Paying the kids

[gyb13]

http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2003/0212/1507801.html
Governor backs bill to pay Nebraska football players
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Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Gov. Mike Johanns is backing a legislative proposal to pay Nebraska football players.

"Paying the players would be above board and straightforward," Johanns said Wednesday. "College football has become a multimillion-dollar industry that should do much better for its athletes."

A bill introduced by state Sen. Ernie Chambers would require football players to be paid a stipend. It would take effect only if three other states that have teams in the Big 12 Conference pass similar laws.

Chambers contends football players are exploited, unable to capitalize on work that generates millions of dollars. He said NCAA rules governing money players can earn are too complex and easy to violate for small infractions.

The Business and Labor Committee held a hearing on the proposal Monday, but has not taken any action.

Johanns said if the bill were to pass the Legislature he would sign it into law. The Legislature passed a similar bill in 1988 but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Kay Orr.

Johanns' wife, Stephanie, was a state senator at that time who supported the bill vetoed by Orr.if this passes, imagine the snowball effect this may have on all of college sports!

[JamesI]

I hope this fails. They are ametuers!

[Craig S.]

I understand his point about wanting to show thanks for the money that the players bring to their schools, but paying them isn't the way to do it. It's a very slippery slope once something like this begins.

[JamesI]

They are getting a free education (if they take advantage of it). That should be their compensation.

[Craig S.]

Originally posted by JamesI
They are getting a free education (if they take advantage of it). That should be their compensation.

I think they'd argue that their education isn't free, since they put in a lot of work and an incredible amount of travel. Their frustration comes from having to struggle for 4 years, while at the same time helping to line the school's pockets.

I still don't think they should be paid, but I can see where it would be a little frustrating at times.

[SmedIndy]

Where would it end?

To be fair, you'd have to allow a stipend to all D-1 athletes. Then this gets tricky. Programs are being shut down all the time because of budget issues. Plus, many smaller sports have partial scholarships. Baseball, especially?

So where do you draw the line? Doesn't a basketball player at Canisius deserve a stipend much like the football player in Nebraska?

[Gosfgiants]

I'm not sure where I stand on something like this. On one hand a a program like a Nebraska or a Miami makes a tremendous amount of money off their football program in a variety of ways. While the schools get to pocket a good chunk of it, the players get tutition, room, and board. They have maintain a certain GPA and practice on a greuling schedule. They are not allowed to hold jobs if they want to maintain their athletic eligibility. A stipend would surely help many players who would need it.

However, once you open up payment for the playeres there are numorous abuses possible in the system. These are along the lines of why college athletes are no longer allowed to hold jobs. Whose to say what sort of money the alumni will be putting these kids pockets.

[LeGrandOrange]

And this coming off of Nebraska's worst season since B.T.O., before Tom Osborne. You're gonna pay them for being only slightly better than average? What a crock.
This governor has SUCH poor morals...sounds like perfect DC material!

Oh wait, no politics here...my bad.

[rcartman28]

While I realize that numerous abuses are possible (and likely) in a stipend system, I still think the athletes should receive one. The schools and boosters that cheat aren't stopped by the current system, either......

[SmedIndy]

Is it the same stipend at each school? For each sport?

Will it totally destroy non-revenue sports or the programs at smaller schools?

Is it the same for I-A and I-AA football? What about Division II?

[Ytown Tribe fan]

Originally posted by Gosfgiants
I'm not sure where I stand on something like this. On one hand a a program like a Nebraska or a Miami makes a tremendous amount of money off their football program in a variety of ways. While the schools get to pocket a good chunk of it, the players get tutition, room, and board. They have maintain a certain GPA and practice on a greuling schedule. They are not allowed to hold jobs if they want to maintain their athletic eligibility. A stipend would surely help many players who would need it.

However, once you open up payment for the playeres there are numorous abuses possible in the system. These are along the lines of why college athletes are no longer allowed to hold jobs. Whose to say what sort of money the alumni will be putting these kids pockets.

:agree: Agreed, and well said.

[KCBOOMER]

This is an asinine proposal. Yes, football at a number of D-1 schools makes a lot of money but it doesn't make money at all of them. Can you imagine the reaction of the other non-football D-1 athletes many of whom don't even get scholarships? And its not like a university is a profit center whereby someone could pocket the money. The money is plowed back into the school itself.

At the major D-1 schools a full athletic scholarship is worth at least $10K a year. That is worth some time and effort on the student athletes part.

[gyb13]

aw, shucks, here we go again
http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/0415/1539472.html
The most significant move was creating the student fund, which will increase by 13 percent each of the next 11 years for a total payout of more than $370 million. The money will come from the NCAA's $6.2 billion television contracts with CBS and ESPN over that period.

"We want to be sure that student-athletes are able to create flexibility on their academic pursuits," said council chairwoman Chris Plonsky, associate athletic director at Texas.

Plonsky said the new fund could be used for expenses such as laptop computers, postgraduate scholarships, graduate school exam preparation, emergency travel and medical and dental costs not covered by other insurance programs.

The NCAA already has a special assistance fund and an academic enhancement fund, but that money is distributed based on financial need.

Money for the new fund -- not necessarily be need-based -- will be sent to individual conferences, which will set the standards for disbursement.