to choose college. They do so because they/their families value some sort of education rather than immediately entering the work field ie professional sports

actually, do to the rules, kids do have to go to school. days of lebron james and kobe are long gone. so now, a kid who'd be the #1 pick in the nba, is forced to play in college, and while he is there, people are making a lot of money off him. he get's nothing. the cycle will end when the big-wigs of big time companies no longer can make jerseys, and bobbleheads, and water bottles, and sports cards of these kids, and stop using their name, and athletic ability to pad their wallets.

[bobcatgrad2005]

The problem is that while these students are getting paid scholarships, NCAA rules prohibit them (as does the sheer time limits) from gettin goutside jobs. So for instance, while I was at MSU I had an academic scholarship that payed my was completley (living expenses, tuition and fees, book stipend), I still had an outside job to pay for spending money. Athletes are prohibited from such outside employment because of abuses of it in the past; ie: athletes getting "jobs" from wealthy donors who would have the player come "file paperwork" etc., when the athlete was doing no such thing.

BTW, the coaches pay their insurance on their curtesy cars, MSU reimburses for mileage for MSU related events.

[DriftCat]

I dont think the universities should pay the athletes, however, if a company wants to use an athlete to endorse their product then they should be able to recieve a paycheck.

[bozbobcat]

I said that these athletes are already getting paid. I think a full ride scholarship paying for room, board, books, and school is quite a hefty paycheck. I could see where it would be nice to have limited job hours for athletes over the summer so they could have some spending money. But I am in no favor of paying student athletes extra money. There are a lot of other students who have to pay their own way, either with their own money like I do, or through large loans. I imagine a lot of the other students on here feel the same way and it really is a shock to start paying for school. I know I've said this a million times already; excuse the ranting. But as far as MSU goes, I would be in favor of an increase in living stipends, but for the student-athlete who does well. For a student-athlete who does poorly in school, their money should be taken away and given back to a student who is doing well on the campus. But for right now, I say no to paying student-athletes.

[whitetrashgriz]

I said that these athletes are already getting paid. I think a full ride scholarship paying for room, board, books, and school is quite a hefty paycheck. I could see where it would be nice to have limited job hours for athletes over the summer so they could have some spending money. But I am in no favor of paying student athletes extra money. There are a lot of other students who have to pay their own way, either with their own money like I do, or through large loans. I imagine a lot of the other students on here feel the same way and it really is a shock to start paying for school. I know I've said this a million times already; excuse the ranting. But as far as MSU goes, I would be in favor of an increase in living stipends, but for the student-athlete who does well. For a student-athlete who does poorly in school, their money should be taken away and given back to a student who is doing well on the campus. But for right now, I say no to paying student-athletes.

and this is my point bozbob... it is a hefty paycheck getting a free education. but when was the last time that we saw a bozbobcat jersey? when was the last time that a radio station was advertising that bearbac would be at their event? now, think about this. how many people do you see people wearing lulay jerseys? a ton. is it not fair that travis could receive any comphensation for his name making money? i agree that a free education is awesome. but who made the rule that said that that was enough, no matter the money being made using these athletes?

[catamaran]

So where does the cycle end. If college athletes start collecting paychecks, are they ameteurs anymore. What separates the NCAA from the NBA or do they become competing businesses? Kids don't have to choose college. They do so because they/their families value some sort of education rather than immediately entering the work field ie professional sports

actually, do to the rules, kids do have to go to school. days of lebron james and kobe are long gone. so now, a kid who'd be the #1 pick in the nba, is forced to play in college, and while he is there, people are making a lot of money off him. he get's nothing. the cycle will end when the big-wigs of big time companies no longer can make jerseys, and bobbleheads, and water bottles, and sports cards of these kids, and stop using their name, and athletic ability to pad their wallets.

That's not true any more. tHe NBA for example, started allowing 18 in the developmental league if they won't go to school

[whitetrashgriz]

So where does the cycle end. If college athletes start collecting paychecks, are they ameteurs anymore. What separates the NCAA from the NBA or do they become competing businesses? Kids don't have to choose college. They do so because they/their families value some sort of education rather than immediately entering the work field ie professional sports

actually, do to the rules, kids do have to go to school. days of lebron james and kobe are long gone. so now, a kid who'd be the #1 pick in the nba, is forced to play in college, and while he is there, people are making a lot of money off him. he get's nothing. the cycle will end when the big-wigs of big time companies no longer can make jerseys, and bobbleheads, and water bottles, and sports cards of these kids, and stop using their name, and athletic ability to pad their wallets.

That's not true any more. tHe NBA for example, started allowing 18 in the developmental league if they won't go to school

ok, this maybe the case in basketball, although footballers still get screwed. but even if this is the case in the nba, it's still not fair, and just another way for the nba, and big companies to control kids and their talent. so they act like kids have a choice, but if you are lebron james coming out of highschool, and your new choices are play a year of big time college, or join the development league...what would you do? and knowing that you easily be the #1 pick if you were allowed to enter the league. meanwhile, every company you can think of is putting your name on their clothes and merchandise because until you are alllowed to sign endorsements, they can do this, and don't owe you a cent! not fair.

[catamaran]

To quote the sage Denis Leary,"Life's not fair....get a f'ing helmet"