Should college athletes be paid?

[Guy Berger]

Dave Berri says yes.

It's kind of strange that everybody except the players gets rich from this system.

Guy

Edited April 3, 2007 by Guy

[Chuck Nessa]

If they deliver my pizza.

[J Larsen]

I personally think that colleges and universities have no business running a minor league sports system, but I realize I am out of the mainstream on this.

[md655321]

I see no reason to even have college athletes.

[Jim Alfredson]

No, I don't think they should get paid. Nor do I think universities should be allowed to make mucho $$$ off them.

[Rooster_Ties]

What's fuckin' nuts is that in several states (Kansas I think is one, and Iowa too -- and probably a dozen or more others) - THE highest paid state employee in the ENTIRE state is the basketball and/or football coaches of one or both of the best state schools/universities. (WAY more than the governor, for instance, like to the tune of 5 or even 10 times what the governor makes.)

(And no, I'm not saying pay the governors more.)

[Aggie87]

What's fuckin' nuts is that in several states (Kansas I think is one, and Iowa too -- and probably a dozen or more others) - THE highest paid state employee in the ENTIRE state is the basketball and/or football coaches of one or both of the best state schools/universities. (WAY more than the governor, for instance, like to the tune of 5 or even 10 times what the governor makes.)

(And no, I'm not saying pay the governors more.)

I'd venture a guess that major college football coaches are paid more than the governor's in most states. I'm pretty sure both Mack Brown and Dennis Franchione (shudder) make quite a bit more than Gov Rick Perry does, here. Just follow the entertainment dollar.

[J Larsen]

How much could the highest paid governor possibly make? A few hundred grand, at the outside, I'd think. With so much money in the college sports system, the best teams are competing with the pro leagues - governor money ain't going to cut it.

Edit: Just looked it up: as of 2001, the highest paid gov was that of NY at $179K.

Edited April 3, 2007 by J Larsen

[Rooster_Ties]

I personally think that colleges and universities have no business running a minor league sports system, but I realize I am out of the mainstream on this.

So why do public colleges and universities have the minor league sports teams for football and basketball??

Ain't the case for baseball. Why is that?? Why the difference??

They should just have pro-basketball and pro-football run their own (pro) minor leagues, and let the colleges and universities have true amateur (and amateur-grade) sports systems.

[Dan Gould]

I refuse to make value judgements about the salaries that college coaches make - the revenue supports them, that is the bottom line.

It is a sweet deal for basketball and football that "pro-ready" players are being developed for them, for free. But would anyone go spend any money to watch "minor league" football or basketball without that hook of being connected to a university?

The problem with the system isn't the salaries top coaches get or the fact that the pros have a training system in place that they don't have to finance. Its the fact that the rules on what players can do and how they can be played are foolish. Players are expected to put in unbelievable hours every week in practice, time that other students, if they needed the money, would work part-time jobs to support themselves. Its the inability to make some money on the side that corrupts the system, because it leaves the opening for dishonest boosters and agents to step in and flash the wad of cash. There's basically no reason whatsoever not to provide college athletes with a cash stipend. They're already getting free room and board anyway.

[Matthew]

If you're going to school on a athletic scholarship, you are getting paid in your tuition, and at lot of schools, that's $30,000+. Colleges make way more money off the normal, everyday student, who get gouged right and left in different fees that athletes don't have to worry about. Besides, we're really talking only about two sports that generate any kind of revenue: Football & basketball, and they gobble up most of the revenue also. Just my personal opinion but I don't think there should be any athletic scholarships in colleges, period.

[zen archer]

I personally think that colleges and universities have no business running a minor league sports system, but I realize I am out of the mainstream on this.

So why do public colleges and universities have the minor league sports teams for football and basketball??

Ain't the case for baseball. Why is that?? Why the difference??

They should just have pro-basketball and pro-football run their own (pro) minor leagues, and let the colleges and universities have true amateur (and amateur-grade) sports systems.

Because Baseball is harder to play than Football /Basketball.......takes longer to develop player's.

Quarterbacks come out of college and start for NFL teams ??!!!

[Tim McG]

Should college athletes be paid?

I think a full-ride scholarship is payment enough, thank you.

[alocispepraluger102]

oden's only course this year is the history of rock and roll, and i am sure there are similar tales in many places. now if it was jazz history...

Edited April 3, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[catesta]

If they deliver my pizza.

This be right.

I don't believe they should be paid for playing sports. Let them work if they need the cash, end of story.

[alocispepraluger102]

If they deliver my pizza.

This be right.

I don't believe they should be paid for playing sports. Let them work if they need the cash, end of story.

and pay some of their coaches several million dollars a year plus lucrative shoe contracts, plus tv shows?

hmmmmmmmmmmm

[Chuck Nessa]

If they deliver my pizza.

This be right.

I don't believe they should be paid for playing sports. Let them work if they need the cash, end of story.

and pay some of their coaches several million dollars a year plus lucrative shoe contracts, plus tv shows?

hmmmmmmmmmmm

Stop that shit too!

[Tim McG]

Exactly.

The money spent on sports either through salaries or ticket prices has reached full-stage idiocy, melt-down alert status, IMHO. Colleges, coaches, players [pro and college alike] and the owners of professional teams included....not to mention the fans who think nothing of plunking down serious wads of cash to watch them play. Sports are out of control already and it has skewed our sense of what is important in this country.

But then those same fans will whine about paying taxes.

Go figure.

Edited April 4, 2007 by GoodSpeak

[catesta]

If they deliver my pizza.

This be right.

I don't believe they should be paid for playing sports. Let them work if they need the cash, end of story.

and pay some of their coaches several million dollars a year plus lucrative shoe contracts, plus tv shows?

hmmmmmmmmmmm

What coaches get paid is a problem. Paying college athletes will not change coach salaries and shoe contracts and would more than likely make the matter worse.

Those that go on to play professional sports will get the pay day. Those that do not should be glad they had the opportunity to attend college and hopefully learned something.

Like I said, allow the athletes to work like the rest of the student body. Otherwise do away with the scholarships and all the other bullshit that goes along with college athletic programs.

[BruceH]

I see no reason to even have college athletes.

Me too.