As we all know, college sports fans are just, shall we say, a little “demented”. Face it, we’d all follow our favorite teams if 1-star athletes were all they could recruit. And don’t kid yourself: if TV can drag in eyeballs, advertising rights fees will be there.

As far as your most recent post goes, “remedial” is a bit of a stretch. The athlete can make of their education what they choose. I had a friend who played on Florida’s 2 national championship basketball teams while majoring in engineering (funny story: one of his profs didn’t believe he was on the team until Donovan called him and told him my friend was going to the SEC tournament and would not be in class the next day ).

The bigger problem with big-time athletics is that almost ALL of the kids at the BCS schools think they’re going to the NFL, NBA or whatever as soon as they’re done at “fill in the blank” University. So yeah, they CHOOSE to take the soft majors. One word for you: accountability. These athletes need to realize there is life outside of sports (can’t believe I actually wrote that, geez).

Bottom line: they ARE getting a six-figure education. It’s up to them to make the most out of it. If they waste their good fortune, that’s their problem.

It’s not a free education, it’s a free remedial education for a lot of these kids, especially in some of the conferences that have tragically low graduation rates amongst their athletes. The educational standards are so low to keep these guys eligible that it defeats the purpose of the “education” they are supposed to be getting.

I am all for a much smaller division 1A, but are fans of smaller schools? Its really the only way to make a playoff work. I am also against the BCS leagues subsidizing the schools who couldn’t pay their players. Like you said, let the market work it out.

It’s just that people say pay them, like it’s as easy as cutting a check.

Tough, ain’t it, normtide? There are plans out there, but they can’t get a majority vote. To me, the most reasonable step is adding value to an athletic scholarship. The problem: Can every program afford it? The NCAA had originally passed legislation on this before it was tabled a short time later.

I’d say life isn’t fair and let percentages of tv revenue and market value determine who gets paid what, but I know that will never, ever fly. But you could also do a combination where you add value to the scholarship, and then certain players get a percentage of their jersey sales after they leave.

I do believe a free education counts as something. If you don’t know the value of an education, you probably don’t have one. There are jobs that don’t pay, you apprentice for free, just for the job training.

I want to see a plan, that includes title nine, recruiting, insurance, everything.

The NCAA is very different now than when it was established and when is the last time that Warren Buffet or Bill Gates tried to crush unions or lower minimum wage?

Comparing Buffet and Gates, who are extremely charitable and generous, to the likes of the crooked Delany and others making billions in untaxed money off of athletes that don’t get paid is patently absurd.

@mcjon22

Seriously? You think these athletes actually get a good deal because they get free room and board? How about they trade the free room and board for the billions of dollars the NCAA makes off of them.

There is no money without the athletes, just like there is no money for corporations without their employees.

Saying they don’t deserve a cut of the money they make is like saying you shouldn’t get paid at your job because they already give a free chair and desk.

The NCAA was established by college and university presidents. The overwhelming majority of college and university presidents, as with most college and university professors, are Democrat, just to keep truth in posting.

The biggest capitalists today, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, etc. are Democrats.

VIVA CAPITALISM!!!

He’s playing a card game with 2 hands … So if he’s bluff with one hand … is it really a bluff?

And without that money, how would Delany envision athletic programs getting their funding? He’d advocate millions being taken from the schools’ general funds to pay for big-time athletics at the level they are now? He’d be okay with Big 10 sports resembling DIII with modest facilities and limited national travel? Or he’d be okay with sports being eliminated so football and basketball could maintain some semblance of their current levels? There’s no magic money tree out there that would allow the current financial model to go away without there being huge repercussions. Delany sounds like a total fool, and worse yet he seems to believe everybody listening is a bigger fool.

I like a small stipend. Many are far from home, with little support. The problem with giving kids paychecks are clear. First, title 9. The law says you would have to pay all athletes. Not to mention, a soccer player would end up filling suit for his money. Second, while the epic schools could pay, the others could not. These players are offered a chance for a degree, whether they take it is up to them.

They ARE paid to play today. It’s called tuition.

They make about $100,000 – $120,000 to play football for 4 years.

I’m sick and tired of hearing people WHINE about young men who get a complete free ride for a GREAT education… ESP in the B1G… and are asked to use their talents to play football in return.

What is the freaking downside?

If they don’t want to attend the ‘football scholarship’ college – there are plenty of other options. Buck up like a big boy and just pay for your own education!

Plus… it’s only AFTER the fact that some players are wanting $$$ for using their ‘likeness’. The school invests a tremendous amount of $, time and effort developing them into who they are LATER.

Again… if you don’t want your picture on a poster 5 years after graduation… GRADUATE from somewhere else.

1) If want to HELP athletes have some spending money, help them get local jobs. They can work to earn extra money just like every other student does. Deliver pizzas, work at the local grocery store, whatever. The athletic departments can even work together with local businesses to make this happen. A lot of folks have this notion that all athletes do is go to class (hopefully), practice, and work out when they’re not at practice. Wrong. They, by rule, are limited to how many practices they can have and the workout schedule is flexible enough that they CAN work a part-time job IF they choose to do so.

2) Delaney’s not completely off his rocker, but no, they won’t go all D3 on anyone any time soon. What they will do though is drastically reduce the number of scholarships offered. You’ll see 2- and 3-star players walking on at some of the higher profile programs. If I read it right, D1 schools can offer the equivalent of 63 FULL scholarships in football (most schools give ‘partials’, so the number of athletes getting something is usually higher than 63). If they have to pay scholarship players, expect the number to go down at the very least.

3) Before you think all the money is being consumed by the football program and the administrators, etc., remember that these revenues fund all the other non-revenue generating sports. (Women’s field hockey isn’t exactly a huge financial boom to most universities I’m guessing.) Start paying football players and you can expect other sports being eliminated.

In summary, I’m not in favor of paying athletes. The percentage of players that “go pro” is so obscenely low, if they’re looking to spend some of that TV money, spend it on educating the reality to some of these players that they’re NOT going to get an NFL paycheck. Focus on getting your degree. I played college basketball at a small school and got hurt. Was I good enough to go pro? No. But I accepted the reality that any chance I did have was gone early. Work as hard at academics and you did at athletics. That work ethic is what got you a six-figure education for FREE. That’s no small accomplishment.

Set my people free.

There are two outcomes for those that would like to play in the NFL:

1. They are either good enough and won’t necessarily require the education that they receive to make a good living (though they might still benefit from a degree)…

or

2. They are either not good enough…or get an injury that prevents the NFL from being a valid path.

In the case of #2, it’s a damned good idea to take advantage of your free education. If you don’t, then that will be your issue. I have two kids in college now, one on an athletic scholarship, and I’m grateful for the fact that they can get an education. I’m especially thankful for the athletic scholarship. That scholarship is more than good enough for me.

I don’t need to see anyone’s pockets lined while they are in college. And my son is learning a lot about how to manage his “lifestyle” with very little money in his pocket. And he’s loving every minute of it.

The portrait of the “exploited” student athlete is over the top. Take advantage of the free ride…there is value in that degree that money cannot buy.