Unintended Consequences
Sometimes, the things I read coming from academia make my head tilt funny. 2 professors and a lecturing fellow at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill wrote a piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education supporting college athletes getting paid for their “work” for their respective schools. They shook their fists at the injustice of the current system, rallied for an athlete’s union, and said the term “student-athlete” is a sham and a shame. What they described is a reality today at most large Division 1 universities, and in some respects, quite accurate
Universities make tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions, from the work of their athletes. When it comes to the “student” side of the phrase, most large programs are a sham. There are constant stories of these athletes never attending a class, cracking a book, or taking their own exams. Rivers of money flow under the table to some athletes regardless of NCAA rules. And all of it takes place with a wink and a nod by the school’s administration, students, professors, big donors, and the athletes themselves.
If you don’t think athletics, especially the big money makers, are in control, consider this. Just a month ago, former Notre Dame football coach, Jim Kelly, inked a 10 year, 100 million dollar deal to coach LSU football back to glory. By the way, the new president of LSU makes right at $800k a year. Any Questions?
The university professors are advocating that athletes be paid, and perhaps even form a union. While in and of itself not a bad thing, let’s explore what I will call,
Unintended Consequences
When you pay people, it is their job. Doing college well is also a full-time job, too. Let’s stop pretending you can do both at the same time, especially at the top 125 programs in football and basketball. Go ahead and un-couple the athlete from the student, and make them employees. Give them workers compensation, real health insurance, and paid time off. If they quit, are injured, or don’t want to play for money, part of their compensation is a full-ride to complete their studies as a student, at some future date.
When a major university earns between 10 and 200 million for their star team performances, some of that goes to fund other things. Like what, you may ask? Oh- all the OTHER athletic teams that are financial black holes, such as field hockey, curling, synchronized swimming, etc. If you are paying ALL your athletes, that money will have to come out of those football & basketball income streams. Don’t forget all the women’s teams, as required by Title IX. , I don’t know where all this money goes now, but when it is diverted to athletes’ salaries, it will leave holes in the budget.
When you divert the income from the institution to pay the athletes, it logically results in higher prices for all the other students who are attending a university for an education. I have no idea how much it would raise the cost per student, but it seems reasonable to consider somewhere between $500-$1,000 per student, per year.
It also follows that the young, now paid, athletes will want a union, just like the NBA or NFL paid players. Thinking ahead- How DO you handle a college football team that decides to go out on strike?
Let’s consider another option. What if you completely separated the sports programs from the schools, and invited the NBA or NFL to run them as their developmental programs? Baseball already has that system in place in over 100 cities across the country It’s known as developmental, single A, double AA, Triple AAA, and The Show. So maybe we don’t have an ACC or PAC, or Big Ten, but developmental leagues at various universities.
Sounds ludicrous? No more than the paper-thin sham we’ve been watching for decades.
Full disclosure- I graduated from a tiny Divison 3 school where we DID have student-athletes. Some were equally talented on the field and deeply engaged in their undergraduate education. I remember a star soccer player who was pre-med. I asked him when he studied? He said on the bus with a small flashlight, while the rest of the team slept riding back from a match. He went on to med school and became a doctor. However, less than 25 miles away from my alma mater is a renowned Division 1 school that has won 4 national football championships. It is a citadel of NFL prospects year in and year out. Those star athletic experiences couldn’t be further away from my school’s programs.
I am not saying we can go back to a bygone era. However, when you advocate something, take a look at ALL the consequences of such a decision. I think we are past overdue with an overhaul of this corrupt, false student-athlete lie in the major Division 1 schools. It is time to pay for the talent. Just know that it logically will cause a rise in college education costs for the rest of us mere mortals.
Next week- the NC Promise program report card, as given by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Save and send this to one to all your friends.
Until Next Time,
All My Best,
Bonnie Burkett
