< Ks Sy Shis issue: (¥ Women’s softball captains selected ( Rotary clubs host second annual ultimate tournament (Y The decline of the ballcarrier And more! Show me the money » Should college athletes be paid? 4 Eric Wilkins Sports Editor Li M sports as ,, , @theotherpress.ca love college athletics. For many schools, athletics form the basis for school pride; they give people something to recognize and rally around. Notre Dame isn’t synonymous with the Fighting Irish because of its math clubh— it’s their sports teams. Along with this, athletics give schools a prime opportunity to fill their coffers. Often forgotten amidst the cheering and influx of money though, are those who make it all possible: the athletes. The debate of whether college athletes should be paid is one that likely won't be settled anytime soon. Despite what many believe, the solution is not as black and white as it seems. Since the argument is often centred around the ridiculous sums of money big-time schools rake in, the figures cited in this article will refer to US schools, seeing as we're on the heels of March Madness. Why shouldn't athletes be paid? The reason certain colleges can make so much money off of television contracts and such is because their teams are good. Good teams have star players. Star players are usually on scholarships. Without these star players, many of these schools likely wouldn't do as well and, as a result, wouldn’t make as much money. It makes sense to compensate these players with scholarships. However, some athletes feel the need to be paid on top of their scholarships. Before addressing the issue of wall- ons getting paid, let’s dismiss the scholarship athletes’ “need.” The average cost of a degree in the States is $25,588 per year according to CampusExplorer. com. To make things easier we'll round that figure to $25,000 and say a four-year degree is worth $100,000; a full-ride (not full- tuition) scholarship will cover that figure in addition to books, accommodations, and food—the basics needed to get by. Many in the pro college- athletes-getting-paid camp are quick to point out that even full- ride scholarships fail to account for everything. Yes, room and board are covered, but there’s no money with which to watcha movie or hit the mall; essentially, no money to have a life with. : Also noted is that these student- : athletes have very little time for : much else. When not practicing, : playing, or travelling, players tend : to spend time in the weight room : or practicing on their own to keep : themselves in the necessary shape : and skill level required. On top of : this, athletes have class and need : to study hard to maintain a good : GPA just like everyone else. In : short, it’s a massive struggle to get : and keep up a part-time job. It sounds absolutely : miserable, but it’s rainbows and : unicorns compared to the rest of : the student body. No time fora : part-time job for pocket money? : Try being in debt for your tuition: : most students are saddled with : massive loans just to pay for their : education. Merely having to : manage a small loan for personal : expenses would be a dream come : true for them. Continuing in this vein, let’s : further take a peek at how well- : off these scholarship athletes : are. While difficult for student- : athletes, with a full course load : it’s no walk in the park for non- : athletes to keep jobs either. Even : ifa full-time student manages : to get a 30 hours/week job while : upholding decent grades, one : can't hope to even sniff the cost of : : ascholarship. At the US federal : minimum wage of $7.25, that : student will be making $870 per : month—a fraction of their annual : tuition. Suddenly, being in the : hole for “fun” money doesn’t seem : so bad. Another point against college : athletes being paid is how one : would do it. Does every athlete : get the same deal? Are contracts : negotiated? Will athletic : scholarships be abolished? Is : tuition covered automatically and : then they’re paid on top of it? The first thought is that : of course players will be paid : differently—but how is that fair? : All the players are putting in : the same time. It’s impossible : to establish a hierarchy, either. : It'd be easy to say starters make a : certain amount and bench players : makea certain amount, but : similarly, that won’t work. What : if some starters are significantly : better than others? Some starters : are stars, but the rest are just : adequate? And what if a bench : player steals a starter’s spot? : Renegotiate his deal? Highly : unlikely since it could happen : more than once and players : need some financial stability so : they can plan their lives out. Do : players get paid only during their : season? What about the time they : put in during the off-season? And : none of this has even touched : whether there is a varying pay : scale between sports. What : about men vs. women? Will pay : be directly proportional to the : revenue a sport brings in? What : if some schools can afford to pay : more than others? Carrying on with the issues, would scholarships still exist? : Some schools might not be : able to dole them out if they’re : paying players as well. Many : colleges list 20 sports or so that : the school participates in. They : have everything from football, : to tennis, to water polo. There : area couple hundred athletes : to account for there. To make : things easier, we'll say some : schools aren't offering as many : sports and only have 200 athletes. : Assuming these athletes are paid : year-round at minimum wage : and their work is averaged out to : 20 hours per week, that’s $6,960 : an athlete per year. While that’s : not very much individually, even : at a conservative 200 athletes, : that works out to just under $1.5 : million in player salaries a year— : that’s just over a third of the CFL's : salary cap. Ina perfect world, college : athletes would get paid; every : school, not just the ones you : see constantly on the television, : would be able to afford it; and : there would be some horribly : complex, but undoubtedly simple, : way of deciding how much each : athlete would make. But it’s not : a perfect world. Athletes aren’t : paid and it’s unlikely they ever : will be. Students going through : unpaid internships have a similar : claim, though theirs has a chance : of being resolved. The difference : with athletics is that only a small : percentage of these athletes will : go pro and a number of them : aren't really planning on it; it’s not : a career path. At the end of the : day, athletics are a choice. True : internships exist because students : need them to graduate—they : can’t say, “No.” Athletes with any : kind of scholarship are being : compensated for their time, : generally better than a student : could do with a part-time job. : Those athletes who aren't on : scholarships though do so with : the knowledge that it’s their : choice to be there. If they’d rather : make a buck than play in school : colours, no one is stopping them. So should student-athletes : be paid? Sure, it'd be nice. Is it : realistic? Not a chance. Know the score? Contact: Eric Wilkins, Sports Editor M sports@theotherpress. ca www theotherpress.ca College players from this year’s NCAA basketball tournament By www.usnews.com