Thoughts on Paying Players?

[dbetz23]

Man, it ain't free...

I'm paying back my college loans, and will be until the end of time! None of those guys have loans!

I consider that getting paid...

[bennychico11]

they get scholarships which pays for most, if not everything. And that's all they need to get. And rightly so, especially since your chief complaint was how much the school is making off of these players....the same school who is charging ridiculous amounts of tuition for these players to attend. I think scholarships are the "thank-yous".

Plus, the whole money thing is the reason I hate watching the NFL. The NFL is a business and each player is just an employee. I think it's ridiculous when they go on strike or complain about not getting a couple million more tacked onto their already outrageous salary. It's gotten to the point where it's more about the money and not the game itself...which I think is what is still great about the college level. Sure, there are people who work their ass off to get scholarships, but you don't see them refusing to play unless they get it. And not to mention the dozens of walk on athletes who do it just to play the game. Once you near the end of your college career is when you should start thinking about a job afterwards and making tons of money...and that goes for a football player or a law student.

 

If they start paying the college players, I'm going to stop watching. Greed has no place at Nebraska. Greed begets prima donnas...which even Callahan says we don't have a place for on our team.

[Foppa]

Man, it ain't free...

I'm paying back my college loans, and will be until the end of time!  None of those guys have loans!

I consider that getting paid...

AMEN BROTHER!! my loans have loans!

Absa-freaking-lutely!!!

[BIGREDIOWAN]

As everyone said before they get their school paid for and etc. They should be worrying about perfecting their skills at the college level so if they want to go pro they have the skills to do that. Paying them would ruin everything that I love and a lot of people love about college football.

 

For me I prefer to watch college football over NFL because these kids are trying their damnest to make a name for themselves. They are going to stretch out for that catch or take that big hit because their not worried about money or any other type of bullsh#t these players in the NFL worry about today.

 

Terrell Owens is a perfect example of what's wrong with the NFL today!!! He plays for money not for the love of the game. I'm not saying these players should not be compensated for the risks that they take but a lot of them worry about money and that's it. They don't love the game like they did in college!!!

[CoachKevin]

They are being paid already with the a Scholorship.

[hoyamannn]

Have you ever ate at the training table at night? Lobster tails, steaks, steamed veggies, etc.....these guys get treated to a top$ meal every night! If they start paying the athletes, I want my kids going to college and eating at the freaking training table when I pay for room/board.

 

Don't pay them. Where would it end? Star RB wouldn't be getting enough money, Big Donor would throw some $ his way, infractions, infractions, infractions. Bad idea.

[MadcatNU]

while i do believe that paying players undermines the idea of a student athlete, the reality is that this idea has already been undermined. Matt Leinart took ballroom dancing for gosh sakes, anyone non athelete in his situation would've taken that in the summer and gotten their degree over and done with and moved on to the next phase of their life. Honestly, how often do we congradulate our players on doing a good job in the classroom? 'Bout the only time i hear of it is when a kid with borderline grades get just high enough on some test to qualify. How often do you hear a coach being judged on his graduation rate more so than his winning percentage? These kids daily scehdule, especially during their season, also expresses that athlete comes far before student at most universities (this negates the sholarship as payment imo). The reality is that we as fans place a higher importance off what these kids do on the field, and the universities are aware of it and profiting off of it at these kids expenses. Also, by continually tweaking the rules for student athletes, it undermines the non athlete student. The major universities profit grossly off their athletes, many of which are gonna be tossed aside after playing. The least that could happen is to put some of that money into their pocket. My belief is that the pay should be minimal and even for every athlete at every school, otherwise their would become a large disparity in college sports. but, none the less, they deserve to be paid.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Man, it ain't free...

I'm paying back my college loans, and will be until the end of time!  None of those guys have loans!

I consider that getting paid...

[CoachKevin]

I wrestled at Nebraska and never got Lobster Tail.

[BigWillie]

The one biggest thing about football and basketball, those funds go back into the lesser known sports. Now you may not care about lacrosse or even water polo, but yes they are there, and yes those kids really care about them.

 

Take for instance Colorado. After paying Gary Barnett's buyout, the school cut down to the minimum number of sports allowable to be a NCAA school. Even though those kids chose sCUm, do you think they basically don't matter? Essentially you would cut the legs from underneath those sports if you decided to pay players.

 

Heck, football players get the first class treatment everywhere. Whether they go to a club, get in trouble with the law, in the classroom or essentially anywhere. That isn't even mentioning the 'influence' they get from the boosters.

 

And yes, it goes on everywhere. If you think Nebraska is any different from Miami, Tennessee or any other of the known schools, you're just naive.

[tattooedhusker]

The one biggest thing about football and basketball, those funds go back into the lesser known sports. Now you may not care about lacrosse or even water polo, but yes they are there, and yes those kids really care about them.

 

Take for instance Colorado. After paying Gary Barnett's buyout, the school cut down to the minimum number of sports allowable to be a NCAA school. Even though those kids chose sCUm, do you think they basically don't matter? Essentially you would cut the legs from underneath those sports if you decided to pay players.

 

Heck, football players get the first class treatment everywhere. Whether they go to a club, get in trouble with the law, in the classroom or essentially anywhere. That isn't even mentioning the 'influence' they get from the boosters.

 

And yes, it goes on everywhere. If you think Nebraska is any different from Miami, Tennessee or any other of the known schools, you're just naive.

comparing nebraska to miami in any sense is just wrong...atleast you didn't say sCUm

[MadcatNU]

Take for instance Colorado. After paying Gary Barnett's buyout, the school cut down to the minimum number of sports allowable to be a NCAA school. Even though those kids chose sCUm, do you think they basically don't matter? Essentially you would cut the legs from underneath those sports if you decided to pay players.

any such payment system would need a lot of investigation and debate to determine appropriate values that is fair to all. before all this can be determined, it needs to be decided if paying players is appropriate, which imo (for the reasons i mentioned above) it is. To say that it is ok for some kids to get taken advantage of so that others can play collegiate sports is a very poor arguemnt imo.

 

Secondly, I'm not convinced that smaller sports would cease to exist without large contributions from higher revenue sports, just cease to exist at the level they presently enjoy.

 

Thirdly, how much money do BCS teams and their conferences get? i can't find the exact values, but i seem to remeber values in the 10s of millions. TV contract revenues, liscensing, etc. i have a hard time with the excuse there isn't enough money around. i believe once you place a priority on paying players, it won't be all that hard to find the money.

[Foppa]

As everyone said before they get their school paid for and etc. They should be worrying about perfecting their skills at the college level so if they want to go pro they have the skills to do that. Paying them would ruin everything that I love and a lot of people love about college football.

 

For me I prefer to watch college football over NFL because these kids are trying their damnest to make a name for themselves. They are going to stretch out for that catch or take that big hit because their not worried about money or any other type of bullsh#t these players in the NFL worry about today.

 

Terrell Owens is a perfect example of what's wrong with the NFL today!!! He plays for money not for the love of the game. I'm not saying these players should not be compensated for the risks that they take but a lot of them worry about money and that's it. They don't love the game like they did in college!!!

Nicely put, man. Great post.