Friday, June 3, 2011

What? Paying College Athletes?

The Tressel/OSU disaster has reignited another, never-ending hot topic around the message board world.  Some people seem to think that college athletes deserve to get paid.  WHAT?!?!?!?  

 “Well, but I’m making all this money for this university……”
WELL, GOOD FOR YOU.  YOU SHOULD.  They give you all the FREE stuff so that you’ll compete at your best and put their university on the map, so that all those other POOR suckers come to their university and hand them the big bucks.  You know, the same poor suckers that are spending their own money to attend YOUR games and paying YOUR tuition.

“Some athletes extremely unprepared for the college course work expected of normal students.”
Whose fault is that?  But guess what?  Their athletic department provides them with a handful of tutors for free.  And since apparently they don’t have jobs, they have tons of free time to study.  But let’s be serious though, those “superstar” athletes aren’t taking classes that are difficult.  You know what I’m talking about.  You’ve seen it before on the bottom of screen while you’re watching the big game.  “Sports Management.”  “Sports Studies.”  It’s those scholar athletes that are taking the tough classes.  The ones that are actually prepared for college and then go on to do much, and I do mean MUCH better things that athletes will ever do.  Do I feel bad for them, NOT ONE BIT.  If you weren’t good enough to make it to the big show, then maybe you should have worried more about your “free” education, and not sports.  Only 1% of college athletes go on to make enough money to support a family.

“You don’t have to pay ALL of them, just the good ones.”
WHAT?  Are you talking about the same ones that are going to make the big bucks in the big show, anyway?  What a dumb argument.  Absolutely not.  Most sports at the college level are TEAM sports and everyone on the team should be treated equally.  That 300 pound lineman, who probably won’t make it to the NFL, is busting his hump every day, protecting your “superstar” and academically challenged quarterback so that he can make millions of dollars in the next level.

Sorry, I just don’t see one good argument for it…………………..

On average, a college student pays about $50,000 for a four year degree, give or take a few.   If you really want to get technical, an out of state student pays much more.  (Around $80,000)  This is including room and board.  You know……the things that the athletes are apparently taking for granted, since they don’t have to pay it.  Normal Joes like you and I, had to pay this out of pocket, or are STILL paying this out of pocket.  We didn’t get to play the game we love on a daily basis.  (Unless you count Halo or John Madden Football, but nobody’s paying us to be good at the, are they?)

Tell me again, why can’t these athletes, who are getting educated, eating, and sleeping FOR FREE get summer jobs or out-of-season jobs?  I had too.  So did you.  But let’s be realistic, do they need to?  Probably not, since they are technically making over $50,000 a year.  Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the OTHER perks of the athletes like PLAYING COLLEGE SPORTS?  Hotels, free apparels, excused class absences, around the clock tutors, visiting beautiful cities, fans/friends doing anything you want them to do, and possibly getting a chance to move on to the professional level and get paid even more.

The money that the university makes has more important places to be allotted.  University hospitals, research labs, newer and safer buildings, charities, or even to help lower the tuition of other students.  It isn’t rocket science to predict what’ll happen if the university had to start paying athletes.

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