Week 1: Offseason Turmoil

With an offseason full of turmoil the college football landscape is facing some trying days in the not so distant future. Old coaches, new coaches, NCAA sanctions, freshmen stars, tattoos and cash, suspensions, realignment, TV rights, the Longhorn network, spring camp, fall camp, tornados, pro-style offense or spread option, and combat uniforms. With all that going on its hard to believe that not even a snap of the 2011-2012 season had been played yet.

Realignment has begun with various big names, (i.e. Nebraska, Colorado, TCU, and Boise State) jumping ship and joining new conferences. Now with the dominos all falling it seems everyone wants a little bigger piece of the pie. Texas A&M is attempting to join the SEC, only to be stopped by nearly all the rest of what is left of the Big 12.

                But maybe the only bigger story in the offseason than realignment is the NCAA investigations and sanctions. Players accepting impermissible benefits, coaching scandals, and new cars and “who paid for them?”. Now comes the question, “Should college athletes be allowed to make money while attending college?” Here is what I think about that…

                NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If someone is seriously considering that these kids should be getting paid I would love to hear a legitimate argument in favor of that. I’ve heard the “marketability” thing mentioned. No one can deny that some players are definitely marketable and could be making a killing off of jersey and merchandise sales. But that would completely defeat the idea of an amateur athlete. Let’s look at the definition of the word “amateur” first.

Amateur: one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Paying a college student money or even allowing him to make money off of his name and that of the respective university would be going against what it is to be an amateur athlete. And in all reality is that player the person who is marketable or is it the university which he plays for? I’d have to say that the university wins that one more times than not. That would be allowing a kid to make money off of a school which is paying to educate that individual. Doesn’t seem right to me. If an athlete is worried about his marketability maybe he should strive to be not only the best athlete he can be for three or four years, but also the best example he can be. Athletes can come out of college being marketable in may different aspect, not just jersey sales and shoe contracts.

                Also in my opinion student-athletes are being paid. I’m a college student and I pay tuition and have a job. I have no problem with this because I am paying for something which will benefit me down the road. I would never expect an athlete to have a job, that would be almost impossible to balance a school, social, work, and athletic life at the same time. But kids shouldn’t be having money put into their pockets while attending school. They are having an entire education paid for, along with room, board, food, books, and a few other perks of being an athlete. If these kids are worried about having some cash at their disposal then maybe a student loan would work. Hell, almost the entire student body takes out student loans, why can’t the athletes do this too?

                If we, as a sports community, desire to have the athletes paid I think I’ve devised a plan to allow these kids to make some cash.

Since football players are required to compete at a collegiate level until the end of their junior season (3 years removed from high school) I think that it is after that the athletes should be allowed to sign endorsements. Maybe an academic goal should be reached and a player is only allowed to sign endorsements once he is academically a senior in college. Put some emphasis on the kids to reach an academic goal, not just an athletic goal. I do not think that the university should be able to pay the players any amount of money what so ever in order for them to stay for their senior year. This would solve a simple problem. Those few players who have been able to build and maintain their marketability through hard work for three years should be able to benefit. This would also keep some players in college through their senior year because money is not the issue anymore. College players play for the love of the game, but at a certain point it becomes a business decision to become professional. This would allow universities to graduate more players, give fans what they want in seeing their favorite players one more season, and I believe giving the athletes themselves what they want (a chance to finish their senior year at their college without the decision of going pro looming over their head from a financial standpoint). A solution would benefit everyone, especially the fourth year athletes. I would also say a cap should be put on just how much money kids should be able to make. 50,000 would be a good limit. Throw in the allowance to make up the amount indebted regarding student loans and the athlete is sitting pretty in my mind. This is more than most kids make after graduating college, and is definitely more than enough to “get by” in your senior year of college. I don’t have a problem seeing some college athletes in a commercial here and there, smiling in the front seat of a car at a local dealership, or even signing a one year shoe deal. That isn’t going to deface the purity of the sport in my opinion, and it keeps the money given to “kids” in check. No one wants to see a senior rolling up to fall camp in a Range Rover or wearing a Rolex in class.  Maybe a bonus should be allowed for Academic All-Americans and other academic goals, accomplishments in the community, amongst other things not athletically related.

The problem with paying underclassmen, in my opinion, is that they have not yet “earned” that privilege yet. A senior has put in his due diligence to the sport and his university and should be allowed perks, especially when finishing out what he started four years earlier. Paying underclassmen also gives certain universities recruiting advantages. If a kid is offered an Adidas shoe deal out of high school he is almost certain to go to a university which has a deal cut with Adidas. Advantage to that school.

Overall, if you want to be paid as a college athlete go out and prove your worth over a few season, work hard, get good grades, be a positive member of the university and community alike, and earn respect and show it likewise. This gives student athletes the means and rewards to stay all four years. And if you are worried about your marketability as a student athlete well that’s good. You should care about your image, grades, school, and when you graduate with that degree you are that much more marketable to have a profession in something other than sports.