Hell of it is, a lot of them aren’t even getting that education. Football players at FSU who complained about how much practice and training they had to do each week have been dismissively told “Well, you aren’t at Harvard!”
Friend of mine told me that at UF, she was in a class with a bunch of broad-shouldered thick-necked guys in sports T-shirts. After passing in a test, she said one of the players congratulated her on what a great score she got on the test….before the tests were handed back.
And, in southern states, every once in a while a player in early practice dies of heat stroke while running all over the field under the August sun. The coaches and the university officials all cluck their tongues and make noises about What A Great Guy He Was, and then go on from there.
First, it is entirely voluntary, unlike the 17th-19th Centuries. Then
Free room and board for 4 years.
Free medical care for 4 years.
Free college tuition for 4 years.
Free, unlimited tutoring for 4 years.
Free travel to local, regional and sometimes national or exotic travel. (see those basketball tourneys in Hawaii)
You’re adored everywhere you go in town.
Fans clamor to get your autograph.
You get to play a child’s game.
…and if you’re good enough, maybe you can go on to play pro ball. Maybe you get to be a scrub, or a practice squad member…STILL playing football…STILL earning more than most college graduates.
Tigernet, the point is that regardless of how much ‘free’ stuff these kids get, millions upon millions of dollars are earned and spent on their backs. The monetary value of the ‘free’ stuff is infinitesimal compared to the earnings of the college, coaching staff, etc. that ride on their backs.
The chance that a college player makes it to the NFL are extremely slim. In exchange for all this ‘free’ stuff you get to be a slave to the system, practice more than you have time to study, have no social life and basically get spit out the other end as a disenfranchised young adult with few skills applicable to the real world.
Yes, they get a college education, but their lives are so consumed by the sport that it’s debatable about whether the education they receive is equal to that of the average student. How many football players have the time necessary to devote to an academic track like engineering or science? No study abroad, no clubs. The risk of permanent injury is very, very high…every game might be the last game they ever play.
Of course, the perks are great…but it’s not enough.
At the very least, I’d propose that college sports programs ensure that injuries sustained by the students athletes in their programs are covered by the team insurance for as long as they need care, with yearly checks provided after care is completed for some prescribed amount of time (like, say, until the student athlete turns 30). This is particularly important for football players who have sustained head injuries (as we’re seeing now) and for injuries that affect delicate parts of the body (ie. back, knee, neck).
Also: The money involved corrupts the rest of the higher-ed system — aside from finagling grades, you get crap like the Penn State debacle, plus any number of more usual locker-room rapes that get covered over. Indeed, the players practically get trained to feel they’re above the rules, and eventually above the law.
Scholarship athletes may spend a lot of time on the field and training, but non-scholarship students like myself spend a lot more time working craptastic part-time jobs to pay expenses while still taking on backbreaking lifetime debt in the form of student loans. Study abroad? Must be nice to have that kind of Trust Fund to tap into. Not all athletes play contact sports. Guys working construction have far more opportunity to screw up their bodies than these coddled athletes. Ditto working in restaurants. The scholarship and expenses given to these kids represents about a $30k annual reversal of fortune – getting an education and not paying for it. Not bad for a kid right out of high school.
BTW, the I agree the NCAA is a sleazy organization and that the money dedicated to playing games is absurd. Upping the ante by paying players probably is not the solution most are looking for.
Hoo-boy, have you opened up the box here, Keith! How dare you criticise the University Athletics Industry! And the other sports are just as exploitative. They just not as rich. “But they get a chance to play pro when it’s all over!” That’s like saying every kid with a Drama degree becomes a star. Those poor, dumb, exploited jocks. Keep up the good work, Keith.
John Brown’ body lies a moldering in the grave…
When’s the next bus to Harper’s Ferry?
Hell of it is, a lot of them aren’t even getting that education. Football players at FSU who complained about how much practice and training they had to do each week have been dismissively told “Well, you aren’t at Harvard!”
Friend of mine told me that at UF, she was in a class with a bunch of broad-shouldered thick-necked guys in sports T-shirts. After passing in a test, she said one of the players congratulated her on what a great score she got on the test….before the tests were handed back.
And, in southern states, every once in a while a player in early practice dies of heat stroke while running all over the field under the August sun. The coaches and the university officials all cluck their tongues and make noises about What A Great Guy He Was, and then go on from there.
First, it is entirely voluntary, unlike the 17th-19th Centuries. Then
Free room and board for 4 years.
Free medical care for 4 years.
Free college tuition for 4 years.
Free, unlimited tutoring for 4 years.
Free travel to local, regional and sometimes national or exotic travel. (see those basketball tourneys in Hawaii)
You’re adored everywhere you go in town.
Fans clamor to get your autograph.
You get to play a child’s game.
…and if you’re good enough, maybe you can go on to play pro ball. Maybe you get to be a scrub, or a practice squad member…STILL playing football…STILL earning more than most college graduates.
Yes…please. I want this slavery.
Tigernet, the point is that regardless of how much ‘free’ stuff these kids get, millions upon millions of dollars are earned and spent on their backs. The monetary value of the ‘free’ stuff is infinitesimal compared to the earnings of the college, coaching staff, etc. that ride on their backs.
The chance that a college player makes it to the NFL are extremely slim. In exchange for all this ‘free’ stuff you get to be a slave to the system, practice more than you have time to study, have no social life and basically get spit out the other end as a disenfranchised young adult with few skills applicable to the real world.
I read somewhere the NCAA makes somewhere around $6 billion when you factor in everything including TV deals and such.
Tom: As the climate heats up, we’ll be hearing more and more of these kids dropping dead. Collateral damage.
Tigernet: Don’t forget the free goodie bags they get if they make it to the Doritos Poo Bowl!
Yes, they get a college education, but their lives are so consumed by the sport that it’s debatable about whether the education they receive is equal to that of the average student. How many football players have the time necessary to devote to an academic track like engineering or science? No study abroad, no clubs. The risk of permanent injury is very, very high…every game might be the last game they ever play.
Of course, the perks are great…but it’s not enough.
At the very least, I’d propose that college sports programs ensure that injuries sustained by the students athletes in their programs are covered by the team insurance for as long as they need care, with yearly checks provided after care is completed for some prescribed amount of time (like, say, until the student athlete turns 30). This is particularly important for football players who have sustained head injuries (as we’re seeing now) and for injuries that affect delicate parts of the body (ie. back, knee, neck).
Also: The money involved corrupts the rest of the higher-ed system — aside from finagling grades, you get crap like the Penn State debacle, plus any number of more usual locker-room rapes that get covered over. Indeed, the players practically get trained to feel they’re above the rules, and eventually above the law.
Scholarship athletes may spend a lot of time on the field and training, but non-scholarship students like myself spend a lot more time working craptastic part-time jobs to pay expenses while still taking on backbreaking lifetime debt in the form of student loans. Study abroad? Must be nice to have that kind of Trust Fund to tap into. Not all athletes play contact sports. Guys working construction have far more opportunity to screw up their bodies than these coddled athletes. Ditto working in restaurants. The scholarship and expenses given to these kids represents about a $30k annual reversal of fortune – getting an education and not paying for it. Not bad for a kid right out of high school.
BTW, the I agree the NCAA is a sleazy organization and that the money dedicated to playing games is absurd. Upping the ante by paying players probably is not the solution most are looking for.
Hoo-boy, have you opened up the box here, Keith! How dare you criticise the University Athletics Industry! And the other sports are just as exploitative. They just not as rich. “But they get a chance to play pro when it’s all over!” That’s like saying every kid with a Drama degree becomes a star. Those poor, dumb, exploited jocks. Keep up the good work, Keith.