College football players getting paid?

The1calledTKE · #1 02-12-2003, 11:47 PM

I just read an article where Nebraska players maybe some of the first to get paid to play football. What does everyone think about that? Should college players get paid?

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?s...v=ap&type=lgns

PM_Mama00 · #2 02-13-2003, 01:21 AM

The reason I like NCAA Football is because, ok maybe they care about the money in the future, but for now they're college athletes. They're playing to win a trophy and bragging rights. Many professionals are preoccupied with money. Plus, many collegiates already do get paid to play... hello scholarships???

Kevin · #3 02-13-2003, 01:28 AM

Before that could happen the NCAA would have to make some pretty big changes. As for that happen, don't count on it. I personally think that it's VERY unfair that they aren't paid (except for their scholarship). I mean honestly, they earn literally millions of $ for the school, especially in Big 12 schools like Nebraska, Oklahoma, A&M, etc. They are entitled to a little $ for their work. Hell, I work for the college TV news station and I at least get minimum wage

Thrillhouse · #4 02-13-2003, 09:59 AM

They have scholarships already and if they are good enough, they are destined for millions.

Betarulz! · #5 02-13-2003, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake
I mean honestly, they earn literally millions of $ for the school, especially in Big 12 schools like Nebraska, Oklahoma, A&M, etc.

Actually at Nebraska, the Athletic Department budget it completely separate from the rest of the university. The money the AD makes stays in the AD. This makes the AD completely self sufficient and allows them to finance many womens sports as well as the men's sports that aren't self sufficient.

Now being here in NE, I'm getting a lot more info on the arguements. 1st the law would be on the books if it passes, but would not go into effect until at least three other states with Big 12 Schools pass similar laws. 2nd I personally think that a little stipend is acceptable, so that they can get by month to month. However in order to keep things fair the checks need to come directly from the NCAA which has the money ($6 billion from CBS to broadcast March Madness, $535 million from ABC just to broadcast the 4 BCS bowls). I think this is the only way to make sure that each school gives the same amount and that small schools are not punished by not being able to pay as much as the bigger schools. Plus football schools won't be hurt compared basketball schools (it obviously is way different to pay the 95 guys on the football team than the 14 on the basketball team.)

Also having the NCAA pay doesn't penalize the big schools who have a much larger number of athletes than a smaller school. (The comparison between Nebraska and Creighton is good example.)

How much should the stipend be? I say no more than $75 a month. I could easily stretch that particularly if I had training table meals for free all week.

DeltaSigStan · #6 02-13-2003, 04:20 PM

I feel for a lot of them. They gotta wake up at the butt crack of dawn, practice, go work out, go to class, practice, then sleep. Many of these guys barely have enough money to support themselves day by day. They have to go to class and do their football thing, plus all the school time they miss on roadies. I think a monthly check in the amount that's enough for them to get by (not a huge wad of cache) should be ok for them.

OUKate · #7 02-13-2003, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Betarulz:

Actually at Nebraska, the Athletic Department budget it completely separate from the rest of the university. The money the AD makes stays in the AD. This makes the AD completely self sufficient and allows them to finance many womens sports as well as the men's sports that aren't self sufficient.

orignally posted by Betarulz

The AD at Oklahoma is also independent of the rest of the university. I think that arrangement is pretty commonplace among large D-1 schools.

I disagree that players recieving scholarships are already being paid -- some of those players wouldn't even be in college were they not on scholarship. I think it is completely fair for players to receive a small stipend for playing -- nothing exorbitant, but enough to allow them to live like most other students. Players aren't allowed to work during their season, and the rules governing them can make it hard to work during the off-season too. I've seen guys hoard their per diem on road trips so they can actually have some money when they return to Norman. They are so limited in terms of what they can and cannot do and accept that sometimes a simple favor from a friend can endanger their playing eligibility. (Buying them dinner, loaning them money...even allowing them to make long-distance phone calls from your phone can all break NCAA regulations under certain circumstances.)

I think the Nebraska law is a step in the right direction. I also think that if if passes there, passage of similar laws in OK and TX wouldn't be that far behind.

Of course, getting the NCAA to listen would be a completely different story.

librasoul22 · #8 02-13-2003, 06:42 PM

Football players DO get paid. Believe it. At my school, they drive around in Escalades, Hummers, whatever and wear platinum jewlery, latest namebrands, etc. If it doesn't come from their huge scholarships, it comes from Booster kickbacks. It happens.

AXJules · #9 02-13-2003, 06:56 PM

I think our athletes get paid in things other than $$$$.
I lived with a bunch of them in my co-ed dorm freshman year. They all have note-takers assigned to them through the Office of Disablilities so that they can miss class and and still pass the tests. Even when they do get crappy grades they're usually given A's and B's. At our school its more the basketball players than football, but even football guys enjoy the perks of whatever Mizzou and the alumni want to give them.

GeekyPenguin · #10 02-13-2003, 09:08 PM

Dude, they should pay the people who don't get booster kickbacks...I just left my D3 track team (for a variety of reasons, not the fact that I'm not getting paid) and it take such dedication and no reward to be an athlete at my school - two a day practices, missing classes for away meets, giving up your weekend - and there is NO REWARD, hardly anybody comes to your meets and my profs rode my ass about it all the time.

Kevin · #11 02-13-2003, 09:11 PM

Paying your athletes a FAIR amount and I'd shoot for much higher than $75 a month would help to eliminate corruption. I'm sure that most Big 12 and other major schools players recieve lots of money from boosters as it is. They get caught doing it every once in awhile but the people doing it aren't dumb and are unlikely to get caught.

Oklahoma actually became what it is today through the OU Touchdown Club paying players as much as $50,000 per year (this was documented back in the 1950's). That's when they put together that 42 game winning streak.

Old traditions die hard. The only way to bring it under control is to give players enough money to make them see these handouts as something that is not worth the risk of accepting. As it is, many of them come from poor families that can hardly afford to feed them.

juniorgrrl · #12 02-14-2003, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by librasoul22
Football players DO get paid. Believe it. At my school, they drive around in Escalades, Hummers, whatever and wear platinum jewlery, latest namebrands, etc. If it doesn't come from their huge scholarships, it comes from Booster kickbacks. It happens.

Same thing happens at LSU. I lived in the on-campus apartments, which were built because the NCAA doesn't allow "athlete housing" but if they are given preference in getting in...who's to say anything. I was super-lucky to actually get in the complex. The football players who lived there did whatever they wanted, were loud as all hell all day and night, TRASHED their apartments (which they were getting for free, when they cost everyone else $2K a semester).

These guys also got super-preferential treatement in scheduling classes, there was a big ole' scandal last year about NCAA violations because student tutors were writing papers/taking tests for them...and if all else failed, they paid off people. I know of one football player to pay off people he was doing a group project with, just so he wouldn't have to work.

Maybe at Podunksville U, the players need a stipend to live decently, but down in the SEC, they're doing just fine.

Munchkin03 · #13 02-14-2003, 01:07 PM

I think the SEC/ACC (and that's my home conference) are exceptions. A few weeks ago, there was a story about a player who couldn't afford to go home to his best friend's funeral--where was the Touchdown Club then?

I think there should be a stipend, if the student is on work-study and obviously can't work in-season, to make up for that so at least they can have some financial support. It's probably worse at more expensive schools. Even though only 40% of students at my school (DI, Ivy League) are on financial assistance, 75% of students work to support themselves in some form. The Ivy League prohibits athletic scholarships, so there's really not that much money to go around. I was on an athletic team my first year--many of the students, even recruits, had to quit the team because they had to work to make ends meet.

Kevin · #14 02-14-2003, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Munchkin03
I think the SEC/ACC (and that's my home conference) are exceptions. A few weeks ago, there was a story about a player who couldn't afford to go home to his best friend's funeral--where was the Touchdown Club then?

I think there should be a stipend, if the student is on work-study and obviously can't work in-season, to make up for that so at least they can have some financial support. It's probably worse at more expensive schools. Even though only 40% of students at my school (DI, Ivy League) are on financial assistance, 75% of students work to support themselves in some form. The Ivy League prohibits athletic scholarships, so there's really not that much money to go around. I was on an athletic team my first year--many of the students, even recruits, had to quit the team because they had to work to make ends meet.

I have heard of things like this. Nebraska lost a great player last year because of the same kind of trouble. Thunder Collins (an excellent TB) had to leave school and try to find work I believe to take care of his little brother. The current rules are mostly damaging to players of lower socioeconomic status. They perhaps unintentionally doom some kids with enough talent to play in the NFL to settle for real world jobs to make ends meet.

DeltaSigStan · #15 02-15-2003, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hootie
HA! If they pay one sport they should pay for them all! My brother plays baseball (not for Nebraska) and he goes through the same damn thing the Nebraska football players go through. He has practice twice a day, goes to all the games and tournaments outside of his studies...and then has to go to school. Where he goes he cannot work because he doesn't have the time. So pay him why don't ya! I just think it's stupid to pay them for something. I mean in high school it was called an EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITY...ya didn't get paid. A scholarship is the payment for your time and education. It isn't a job!!!!!
So I suppose my argument is if they're gonna pay one sport they need to pay the others too. But that's just me!

I know I just said football, but I meant every sport. My friend on the girls basketball team barely gets by, and she can't get a job because she's in season.