Piling On

Will Bashing the NCAA into Submission on Paying Athletes Produce Good Results?

If you have any sort of interest in college sports, you have heard or read countless stories about how evil the NCAA has become. The NCAA is widely considered to be an outdated entity that has lost all perception of what is happening in the world. It is seen as a non-profit that makes billions of dollars on the backs of unpaid labor. And it continues to exploit them even after they leave school by licensing their images.

In this social media age, recruits are increasingly aware of how little they get in exchange for the billions the NCAA makes off their efforts. As more and more dialogue is created about how the cartel-like NCAA has little interest in the welfare of the student-athletes it claims to protect, USC’s new scholarship practice is sure to show recruits that it is actually talking the talk and walking the walk.

I must admit that I too have levied my share of criticism against the NCAA.

But, now that it has become so popular to bash the NCAA, it’s scary. Even Congress wants to know why the NCAA isn't doing anything about the student-athlete “exploitation at member institution [which] have become commonplace.”

It seems inevitable that this movement against the NCAA will cause it to have to change. The NCAA has been too inconsistent in its enforcement and its rules. Even if the NCAA has no doubt that it is doing everything right, it simply cannot continue to fight lawsuit after lawsuit after labor hearing. It’s simply too time-consuming and far too expensive.

Plus, the NCAA has been it’s own worse enemy in many ways. I don’t understand why it cannot admit that a “full scholarship” does not cover all of the costs of college. Even if it did cover every expense of college, it certainly doesn't cover entertainment costs, such as dinner and a movie.

And, because a scholarship athlete cannot work (whether permitted or not, they simply don’t have time during school), student-athletes have to rely on their family and friends for their extra expenses. This policy places student-athletes from families of lesser means in an untenable position where they cannot do the same things that their classmates are doing unless they get money from somewhere.

Something needs to be done to bridge this gap so that a student-athlete has the means to participate in other extracurricular activities like the majority of the student body.

But, what should that be?

Are we ready to handle the consequences of life after the NCAA as we now know it? Are we ready to have paid athletes at colleges?

The reality is that colleges and universities do not have unlimited funds and have huge administrative costs. Many college presidents are making over $1 million a year and the rest of their staffs are doing nearly as well. They rely on the revenue that they receive from their sports programs to support salaries, programs, and other aspects of the school. To pay athletes or to bridge the gap between the scholarships and school attendance, colleges and universities will need to take away from other sports, programs or departments.

Choices will need to be made whether to continue with football and basketball programs to the detriment of other parts of the school or to get rid of the these sports programs to avoid cutting other programs. In the end, something will have to give that will mean students will have less opportunities.