The Stupidity of Paying College Athletes

Hey remember that debate about paying college athletes?


Yep, still happening.


Well, it shouldn’t be happening, because no student-athlete should ever make any money doing what they do.



My reasoning is simple: there is absolutely no fair way to do this. None whatsoever.



Look until America learns that the NCAA and the universities themselves see students as $$$ and not like people, they are going to ponder why students get squandered and drained out of every possible penny during their 3-4-5-6-7 years in college. Guess what, they don’t care about their athletes, they care about the brand name of the school. The Penn State disaster is the prime example of this: screw the people, protect the school.

Universities are not educational facilities anymore, they are the connecting piece between tennagehood and adulthood and it costs good money. You are no longer paying for the education nowadays, you are paying top dollar for the experience. You are paying top dollar for the intoxicating blend of light education, good-looking specimens, wild parties, and your first taste of independence from the family. Nowadays, a universities’ ability to party is literally taken into account when deciding where you want to “study.” This is where the NCAA and the billions come in at the expense of these athletes: the schools are now like your professional teams: you root for some, root against others, and align yourself with a specific division. College Football is exactly like the NFL except for the paying players part.

But nobody forced any of these athletes to participate. Nobody forced them to sign the statement annulling them of any form of payment while they played. None of this is trickery; you know this from the start. You know how things work. If college football was not such a big moneymaker, would the country be so up at arms about the quarterbacks, running backs, and other high-profile players not making money? Of course not; America is upset because the student-school relationship is a mirror of what their future relationships with the big businesses that hires them is going to become---pay that may not be suitable, while watching the big bosses make exponential amounts. I work for Disney making around $30,000 a year, while watching them make 1.7 BILLION off of two movies alone this summer. Do I like it? Not always. But that’s life.



Life’s not fair. Students and advocates for the God-awful pay-the-athletes campaign should know this.



And before you cry for these athletes keep in mind of one thing: they get such a nice little ride throughout this you can’t feel sorry for them. Since NCAA is such big business they powder the athletes-to-be from high school right to their final year in college. I can promise you if you are good, you will never have to pay for the education, or the housing, or most of the smaller expenses that comes with going to school. They are going to pamper you.

Let’s be honest with ourselves: universities with good football programs don’t give a shit about your education. See all the recent accusations from students left and right about not having to do most of the schoolwork to focus more on football? Almost every student you see on that field gets a leeway on all their classes, gets special treatment, more opportunities to not get that damning mediocre grade. And even if you struggle, expect that full ride scholarship to catch your fall. These athletes don’t need to be paid, because we are already basically paying for their entire life for their entire college career. We are already making it smooth sailing for them their entire educational career.

And then here’s the other issue: are we also going to pay the squash athletes? The wrestling athletes? The woman’s softball athletes? The chess athletes? The lacrosse athletes? The volleyball athletes? I assure you that these players don’t make a thousandth of the amount of money generated by football. Are we going to pay ALL student-athletes? Because if you limit it to just football, I can smell the lawsuits for miles upon miles.

What about the smart students? Are we going to pay them for contributions to science, math, and psychology? Of course not. They aren’t on network television. Why are we punishing them for choosing a different path in life? What about the physically disabled students that couldn’t compete at a sport even if they wanted to? Why would we be punishing them?

And lastly, what in Sam Hill makes you think that just because we give them a paycheck they won’t find ways to break the rules to rake in more cash? Wall Street douchebags makes millions a year but will still pinch corners to save a few hundred. Even if you make money, if the opportunity for even more money pops up who wouldn’t take it? People like Johnny will still charge for autographs, charge for pictures, charge for appearances. You think Johnny would have left the Manning camp early if a paycheck had been held next to it?

One final story to cement my unchanging opinion towards this issue: During college I suffered a C grade and as a result my entire scholarship was pulled. After I dropped out I got full-time at Animal Kingdom ODF. There I met a cast member who had a son that was good at wrestling. Apparently the son accidently got a gal pregnant and asked for time off from the university to cater to the girlfriend and the upcoming child. Not only did they agree, but offered to give him his full scholarship after his YEAR absence from the school. Then there was a second university that told him he could leave for TWO YEARS and STILL get a full-ride scholarship if he were to jump ship.



You still expect me to cry over them not getting paid?


They have everything else..........