I love college sports, particularly college football, softball and basketball, in that order. Unfortunately, the hypocrisy of amateurism in Division I college football and basketball is taking away from the experience of watching and enjoying these sports.
When watching SportsCenter these days, it seems like there are more stories about scandal in NCAA athletics than highlights of actual NCAA athletics. It makes watching what traditionally has been a wholesome brand of entertainment feel sleazy - like watching Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, Toddlers and Tiaras* or the Miami Heat. Recent revelations about the payoffs and favors given to University of Miami student athletes by booster and convict Nevin Shapiro stand as an exclamation point to a problem that is growing within college sports.
*I enjoy Jersey Shore from time to time, my girlfriend watches Real Housewives and I've seen Toddlers and Tiaras exactly once - which was more than enough.
Even more troubling, the best minds and the most respected leaders in the "business" appear at a loss for any real solutions to the existing problems, including illegal benefits for student athletes, poor academic standards and performance, the increasing influence of recruiting agents and others. So many of the far too many rules that the NCAA places upon student athletes make little to no sense that it's become too difficult for an undersized agency to police the rules and policies of the utmost importance.
Whenever reports surface of the large, illegal payouts made to student athletes, the debate over whether or not NCAA athletes should be paid surfaces. In the past few years, the number of incidents and my growing understanding of higher education have changed my stance on the subject, making me much more open to nontraditional, outside-box-ideas. For instance...
What if NCAA student athletes on scholarship had the option of using their scholarship to fund their educations or using their scholarship to be paid? The likes of Andrew Luck and Perry Jones, who will be either the top or top 5 picks in the next installments of the NFL and NBA Drafts**, could choose to be paid by their school for their participation on an athletic team while taking out student loans, like the rest of us, to pay for their educations.
**I make current odds 50/50 on there being an NBA Draft next June, and I wouldn't dare wager money on the 2011-2012 NBA season starting anytime in 2011.
The 2011-12 estimated cost of attendance at Stanford University is $57,198. I assume Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck is on a full scholarship. Would it not make sense for him to choose to receive $57,000 from Stanford this year knowing that he's going to sign an NFL contract with millions of dollars in guaranteed money next summer? Any other scholarship student athlete, in any Division I*** could have the same option. The amount of pay they receive would vary depending on school, if they were an in- or out-of-state student at a public school, and if their scholarships are full or partial.
***Division III doesn't allow for athletic scholarships, so it's not applicable there, and I don't see this being as viable an option for Division II sports or even Division I CBS football - though that does create inequities at schools competing in different divisions in different sports.
Andrew Luck may not be the best example - he's going to be fine either way. But what about the student athlete from a low-income background who strikes gold by landing a full scholarship to play Division I NCAA athletics. He may not have professional potential, but this option may still be viable and beneficial to him, or her for that matter. Having the money while in college may enable such a student athlete to help his or her family in the short term. In the long term, the student athlete will be able to use his or her college degree to earn a living and repay college debts, like the rest of us.
In my early 20s, when I was more of a curmudgeon about maintaining the purity and tradition of all things sports, I would have flatly rejected such an idea. And even now, this is not a thought-out concept or something that may have any realistic potential. But the aforementioned best minds and most respected leaders need to start thinking in such veins. It's become a battle trying to ensure that student athletes are going to college first and foremost to earn a degree, and right now it looks as if we're losing that battle.
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