Pay Them or Free Them

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Originally Posted by Bama_Dawg

If it happens, its because the student athlete allows it to happen. Its an excuse. You can get any undergraduate degree you want and play sports. I know because my nephew played D1 football (not for MSU, but for a team that beat us this year), and was taking Mechanical Engineering classes all the while. The trick is you work your fall schedule light, and load up on coursework in the Spring and Summer.

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I'm sure that's possible for a lot of kids and majors, but it isn't possible for them all. Classes aren't equally offered in spring and fall and the schedules sometimes don't allow a kid to do any major he wants. Also I'm guessing coaches pressure kids out of doing things like that or taking certain majors. In fact I know that happens to some kids.

Regardless, like I said I don't really know where I stand on the issue. I do believe pretty strongly that kids should be allowed to make money off of their own name though. Not necessarily making money by salary or any type of payment from the school, but I don't think they shouldn't be allowed to make a dime off themselves. I just find it ridiculous that the NCAA will market UNC championship apparel seconds after the horn blows with pictures of the kids celebrating, yet those kids can't do the same with their own image.

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Originally Posted by DudyDawg

I don't know, there have been quite a few that come out publicly saying they go to bed hungry because they don't have the means to pay for food outside of their meal plan.

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This was a problem a few years ago but the NCAA did away with the rules regarding meals. They figured out that athletes need a lot more calories than the normal student and now the schools can feed them accordingly.

Does anyone know how much the NCAA actually profits annually? If the NCAA makes no profit and paying players came out of what the NCAA made, how does that affect the quality of the events they put on? Do they continue to reinvest the funds into programs and events?

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Originally Posted by Tbonewannabe

This was a problem a few years ago but the NCAA did away with the rules regarding meals. They figured out that athletes need a lot more calories than the normal student and now the schools can feed them accordingly.

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Plus, we have a Gatorade nutrition lab for our sorts teams now that create custom meal plans for each athlete.

Easy fix. If money is made from your likeness or image a standard percentage is placed into an account that is paid to the student athlete after they graduate or leave the school. Plus you're going to school for free so...a lot better than my $20k in student loans...

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Originally Posted by Dawgology

Easy fix. If money is made from your likeness or image a standard percentage is placed into an account that is paid to the student athlete after they graduate or leave the school. Plus you're going to school for free so...a lot better than my $20k in student loans...

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This could also backfire on the student athlete. They decide not to use your likeness and then you make it to the NFL and it damages your endorsement level. The more well known you are coming out of college = more endorsement money when you go pro.

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Originally Posted by DudyDawg

I'm sure that's possible for a lot of kids and majors, but it isn't possible for them all. Classes aren't equally offered in spring and fall and the schedules sometimes don't allow a kid to do any major he wants. Also I'm guessing coaches pressure kids out of doing things like that or taking certain majors. In fact I know that happens to some kids.

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I agree about coaches pressuring, but in the end the student athlete has the decision to make. Whether or not he/she accepts the peer pressure is one thing.

On another note, can you please give me an example of a major where classes aren't equally offered? What major(s) are you speaking of? I know when I was in school at MSU, there were certainly some fall only or spring only classes...BUT they were taught in the 2 - 5 week sessions over the summer. In fact, I saved one year of school taking part 1 and part 2 of a class in the summer because otherwise they were only offered in certain semesters. My understanding is this continues today.

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Originally Posted by Tbonewannabe

This was a problem a few years ago but the NCAA did away with the rules regarding meals. They figured out that athletes need a lot more calories than the normal student and now the schools can feed them accordingly.

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Didn't know that, that's a good start

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Originally Posted by Bama_Dawg

I agree about coaches pressuring, but in the end the student athlete has the decision to make. Whether or not he/she accepts the peer pressure is one thing.

On another note, can you please give me an example of a major where classes aren't equally offered? What major(s) are you speaking of? I know when I was in school at MSU, there were certainly some fall only or spring only classes...BUT they were taught in the 2 - 5 week sessions over the summer. In fact, I saved one year of school taking part 1 and part 2 of a class in the summer because otherwise they were only offered in certain semesters. My understanding is this continues today.

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I had a class a few years ago where they only offered it during one time period in the fall semester and not at another time or semester for whatever reason. I'm sure it depends on the department and major, but it can happen.

It's amazing that the same people who don't want players to make money off their own name and image are also the same posters that get pissed when players leave school early. You say they can leave on this thread but then bash them when they do.

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Originally Posted by Reason2succeed

It's amazing that the same people who don't want players to make money off their own name and image are also the same posters that get pissed when players leave school early. You say they can leave on this thread but then bash them when they do.

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I don't know anyone that has bashed a player for leaving early unless you consider people saying Bear was dumb for leaving early because he didn't get drafted or picked up as a free agent. Most people that I know thought Josh Robinson was smart for leaving early because RBs only have so many carries in their legs and the NFL takes that into consideration. I understand Bear leaving in hopes of bettering his family situation. Another year might have gotten him more prepared to at least make a team.

I have no problem with guys making money off their name but there is a lot of different things that it impacts. It is a very slippery slope that can go from giving the guys some money to go out to eat or the price keeps going up to the point that only football and basketball are male sports at the university level with the amount of women's sports going down to the minimum Title IX compliance.

Thought this was interesting since the NCAA is a nonprofit:

How are NCAA funds distributed?
Ninety-six percent of NCAA expenses benefit student-athletes at member schools through services or direct distributions. The NCAA supports operational expenses and student-athlete travel expenses for 89 national championships in 23 sports. The association also provides catastrophic-injury insurance coverage for all student-athletes and various scholarship, grant and internship programs. The NCAA and member schools together award more than $2.4 billion in athletic scholarships every year to more than 150,000 student-athletes.

The NCAA helps member schools pay for expenses related to the number of scholarships they provide and sports they sponsor. As a school provides more opportunities to student-athletes, it receives larger reimbursements. Every year, the NCAA provides almost $100 million to enhance academic opportunities and help student-athletes who need educational material, clothing and emergency travel expenses.

The NCAA distributes additional funds to Division I schools that are successful in the men’s basketball championship, since those programs effectively make basketball revenue possible. Division I conference grants are provided to help develop athletics administrators and coaches.

Division II and III also have smaller distribution and grant programs currently totaling about $15 million.

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Originally Posted by DudyDawg

I had a class a few years ago where they only offered it during one time period in the fall semester and not at another time or semester for whatever reason. I'm sure it depends on the department and major, but it can happen.

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That absolutely happens, but those "one time" classes always are offered during core class hours (8 AM - 12 PM). There is absolutely never a time where a class is only offered in one semester in one time slot and that time slot is like 4 PM on MWF. Literally never happens. That type of thing could never affect attendance at practice or workouts, as those take place early in the morning and in the evening.

I just hate the player likeness stuff because I design and sell shirts. I put up some Leo Lewis "Hugh Hate Me" shirts for pre-order on my site and was told that it was player likeness. Bad part is that it didn't have his name, nor could you see his face. Just a player with the number 44 jersey that said Hugh Hate Me where the name was. I missed out on some money because of the possibility of me giving him some of the profits I guess.