Should the NCAA pay it's players?

<font size="2">With all of these Amare Stoudamire and Chris Webber allegations about recieving cash, I wanted to start this thread to get everyone's feelings on this subject.

Should the NCAA teams share the profits with their players?

I know that the NCAA are supplying their education and the NCAA (as do some high school squads) teams also supply room and board as well. But they make unequaled amounts of profit on their players. Everything from ticket sales to player merchandise to TV deals, they are making a killing off of these kids year after year without any form of profit sharing whatsoever.

So I pose this question: Should NCAA teams share their profits with their players?

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99% of NCAA athletes will never play on the professional level in their respective sport making the big bucks, so I say why not? NBA players and other professional athletes receive their fair share of the profits earned and NCAA athletes receive a free education, average cost these days for a 4 year college education is something in the 19,000 dollar range, so in essence these NCAA players are getting paid a mere 19,000 dollars over the course of 4 years. Most of the top NCAA athletes are already getting paid by universities under the table which in turn causes unnecessary negative publicity and whatnot. These players Like C-Webb and Amare that take money under the table are just getting the money and things they deserved, imo.

The issue is just very complicated, there are thousands upon thousands of NCAA athletes and the only sports which really generate a lot of money are basketball and football, the rest are not very lucrative for the universities or the NCAA. The NCAA just can't pay every athlete, there are NCAA athletes playing division 2 water polo or tennis, should these people get paid? Most people will say no.

While I agree in some instances that NCAA athletes should be paid, from the stand point of just an everyday fan I would have to say no because it will take the purity out of sport and watching a Duke vs. UNC game or something along those lines just wouldn't be the same.

 

I think college athletes should be paid. Even though they get a free education and board, their respective colleges make huge amonuts of money off jerseys and televised games. Despite the education, they do not get to enjoy the full college life since they're away half the time practising and playing in games. All that for preparation for the professional life does not help since almost all of them do not make it anyways. They do not have time to have a part-time job, so they'd need spending money. I feel that it is only reasonable that colleges pay these athletes.

 

u know slaves got a free education as well.

 

I dont think that the NCAA should ever pay its athletes money. First of all, they get a free education, and likely at a school that they would not be able to afford. Secondly, it would be too easy for a rich school to recruit all the best athletes because they can pay them the most.

 

Well if athletes started geting paids this could cause different problems,I think if this happened other students would probally get mad and jealous and this would rise a whole lot of problems.

But on the otherside these guys are on T.V they sell jersies and certain players attract a fan base so I think they should maybe get a small profit.

Also this is a reason why some HS kids are going strait into the leauge,because a lot of these players need instant money for there famlies and college doesnt provide that.

 

Yes I think the players should get payed. The NCAA made a deal with CBS for a billion dollars or so, withut the players they wouldn't of gotten that deal. So they should get paid.

 

I think each player should at least get $500-2000 a month based on the contribution they make to the team.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">I think each player should at least get $500-2000 a month based on the contribution they make to the team.</div>

that sounds just about right. Charles Barkley has been saying they should've been getting paid for a long time.

 

Didn't Auburn pay Charles Barkley? j/k

But I don't think college's should pay athletes, they are giving most of them a free education. I don't know how many of you have had to pay for college, but it is a pain. I would be glad to go to practices and games to get a free education. But the one flaw I see in the system, I think the NCAA should allow the athletes to get jobs to make money, as long as they don't use their status as an athlete to get certain perks. Thats the only thing I would change about the system.

 

Well first of all, their first reason for going to college should be for education on and off the court. They're going to this college because they want to learn using the school's facilities and other resources. So in essence, they should be the one paying the school. But since they're doing service to the school by playing for them, free board and tuition sounds about right.

Besides, what would the NCAA be like with players being paid? One of the greatest things about the NCAA is the heart of the players playing for pride and honor for their school, not for money. If they'll be playing for money, they'll start playing weak for fear of being injured.

 

I think they should be paid a little, like allowance for them to spend on the road. They get a free education and free press, but college atheletes can not, if they're serious about playing sports, spend half of their time working for food money or whatever. They need to study, get enough rest, and practice. They do deserve a little money here and there.

 

Maybe it woul even attract more players to go to college if they got paid. I mean more and more HS players are making the jump to the NBA, so maybe now, if players knew they would be getting paid in college, they would start going to college.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Jdawg909:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe it woul even attract more players to go to college if they got paid. I mean more and more HS players are making the jump to the NBA, so maybe now, if players knew they would be getting paid in college, they would start going to college.</div>
That's true. It would fit into David Stern's plans as well.

 

No, Players at the NCAA level should never be paid for play. They are there to get an education, sports are supposed to secondary, not primary.

Also, I don't know if those were just national stats of average school costs, but it cost me more than $19,000 for just one year of school, let alone 4.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting hagrid:</div><div class="quote_post">No, Players at the NCAA level should never be paid for play. They are there to get an education, sports are supposed to secondary, not primary.

Also, I don't know if those were just national stats of average school costs, but it cost me more than $19,000 for just one year of school, let alone 4.</div>

Thats why we can use some extra cash if we play sports to pay some of that off But your right, we are Student-Athletes, not Athlete-Students. Education is the most important.

I guess I have a couple opinions on why and why not NCAA players should get paid.

 

I realize that there are the inevitable counter points, such as those of "the NCAA makes millions off these players", etc.

Yep, and they also dish out millions of dollars to pay for scholarships for atheletes that never see much in the way of public notariety or that they make money off of.

It all (sort of) balances out and College is for learning. These athlete have the opportunity, (which many don't properly take advantage of) to set themselves up with education and skills that will get them a lifetime of earnings. That's why they are there.

 

Heck No !!! These players young players are having trouble in the NBA handling their money. What makes anyone think that these guys need to be paid for playing college sports? They pretty much have trouble keeping their grades up while their in school. Probably, more more than 1/2 the players jumping into the NBA from HS in this year's draft are scoring between 600-750 in the SAT exams. Money would just make them more un-concentrated and ruin everything for NCAA players.

 

The NCAA should supply the players with food, clothes and things of that such. The Kids do not have enough time to work at Ma and Pa's Deli to make extra money for those things. After classes, practice, and homework there is not any time left.
Yea, the kids are gettin a free education, but the school is makin it up in revenue that it receives from sellin tickets, jerseys, and all that good stuff. So essential the players are payin for there educatio.
But no the kids should not get an allowance. No money should ever exchange hands.

 

No, it would just be too much controversy, something the NCAA dislikes more than anything else. There would also be too many complications.

If the NCAA pays its atheltes then they would have to pay ALL of their athletes. Remember, this doesn't just extend to basketball. That brings up the question of whether or not the money is evenly distributed among different programs. Does women's field hockey get the same cut as football? Does lacrosse get the same love as basketball?

Then there's the question of the schools who simply do not make a lot of money off of athletic programs and can not afford to pay their players. Is revenue taken from the bigger schools to help pay for these smaller schools?

Speaking of smaller schools and players, do players get paid depending on the role they have on the team? Would the seventh man for Duke get paid as much as J.J. Redick? Does the Miah Davis get paid as much as Emeka Okafor? After all, they both are the best players for their respective teams.

Would there be guidelines for what the players can spend their money on? What if it is found out that a player used his income to buy drugs?

There are simply too many questions and there is too much controversy for the NCAA to keep track of paying all the athletes in all the programs for all the schools in the country. That is why athletes should not be paid.