Quote Originally Posted by sack07 View Post
What exactly is wrong (or almost right as you say) with a player being paid money? Their talents are marketable.
I don't personally care either way. State is a long shot at winning a NC in football anyway and my thoughts are it will end up buffing out about the same.

That being said if they have marketable talents let them be eligible to go to the NFL at 18 and "market" their talents just as any other college student could decide to do. Now chances are those talents won't be as valuable without the teaching and development that they receive at the college level just as a senior in highschool isn't as valuable to an engineering firm until he has graduated school.

You brought up free market and athletes having the same ability to make money as regular college students. If you want to do it that way fine. But out of what they are being paid they should also be covering the cost of their tuition, books, fee for using and maintaining weight equipment, fee for the trainers they are using, fee for the meal prep they are receiving etc.

You act like they aren't already gaining about a 100K in value simply from stepping foot on campus to play a sport. That is before they actually get a degree that will help them with life after football.

I am all for paying them if they are treated like a regular student and have to cover tuition costs and every other benefit they are currently getting for free. Don't forget what makes their talent marketable at the college level... it is the school they play at, not necessarily themselves.