People need to just realize college football players are football interns

[rrlbees]

While we aren’t talking a ton of money, should HS/AAU players get a cut of the gate?

 

[Cusefan0307]

I interned in college and did it on my own nickel just for the experience. What ever happened to paying your dues? I still think all this will come full circle after the damage is done and there will be a serious a$$ biting for all involved.

I don’t know how companies get away with unpaid internships. We pay ours 50k prorated.

 

[All4SU]

Lemme guess…

Steak and eggs….

I assume you’re trying to guess what I had for breakfast.

 

[All4SU]

Why should the services of a college athlete be worth so much less than a professional athlete when the participation of college athletes generates millions of dollar in revenue and we as fans consume both with equal glee? What difference does it make if they're in college or not?

There's really no reason other than "that's the way it's always been", which in itself is a very naive statement.

They aren’t… basically. Get colleges out of professional sports.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

They aren’t… basically. Get colleges out of professional sports.

They aren’t what?

 

[All4SU]

They aren’t what?

You asked why are they worth so much less.

 

[Cusefan0307]

They aren’t… basically. Get colleges out of professional sports.

Administrators should have thought of this before they started negotiating TV contracts.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

You asked why are they worth so much less.

Got it. Unfortunately, treating college athletes as professionals in everything but salary is a ship that sailed a long time ago.

 

[All4SU]

Got it. Unfortunately, treating college athletes as professionals in everything but salary is a ship that sailed a long time ago.

I’m an optimist. Right the wrongs… don’t just keep perpetuating a system that is getting “progressively” more corrupt. Start minor leagues. Drop every D1 school back to amateur status. It could happen. Maybe it can’t happen. But nothing good is going to come of this.

 

[Sudano]

Why should the services of a college athlete be worth so much less than a professional athlete when the participation of college athletes generates millions of dollar in revenue and we as fans consume both with equal glee? What difference does it make if they're in college or not?

There's really no reason other than "that's the way it's always been", which in itself is a very naive statement.

NFL is a for profit business with franchises making private profits for private people with a CBA with a union
University's are 501C3's where there is no ownership and profits get reinvested to fund many other non revenue sports and non athletic investments in educational infrastructure. You are trying to pick and choose what's the same without recognizing significant differences. If players claim a free education under 501C3 statutes they shouldn't be able to ask for more money. Pay them money and then have them pay for their own education ensuring academic propriety and standards. Then the façade of this new dysfunctional world starts to regain some manner of respect

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

NFL is a for profit business with franchises making private profits for private people with a CBA with a union
University's are 501C3's where there is no ownership and profits get reinvested to fund many other non revenue sports and non athletic investments in educational infrastructure. You are trying to pick and choose what's the same without recognizing significant differences. If players claim a free education under 501C3 statutes they shouldn't be able to ask for more money. Pay them money and then have them pay for their own education ensuring academic propriety and standards. Then the façade of this new dysfunctional world starts to regain some manner of respect

What am I picking and choosing? I don’t care what the purpose of making the money is or what it’s used for. The point is that money is made off of labor without any cash going back to those who create the value. The free education thing is laughable - anyone here who would work full time hours for no direct financial compensation while the organization they serve makes millions off of that labor is either a moron or lying.

Bargaining for how the owners and competitors split revenues is a sticking point in every professional sport. I’m applying the same arguments here - there’s a reason the institutions are fighting player organization so hard, because they know they’d lose.

 

[Sudano]

What am I picking and choosing? I don’t care what the purpose of making the money is or what it’s used for. The point is that money is made off of labor without any cash going back to those who create the value. The free education thing is laughable - anyone here who would work full time hours for no direct financial compensation while the organization they serve makes millions off of that labor is either a moron or lying.

Bargaining for how the owners and competitors split revenues is a sticking point in every professional sport. I’m applying the same arguments here - there’s a reason the institutions are fighting player organization so hard, because they know they’d lose.

Stop saying they were unpaid. They were paid the large expense of attending college which is hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's ok you say that is underpaid but it is factually incorrect to say they were unpaid.
To ignore the educational; non-profit aspect of the entire structure is also not intellectually honest.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Stop saying they were unpaid. They were paid the large expense of attending college which is hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's ok you say that is underpaid but it is factually incorrect to say they were unpaid.

Is it payment though? Attending school is a requirement for participation. A player doesn’t directly receive the tuition money and can’t use it for anything aside from classes and only at the assigned institution. So what are they really gaining there? Plus, that class work requires extra effort on top of an already full time job (being a football player.)

And sure, a degree MAY be beneficial down the line. But free tuition yielding a $100,000 a year salary 10 years after graduation is hardly worthwhile compensation for a guy who generates 6 or 7 figures of value at the age of 20 and doesn’t see a dime of it.

 

[sufandu]

You did not have unique abilities that help make your employer tens of millions per annum. I would bet if the same experience could have been had for pay, you would have opted for pay.

That's the crux of it. In america (and other countries too) we care more about someone's god given physical attributes and how they allow a small percentage of people to do impressive but meaningless things more than we do about people performing necessary but unentertaining services. How much we care about these things funnels gross amounts of money to those entities.

Of course, when someone suddenly needs those services, that individual often cares more about that in the moment than they do any sport. Of course, one individual can't significantly contribute enough to make a difference and those not directly affected don't care and therefore don't contribute.

 

[CarolinaCuse]

I don’t know how companies get away with unpaid internships. We pay ours 50k prorated.

Which is more than some colleagues of mine in higher education make with advanced degrees (i.e., Master's+).

 

[baggerbob]

What am I picking and choosing? I don’t care what the purpose of making the money is or what it’s used for. The point is that money is made off of labor without any cash going back to those who create the value. The free education thing is laughable - anyone here who would work full time hours for no direct financial compensation while the organization they serve makes millions off of that labor is either a moron or lying.

Bargaining for how the owners and competitors split revenues is a sticking point in every professional sport. I’m applying the same arguments here - there’s a reason the institutions are fighting player organization so hard, because they know they’d lose.

Then eliminate the educational aspect, and operate as a minor league outside the schools. No more using the school names to advertise games.
No more free room and board, each player pays for housing, and meals, and pays his agent to find them a team.
If you aren't playing up to standard you get cut from the team.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Then eliminate the educational aspect, and operate as a minor league outside the schools. No more using the school names to advertise games.
No more free room and board, each player pays for housing, and meals, and pays his agent to find them a team.
If you aren't playing up to standard you get cut from the team.

You seem to imply that the players wouldn’t be able to handle that.

 

[Cuse181]

I interned in college and did it on my own nickel just for the experience. What ever happened to paying your dues? I still think all this will come full circle after the damage is done and there will be a serious a$$ biting for all involved.

Well bill, the difference is that they are playing one of the most popular sports in the country with people paying millions to watch/broadcast, while you probably worked at the local accounting firm doing data entry.

Your life and their life is completely different and of a very different monetary value to the school

 

[baggerbob]

You seem to imply that the players wouldn’t be able to handle that.

Most 18 or 19 year olds have no clue how to manage money for food, housing, and all the other things in their every day life.

 

[sufandu]

Is it payment though? Attending school is a requirement for participation. A player doesn’t directly receive the tuition money and can’t use it for anything aside from classes and only at the assigned institution. So what are they really gaining there? Plus, that class work requires extra effort on top of an already full time job (being a football player.)

And sure, a degree MAY be beneficial down the line. But free tuition yielding a $100,000 a year salary 10 years after graduation is hardly worthwhile compensation for a guy who generates 6 or 7 figures of value at the age of 20 and doesn’t see a dime of it.

Yes, it's payment. Part of the compensation package for most jobs are things that can't be converted to cash. Health benefits can only be used for healthcare. I know people that work for hospitals that must use their benefits at institutions within the system they work for. If they seek care outside of that they don't get covered. And yes, the student athletes have to do the classwork, just like the students PAYING for the classes. Access to the classes is compensation since it is something others pay for. And at least some of these athletes have the added benefit of relaxed admission standards compared to nonathletes. There is value in that that is difficult assign a dollar amount to. As someone that attended Lemoyne, I'm sure you understand that having the opportunity to attend a more respected institution has value. Also, to say they recieve no cash is inaccurate. All of them receive stipends as part of their scholarship. Mike Golic pointed that out years ago on his radio show. When you have no living expenses, a stipend can be stretched pretty far.

If they think it's an unfair trade off, they don't have to attend as student athletes.

You have a point when you say they may be underpaid given how much revenue is generated (I think the post you responded to conceded that). My opinion is that there is too much money wrapped up in both pro and college sports. It illustrates a mixed up value system in our culture. I admit that I am likely in the minority and that keeping the money from the athletes does not change anything.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Most 18 or 19 year olds have no clue how to manage money for food, housing, and all the other things in their every day life.

And yet minor league baseball exists. And if a pro system for 18-19 football players existed, agents and other support systems would exist to help. (They already do.)

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Yes, it's payment. Part of the compensation package for most jobs are things that can't be converted to cash. Health benefits can only be used for healthcare. I know people that work for hospitals that must use their benefits at institutions within the system they work for. If they seek care outside of that they don't get covered. And yes, the student athletes have to do the classwork, just like the students PAYING for the classes. Access to the classes is compensation since it is something others pay for. And at least some of these athletes have the added benefit of relaxed admission standards compared to nonathletes. There is value in that that is difficult assign a dollar amount to. As someone that attended Lemoyne, I'm sure you understand that having the opportunity to attend a more respected institution has value. Also, to say they recieve no cash is inaccurate. All of them receive stipends as part of their scholarship. Mike Golic pointed that out years ago on his radio show. When you have no living expenses, a stipend can be stretched pretty far.

If they think it's an unfair trade off, they don't have to attend as student athletes.

My health insurance is considered a benefit, not direct compensation. And I don’t work exclusively for that health insurance - I work to make money.

Who cares about students paying to attend school? That’s such a red herring. I went to Le Moyne to take classes. I wasn’t specifically brought in to play a sport like most guy on football team X or Y.

And what does school prestige have to do with anything? Are you implying that the schools are doing these guys a favor?

And also, I don’t understand the “then don’t be an athlete” thing. You realize a guy who wants to make the NFL isn’t going to make it without access to training, games, and tape, right? The NFL doesn’t allow players out of high school for less than 3 years. So where else are players supposed to go?

 

[All4SU]

Is it payment though? Attending school is a requirement for participation. A player doesn’t directly receive the tuition money and can’t use it for anything aside from classes and only at the assigned institution. So what are they really gaining there? Plus, that class work requires extra effort on top of an already full time job (being a football player.)

And sure, a degree MAY be beneficial down the line. But free tuition yielding a $100,000 a year salary 10 years after graduation is hardly worthwhile compensation for a guy who generates 6 or 7 figures of value at the age of 20 and doesn’t see a dime of it.

Not for nothing… but,
Men with bachelor's degrees earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates (ssa.gov)

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Not for nothing… but,
Men with bachelor's degrees earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates (ssa.gov)

Yes and? That’s supposed to be adequate compensation when conference TV rights are worth 8 figures a year?

 

[All4SU]

Yes and? That’s supposed to be adequate compensation when conference TV rights are worth 8 figures a year?

Not necessarily. But it’s not nothing. And for 99% of college football players it’s more significant than some meaningless NIL pocket change. It could be life-changing.