The NCAA has decided to pay scholarship athletes. In a landmark decision the NCAA will allow conferences to give athletes an additional $2,000 for incidental expenses. The ruling is seen by many as long overdue and a step in the right direction. I wholeheartedly disagree.
Make no mistake about it, athletes are getting paid right now as we speak. Don't think for one second these kids aren't mysteriously receiving envelopes full of cash. If you make paying players legal I guarantee there will be some "creative " accounting going on at some of these universities.
The spirit of the rule is to cut down on petty, minor infractions and allow student athletes the opportunity to engage in simple recreational activities. The $2,000 is looked upon as spending money to go on a date or purchase an ipod or a goose down comforter for the cold winter months. Instead the "loophole" will serve as a portal for unscrupulous agents, slimy boosters, and greedy alumni associations to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to star players.
I realize the glamour sports (college football and basketball) generate billions of dollars in revenue without sharing a single penny with the athletes that do all the work. The system is fatally flawed and takes advantage of young impressionable men and women.
The answer is not to pay the players however. The answer is to set aside some of that money to create a slush fund that can be divided equally amongst the schools. With the new revisions small schools and schools that don't play in a "power" conference don't stand a chance. If anything the NCAA should invoke a don't ask don't tell policy. That way no one gets hurt and everybody wins.
No comments:
Post a Comment