The argument about whether college athletes should
be paid is once again raging. Twitter feeds across the country have been
bombarded by ESPN basketball commentator Jay Bilas arguing that the only people
not being cut in on the profits of the NCAA are the athletes earning the money.
Bilas exposed the NCAA’s most noticeable flaw in their online store, which
paired athletes’ names to their school’s jersey with their number. This is an
example of using a student’s image for profit that was long argued to occur in
NCAA football games. While I agree with Bilas on the hypocrisy of the
NCAA, I am going to take a different look at the problem.
I have as
many problems with the NCAA as anyone else, but it seems like the compensation
for a scholarship athlete is becoming increasingly reasonable when most
students walk out of school with tens of thousands of dollars of student loans
(I am up to about $20,000 myself). The simple fact is that a college
scholarship to a high priced school can run $250,000 these days. Is it pro
money? No, but they are not supposed to be pro athletes. It would be hard to
tell the way the NCAA has treated them like commodities, but the money for
postseason tournaments, international trips, travel, scholarships, and
such do not grow on trees.
I also know that in revenue sports (football
and basketball), more than half the team is given a significant, if not full
ride, scholarship to the university. At the University of Texas for example,
the average total cost of attendance will run a student about $45,790 this
year. So for a five year, fully funded college education, an athletic
scholarship is worth $228,950. This is more than the majority of minor league
baseball players, NBA D-League players, Arena League football players and AHL
players make, all of whom were the either the best player or a starter
at their college. Include travel expenses, the exclusive tutoring during
road trips and athletics-based opportunities offered to students and that
college expense is much higher.
Is the current NCAA system perfect? Absolutely not,
but it is not completely broke either. While many will argue for payment of
athletes, I would argue that the athletes are already being paid very well. And
if these athletes do not think so, well then they can help pay my student
loans.
