Shock Value: Entry 150 "College Athletics, To Pay Or Not To Pay"

Its Saturday, but I am

sure most of you are well

aware of that fact. Its pigskin

time, so I wish your favorite team

good luck today & tomorrow.

Today's Topic: College Athletics, To Pay Or Not To Pay

Today's topic is something that has been causing a buzz around the collegiate sports world for a while. Unless you live in Jupiter, you have heard of the various college athletes who have been fined, suspended, etc due to improper behaviors like taking monies from agents to attending parties with people who could have a stake in their future beyond college. The most infamous of all these has to be Reggie Bush of New Orleans Saints, USC fame. Now, I am no fan of Reggie and it has nothing to do with the fact that he used his talent to help keep the lights on, food on the table, and a car in the driveway. Am I upset that the brother may have done something wrong by taking monies as a college player, no. I can't judge that man. I didn't and still don't know his situation and what he had to endure. All I do know is, if you do the crime, you have to deal with what comes with that.

College athletics usually are the real money makers for most universities. I mean colleges and universities all over the nation rake in millions and millions of dollars with their athletic programs, especially if they are winning games and championships. But, the question I raise is the same one a number of others have been raising: Should these athletes be payed for all the revenue their skill is generating for the schools the attend? Here is my stance, No. Absolutely not. College athletes, including myself in my day, receive full or partial scholarships to attend these schools. Some of theses individuals are receiving $30-70,000 dollar educations for free, just because they play sports. That's a gift all in itself. The real problem is, these student athletes normally have no plans to graduate, they are just using college as a launching pad into the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. This is obvious, because most of them don't finish school and enter the draft years before they are scheduled to graduate from college.

Am I upset by it? In a way I am. Because it sets a precedence that if you are fast, quick, or have a certain athletic skill, you don't really need a college degree. And no matter what your talent is, you always need something to fall back on. All of us are one injury/incident away from having to make a career change. I understand these individuals are busting their butts on the fields and courts, but what about those who bust their butt in the labs and classrooms. Shouldn't they be getting paid too. Following the logic of some, that means students who have outstanding GPAs should be getting revenue, because their talent helps their schools with recruitment of other outstanding students too. I know I am probably on an island by myself, but I truly believe college athletes are more than compensated by the coaching and life skills they gain in sports and the opportunity at a quality education they can gain if they go to class and ultimately graduate.

Just my one and a half cents

~Brutha Other Side of The Coin