College Playoffs - Did they get it right?

[Dave Gray]

I'm not saying that they have to pay them.  But you can't have these super stringent restrictions, then, either.

[Brian Fein]

The problem isn't the school, the players or their lack of compensation.  The problem is boosters!

Why don't the New York Giants, or the Timberwolves, or the St. Louis Blues have Boosters?  Why do "Boosters" only exist in college sports?  Because college sports are largely a product of public (and some private) universities which use public funding.  They don't have a multi-billionaire owner like pro franchises. 

The restrictions are to prevent "boosters" from paying people selectly.  I say - who cares?  Why not?  Let Jameis Winston get free crab legs at Publix!  (Publix has essentially admitted that they were given to him, and that employee should be fired, if he hasn't already.)  Crab legs don't give anyone an advantage.  But at some point you have to have regulations where private people could act as a money laundering operation to "pay" select students a salary.

And Mike's point is valid.  Its not just football.  Basketball to a lesser degree, but EVERY college sports must be treated the same from college football to women's cross country running.  The entire problem is selectivity.

[Spider-Dan]

I'm perfectly fine with the scholarship being counted as compensation.

The problem is that for a field hockey or softball player, the scholarship is indeed adequate compensation for the service they are performing for the school.  For the football or basketball players, a scholarship is wildly inadequate compensation.

So if you set the baseline compensation as [value of scholarship] and then say that other revenue-generating sports programs will receive extra compensation based on that revenue, you can "pay" all players relative to the money they are bringing in.

[Fau Teixeira]

employees have the right to unionize, they have the right to collectively bargain, they have the right to sick and vacation time, they have the right for FMLA and to be paid a minimum wage.

College football isn't a volunteer event for these big schools .. it's a paid position where new employees are recruited, given background checks, given a work schedule and where they have performance penalties when they don't follow these rules.

if your argument is "it would destroy college football" .. my response is "so what" .. college football has no right to exist on the backs of exploited teenagers.

I'd be more than happy with eliminating athletic scholarships altogether  .. the phrase student athlete is a joke .. they're students .. period

[MikeO]

employees have the right to unionize, they have the right to collectively bargain, they have the right to sick and vacation time, they have the right for FMLA and to be paid a minimum wage.

College football isn't a volunteer event for these big schools .. it's a paid position where new employees are recruited, given background checks, given a work schedule and where they have performance penalties when they don't follow these rules.

if your argument is "it would destroy college football" .. my response is "so what" .. college football has no right to exist on the backs of exploited teenagers.

I'd be more than happy with eliminating athletic scholarships altogether  .. the phrase student athlete is a joke .. they're students .. period

OK. Oh and make sure the students know they gotta pay taxes on their "salary" now since they are now employees. Uncle Sam will  be taking a chunk of that money they are getting.  Once those college kids see how much they get paid, and then how much is taken out by taxes and union dues and paying a portion for their health insurance most likely, PLUS pay for their schooling cause ya know the scholarship is now gone they are paid employees, maybe they get an employee discount on classes but they still gotta pay housing, books, food, classes (the days of freebies is over they are on the payroll now)....then see what they take home after all of those expenses. I bet a lot (at least the smart ones) will say that scholarship deal ain't so bad after all.

These aren't professionals they aren't going to get paid millions for playing 11 football games or 30 basketball games...lol After taxes and all the new expenses thrown in their lap they might be in a worse situation than they are now. Oh, and since they are employees and not on scholarship if they suck on the field or stink as a player after 1 year...you are fired! Out of a job and not on the team anymore. At least now they have some protection that the school won't revoke their scholarship and if they suck as a player at least they get that free education for 4 years. As an employee that right goes away....you don't perform you get fired.

[Fau Teixeira]

OK. Oh and make sure the students know they gotta pay taxes on their "salary" now since they are now employees. Uncle Sam will  be taking a chunk of that money they are getting.  Once those college kids see how much they get paid, and then how much is taken out by taxes and union dues and paying a portion for their health insurance most likely, PLUS pay for their schooling cause ya know the scholarship is now gone they are paid employees, maybe they get an employee discount on classes but they still gotta pay housing, books, food, classes (the days of freebies is over they are on the payroll now)....then see what they take home after all of those expenses. I bet a lot (at least the smart ones) will say that scholarship deal ain't so bad after all.

These aren't professionals they aren't going to get paid millions for playing 11 football games or 30 basketball games...lol After taxes and all the new expenses thrown in their lap they might be in a worse situation than they are now. Oh, and since they are employees and not on scholarship if they suck on the field or stink as a player after 1 year...you are fired! Out of a job and not on the team anymore. At least now they have some protection that the school won't revoke their scholarship and if they suck as a player at least they get that free education for 4 years. As an employee that right goes away....you don't perform you get fired.

again .. totally fine with all that .. sounds like we agree .. lets do it !

[Brian Fein]

College football is ABSOLUTELY a volunteer activity.  If you don't want to follow the requirements for said activity, you are free to quit.  It is EXTRACURRICULAR - this means over and above your CURRICULUM of LEARNING.

Just because some VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE of students who participate in said voluntary activities choose to prioritize that and forego the learning portion in hopes of parlaying that into a career long term doesn't change the focus of why they are in COLLEGE to begin with.

As employees, there is no requirement for having to have students of a particular age or value.  There's currently academic requirements for eligibility.  Those go away if you start calling them employees.

If players become employees, there is no difference between college football and arena league.  None.

[Fau Teixeira]

a student at eastern montana state plays football as a volunteer .. and could be using a scholarship to get his education .. a student at FSU is lining  up for the nfl draft.

[MikeO]

again .. totally fine with all that .. sounds like we agree .. lets do it !

It will never happen, that's the point! Never in a million years. Schools would just cut football and most if not all of their Athletic department and sports in general. Schools can't afford to do that and why would any athlete want a system like that. It's not in their best interest.

College don't exist to play sports, it's a small aspect of what colleges do. When that small aspect starts to lose money instead of make money...that aspect goes away. It's unrealistic to pay college players which is why it hasn't happened and never will happen.

[MikeO]

a student at eastern montana state plays football as a volunteer .. and could be using a scholarship to get his education .. a student at FSU is lining  up for the nfl draft.

LOL, a lawyer would take that to court and chew that argument up and spit it out and make the football player at Eastern Montana a lot of money.  Gotta be fair across the board can't cherry pick which schools "prepare you" for the NFL.

[Brian Fein]

a student at eastern montana state plays football as a volunteer .. and could be using a scholarship to get his education .. a student at FSU is lining  up for the nfl draft.

You have to be kidding me. 

Now not only do we pick and choose sports, specific athletes within the "chosen-awesome" sports, but we pick and chooses which schools get the benefit?

Your argument just self-destructed.

[Fau Teixeira]

My argument is that college sports is a for-profit industry ran by the privileged conferences and set up to benefit coaches and athletic directors.  Who exploit teenagers in order to make tons of money. These same teenagers are then prohibited by a shady cartel from monetizing their own success in any manner to preserve the monopoly these schools have on their names and likenesses. All the while being treated as well as mine workers were treated in the late 1900s at camp stores.

self destruct that

[CF DolFan]

I don't see it as exploitation. The kids get a free education and an audition to perform on the biggest stage in this country. The schools owe them nothing in my opinion. I have no issue with adding meal plans and better living facilities for athletes but compensation should never be an option. They are getting a free education because they can play a sport. That should be where it ends.

[Sunstroke]

Agree with MikeO that paying players opens up a can of worms (which players? which sports? which schools? how much?) that is best left hermetically sealed and buried in a time capsule, to be dug up and reconsidered maybe 20-30 years in the future.

One possible compromise... Allow players to make a limited amount of "extra money" by signing autographs or doing commercial endorsements. Set a reasonable cap of, say, $2,000-$3,000 per month that they can earn doing these endorsements, and set restrictions like:

* Only allowing these activities to be done at times that would not conflict with classes or organized team activities.
* Don't allow the student athlete to endorse any product or sponsor that would reflect negatively on the college or the NCAA. In other words, no casinos or other gambling endorsements, no alcohol or firearms, etc..., and have the college pre-approve sponsors before the student can perform the endorsement.
* The student athlete must maintain an acceptable grade point average, class attendance record and not get into any legal trouble.

[Dave Gray]

I'm just surprised that all of these free-market people don't support the free market.  Jameis Winston is making FSU MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars.  He could go to another school and make them MILLIONS AND MILLIONS instead.  Yet, they give him an education he doesn't need and a meal plan.  Give me a friggin' break.

It's exactly like Fau says -- it like those 1800s style companies that have you work and you only get paid in company credits.

Colleges are hiding behind "student athlete" because they are getting filthy rich on the backs of teenagers.  If that means that colleges can't run sports programs, so be it -- it doesn't justify free labor where you can't sell your own signature or get paid to take a picture or have a friend buy you lunch.  The whole thing is a farce, perpetrated by the people getting rich off it.