The Grounds

I agree with you, probably in the neighborhood of 100-500k a year? These guys generate serious value for their school. I bet Tim Tebow sold millions of jerseys without ever seeing a dime

Maybe you are asking about a hypothetical case where there are no NCAA restrictions, but it today's world asking for extra benefits is not "standing up for yourself", it's "cheating". That would be considered a character issue. In the absence of the NCAA, then these guys would all be getting paid, but they would not be getting an education and most who don't pan out would be left with little opportunity for future income.

That's easy to answer by just assuming that the NFL does away with the "three years removed from High School" rule. The number one recruit is probably worth what a top 10 NFL pick is worth today. The problem with that is that after the first 50-100 players, the value for a kid out of High School drops precipitously. Out of the top 300, there is no value until the player proves himself able to make the transition from High School to the "next level".

I would love to see the NFL drop the rule. I think some of the kids that are currently going through the college "charade" should just be in the NFL on some team's developmental squad.

Addition 5 down votes
But only 2 responses. Tug where you at buddy? Need some support

And none of the down votes are mine. I'll give you an up vote. Interesting topic.

worth...Rules are you get a scholarship for a free education. That's WAY more than most of us get...we don't get paid till we get out and get a job either. When they prove they are good (ala Tim Tebow) they DO get endorsements and a big fat multi million $$$ contract!! Worth FAR more than most will ever see. So heck no!!! They should have the honesty and integrity to obey the rules so as not to put any of that in jeopardy. Why, if you are any good, would you do that? Obey the rules, do whats right and reap the rewards later in the right way. Why people think TV $$ just goes to fat cats in the school system or something is amazing. It cost a great deal to run the college system and all that usually goes for the benefit of all the students, including those in all the sports programs. Heck the bowls even loose $$. Sheeesh!

I'm sorry, I missed the crowds of people paying $70 or more per ticket to watch me study. You cannot compare a football or basketball player to a run-of-the-mill student. The athletes are the main attraction in a multi-billion dollar industry. And if they suffer a career ending injury, they don't see a dime of the money that the schools and other entities made off their sacrifice and effort.

I love this sport, I love following my team and supporting them. I also happen to think the entire college football system is a large, elaborate scam. I don't know how the bowl system is still operating. The schools repeatedly get taken to the cleaners. It's like the entire bowl system is built on paying off the people who can keep their schools willingly bent over the barrel.

We know that football churns out money. We can see the TV deals, we can see the crowds, the coach's salaries, the media coverage. And yet we tolerate a system where the people engaged in that industry cannot demand the market value for their services. Why? Because the cabal that controls this multi-billion dollar industry (the schools of the NCAA) has decreed that the workers THEY USE are amateurs.

I cannot think of another industry in this country where people help generate billions of dollars in revenue, and essentially have the share of that revenue that they can receive capped. In fact, there's probably quite a few people that would say that it's un-American. Can you imagine if they did that to entertainers? "I know you're the hottest singer in America right now, but until you're 21, you can only receive $500 per concert. It's that, or try your luck in Mongolia."

I smell what your girllin' dude. Very interesting hypothetical question. Not sure of the downvotes,I just took care of that.

I agree that it's a scam, however, I think there are other things at play. You can't say every player is being taken to the cleaners. There are 85 scholarship players. If you're on a good team, there's probably 5-10 or so players who will play at the next level in the next year. The other 75-80 players are important parts of the team, but they are not superstars and will not play the sport professionally or will need the time to develop to that point. Also, I would venture to say that some would not be going to college at all, or at least not a hard academic school like UVA, Duke, UNC, etc. without playing their sport. It's not just the competition of playing the sport but it's who you play for as well. There are benefits to getting a UVA degree above other schools and that stems from the value of the degree in the regular job market.

There's also the cost of job training and a venue to display your talents that you can't get anywhere else. What college kid has the money to put into marketing himself? The answer is every college kid who is going to be a superstar because the college he goes to has its own marketing department. The TV deals the conferences set up market the crap out of superstars. Every time Mike Scott is featured on ESPN whether it's Sportcenter, College Gameday, ESPNU, etc., should he be charged the money for that :30 advertisement to his future employers, the NBA, like any other business deal would be charged? He's on TV being touted as our star every time they play another team in the ACC because of that TV deal. Also, he has had 5 years of resources put into his basketball maturation. That's 5 years worth of team doctors, coaches, trainers, strength & conditioning programs, team meals, travel, insurance, health care at one of the better places in the country, etc. put into Mike Scott, the 2011 ACC POY hopeful. I'm not saying he's going to be drafted as high as Harrison Barnes, but HB didn't need UNC to get publicity to go to the NBA because he's got that kind of talent and it showed early in his life. Mike Scott needed 5 years to get to where he is now and become a viable contender to be a solid draft pick in the NBA draft.

Do I think athletes don't deserve more? I think they do. I've seen enough athletes struggling and they really don't have an option to go work because of the time their sport takes from their lives. Do I think anyone of them needs $100k-500k? No. These recruits are freshmen who will be hit by Men 4 years older than them and that could end their sporting careers that quickly. I think they should get what the average college kid gets working over winter break or summer break in addition to free schooling. Something like $5k-10k a year in lost income potential. I also think there should be some performance bonus for the whole team, being as these are team sports. Maybe a bowl bonus aside from the bowl swag. The monetary impact on going to a big bowl cannot be calculated just by the forced ticket sales which usually puts the participating teams in the red.

I think it should be fair. A scholarship athlete should not have to struggle and the schools that "employ" them should not reap all the benefits, but excess one way or the other isn't what I'm thinking.

With that said, someone come up with at least $50k to throw at Stefon Diggs real quick!! Ha!

Good topic. Upvote.