Real Sports story implicates Auburn, other schools

This will never happen. Schools like Auburn bring in too much money to the NCAA (much of it in the form of TV ratings that justify what the NCAA's television partners pay for rights fees) and wield too much clout to get the death penalty, which is what I think you're advocating for. I was shocked they went as far as they did to Southern Cal last year.

Plus the old foagies at the NCAA remember when they gave the death penalty to SMU in the '80s and how it essentially destroyed that program. If they didn't do it to Alabama early last decade or to Southern Cal last year, they won't do it to Auburn or anyone else.

 

For me, it's the hypocrisy.

If the NCAA wants to make this a truly amateur thing, then make it a truly amateur thing. No one gets paid above expenses. If they want people to get paid, then let everyone get paid.

And getting a scholarship is beneficial only if the athletes are totally free to use it. They're not. They miss a considerable amount of class time (at least in men's basketball). They have to work in their classes around their practice time, rather than vice-versa. And they can have it yanked at any time by the coaches, without any recourse. And plenty of times, the kid isn't free to take what courses he wants because it would interfere with practice time (the Robert Smith case, for instance).

And the NCAA looks ridiculous by hammering the athletes every time someone buys them a hamburger. They call it "extra benefits." that are not supposed to be available to the rest of the student population. Yet, if anything, athletes have to take less benefits, because I can buy any non-athlete a hamburger, but I can't buy the athlete one.

 

When will Real Sports sweat the NCAA under a bare bulb?

 

If you don't think the athletes should be compensated by the university other than their scholarship, which I can see that point, can someone provide me with a good reason why the players should not be able to make money off endorsments and merchandise?

 

Haha. None of the above. Never even been to Alabama (except for driving between Philly and Pittsburgh).

 

They're profiting off their good name and their school's good name! How dare they! They're supposed to embrace the purity of their amateurism!

Never mind that the Olympics, supposedly the amateurism ideal, threw up its hands and gave that up 20 years ago.

 

Look, if college athletes could make money off of endorsements and equipment deals, there would be less money for coaches and schools doing it. Therefore, it is an intolerable violation of the ethics of college sports for athletes to do so.
It's not the sleaze that bothers me. If cheating pays, people will cheat. If there's money to be made, people will make it. It's the intolerable hypocrisy of people running a racket who pretend otherwise that gets me.

 

They should be paid employees of the University/College and provided room and board. If they choose to attend the University as students, they should pay for it, or qualify for a scholarship, grant or loan.

 

If you don't want to give anyone the death penalty, that's fine. But I know keeping your coach off the sidelines for three hours in a home game against Cupcake U. isn't the answer, either, because others look at that and simply laugh.

 

Noble Prize winning economist Gary Becker weighs in:
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2011/04/the-ncaa-as-a-powerful-cartel-becker.html

 

And Judge Posner's take:
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2011/04/monopsony-in-college-athleticsposner.html

 

Auburn Payroll: Tens of Thousands To Hostesses
Posted by Brooks on Jun. 20, 2011, 9:01am
A recent financial audit by Sports by Brooks of payments made by Auburn University to student football recruiting hostesses since late 2009 revealed that the state-funded institution paid out tens of thousands of dollars to the student “Tigerettes” charged with escorting football players during recruiting visits to the school.

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/auburn-payroll-tens-of-thousands-to-hostesses-29756