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College Athletics

BigJim13

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Watching the NCAA tourney and Meet the Press this morning, an. Being a sports fan in general this question gets raised every so often.

Should college athletes get paid?

Personally, I don't think they should. They get a free college education. Now I'm not naive enough to think the NCAA is solely focused on the welfare of student athletes and I think alit of their policies are bogus. All that being said, I still don't think college athletes should be paid.

Thoughts?
 
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BigJim13

BigJim13

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Should they get workmans comp and health insurance? IRAs and 401k? Profit sharing?

School and education seems further and further away, and the general public opinion tends to not support the reason the situation exists in the first place.
They aren't employees so would not be eligible for workman's comp etc. there is (it may be settled by now) a lawsuit by students at Northwestern to unionize as student athletes.
 

Fairwaysplitter3320

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I think they should be treated like other students. I played college baseball and it was a blast but I still had exams, class, etc. it was tough but there's no reason to pay college athletes. They're there to work on their chosen profession, if that's basketball do the prerequisites (class). If it's engineering or marketing or whatever students have to do the same thing. No need to get paid on top of that.
 

MCDavis

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I think college athletes who plan to go pro should be required to get a 3 year "professional athlete" degree. During these 3 years, they would take public speaking, financial planning, financial management, and some basic college courses. They should get paid, and one requirement of graduation be tied to how they manage their pay.

Additionally, the pro leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc) should be required to only recruit from those college athletes who have achieved this 3 year degree.

This gives the high end high school athletes 3 years to develop their skills and to get the real life courses that will help them excel in their chosen profession JUST LIKE every other college student. And, if being a pro doesn't work out, they have the basic financial and general skills to either go back to school or to get a job.

The idea needs some work, but I think you can see what I'm trying to do.
 

Fairwaysplitter3320

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I think college athletes who plan to go pro should be required to get a 3 year "professional athlete" degree. During these 3 years, they would take public speaking, financial planning, financial management, and some basic college courses. They should get paid, and one requirement of graduation be tied to how they manage their pay.

Additionally, the pro leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc) should be required to only recruit from those college athletes who have achieved this 3 year degree.

This gives the high end high school athletes 3 years to develop their skills and to get the real life courses that will help them excel in their chosen profession JUST LIKE every other college student. And, if being a pro doesn't work out, they have the basic financial and general skills to either go back to school or to get a job.

The idea needs some work, but I think you can see what I'm trying to do.
I think you're on to something there. It's amazing how often these guys get themselves into trouble because their entourage or peeps take advantage and steer them in the wrong direction.
 

eclark53520

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I think college athletes who plan to go pro should be required to get a 3 year "professional athlete" degree. During these 3 years, they would take public speaking, financial planning, financial management, and some basic college courses. They should get paid, and one requirement of graduation be tied to how they manage their pay.

Additionally, the pro leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc) should be required to only recruit from those college athletes who have achieved this 3 year degree.

This gives the high end high school athletes 3 years to develop their skills and to get the real life courses that will help them excel in their chosen profession JUST LIKE every other college student. And, if being a pro doesn't work out, they have the basic financial and general skills to either go back to school or to get a job.

The idea needs some work, but I think you can see what I'm trying to do.

Honestly, this is ridiculous. Professional sports are private matters and if they choose to do as such, that would be fine with me, but they shouldn't be required to do so. The .gov needs to keep their mitts out of the private sector.

Nobody should be required to go to college to get a job in their chosen field.
 

eclark53520

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Why should any college kid get paid? Take a page from the golf world... amateurs and professionals are separate for a reason.

I don't have a problem with college kids getting paid, but I don't think the college should be able to pay them for voluntarily engaging in a sport they provide for the students. This is especially true for state run college systems. Private college's I don't really care what they do assuming they're not on the government tit.

If the kid is offered an endorsement deal or any other money that doesn't hinge on them playing the sport, I think they as humans should be able to enter into that contract.
 

TEA Time

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the government tit...
Honestly, this is ridiculous. Professional sports are private matters and if they choose to do as such, that would be fine with me, but they shouldn't be required to do so. The .gov needs to keep their mitts out of the private sector.
Where is this government angle coming from?
 

TrickyPutt

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Well, property taxes pay for education, or they claim it does around here anyway. If education organizations then pay athletes, your taxes go up for the good of the community, and the organization to oversee the new worker group has to be formed, have buildings built etc so thats all out there waiting also.
 

eclark53520

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Where is this government angle coming from?

Lots of State run and funded Colleges out there. I don't think the tax money should be going to pay millions a year for a kid to play football while he's getting a full ride scholarship as well. Privately funded school...well, I don't really care what they spend their money on.

The other angle - who is going to force this mandatory 3 year program MC was talking about? Who is going to force pro sports to only allow these 'pro' athletes who have been through the program? The government...since no other being or entity has the ability to create force in this country anyway.
 

MCDavis

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Not sure how you enforce it. As I said, it's a work in progress.

They could recruit straight out of high school if they wanted. But, once the player enters college and declares his "major" to be professional sports, the pros should give him/her time to develop the sports skills AND the personal skills to be a better player/person at the pro level.

Isn't that what college does for every other degree earned?
 

eclark53520

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Not sure how you enforce it. As I said, it's a work in progress.

They could recruit straight out of high school if they wanted. But, once the player enters college and declares his "major" to be professional sports, the pros should give him/her time to develop the sports skills AND the personal skills to be a better player/person at the pro level.

Isn't that what college does for every other degree earned?

Yes...but anyone can leave college at any time. If I got an offer to make 21 million for 5 years writing code half way through college, I would have taken it. Why shouldn't I be able to just because I declared my major?

It's not like they're being enslaved. They agree to sign the contract.

I understand you're trying to protect the athletes, but restricting their freedoms isn't helping much. IMO.
 

MCDavis

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Never said they couldn't quit. But why not offer a specialized degree for pro athletes just like every other profession? And then, why not somehow encourage the teams to pay more for a degreed (sp?) player vs. a non-degreed player?
 

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