Playing for pay?
College football players have a full-time job that enriches their school. Is walking-around money too much to ask?
Jenny Dial Creech says it’s not too much to ask for college athletes to get a fair share.
The conversation never stops. College football is a billiondollar industry. The athletes earn no money for making it so.
The list of pros and cons to paying student-athletes is long and each side makes a valid point.
When it’s all said and done, though, something has to give. The NCAA might not want to compensate players for an array of reasons. But it’s also holding the athletics back from making money on their own. That’s a problem. Student-athletes are given a scholarship, a small stipend for essentials and the undeniable advantage of an education.
But college football players are held back from having jobs and find themselves in hot water if they discover ways to put money in their pockets.
“I don’t think any college player thinks someone should be handing over NFL money,” said Bralon Addison, a Hightower and Oregon alum. “But I think it would be wise to look at the situation from a player’s point of view. Being able to have spending money to go out to eat or even to go see a movie on an off week isn’t too much to ask for. And there aren’t really ways to do that.”
Time-consuming game
Addison, who played for the Ducks for three seasons, said that during each football season he spent about 60 hours on football — practices, team meetings, film sessions, individual workouts. He also had a full course load.
In the offseason, he spent about half the time on football. Over the course of the school year, time spent in football averaged nearly 40 hours a week — the same as a full-time job.
“It’s not like there was time to also go out and get a side job to make extra money,” Addison said. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that.”
Because of that, many aren’t gaining any work experience either. In the case of Addison, who spent his youth playing football, basketball and running track for years, he went into college having never had a job.
He also didn’t work through college because of his grueling schedule.
He spent two years working for a chance to play in the NFL — made two practice squads in that time — and is close to finishing his degree and trying to enter the workforce.
Addison will be the first to tell you how grateful he is for the college education. He also knows that without work experience, though, entering the workforce — even with a college degree — is tough.
“Thousands of players aren’t making it to the NFL,” Addison said. “You see the commercials all the time. That athletes are going pro in something else. That’s harder than they realize.”
Most players realize they aren’t making it past the collegiate level. But when some have started to realize their talents in other areas, they are halted or forced to make tough decisions.
Before last season, Central Florida kicker Donald De La Haye gave up football because he was forced to choose between it and the YouTube channel he had created that was earning revenue.
He had been making YouTube videos since he was 13, but the NCAA wouldn’t allow him to continue and to be a collegiate athlete. He has since signed with a sports media company and is pursuing his talents in that area.
It’s unfair that the same institution that tells athletes they are likely to end up with a different career path won’t let studentathletes excel in that career path while in school.
UT players: No free ride
The biggest argument against paying athletes is that they are receiving a free education.
Former college players would argue — with merit — that the education isn’t free.
Former Angleton and Texas standout Quandre Diggs, who plays for the Detroit Lions, and his older brother, former Longhorns and NFL defensive back Quentin Jammer, took to Twitter last week to share their thoughts on the subject.
They argued, rightfully, that the idea that athletes earn a “free” education is false.
“I hate when (people) say scholarship athletes get free education. That education is earned through hard ** work!” Jammer tweeted.
The two went on to defend their views back and forth with followers on the social media platform.
“Well since accepting real dollars endangers our amateur status we earn a scholarship that has a dollar value. In return for our work, that dollar value pays for our tuition … that education isn’t free,” Jammer tweeted.
Two years ago, the NCAA added stipends for college athletes ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 per year to spend on extra items, like food, laundry and entertainment.
While helpful, it’s not close to what a football player is worth to the school, which makes millions of dollars thanks to their performances on the field.
Earlier this season, Business Insider calculated the “fair market value” of college football players at the 20 most profitable programs, using data provided by the Department of Education. They used the NFL’s most recent collective bargaining agreement in which the players receive a minimum of 47 percent of all revenue. Under this model, the average player at Alabama, which just won the national championship, is worth $545,357 per year based on the football program’s revenue.
The argument for players’ compensation heats up this time of year largely due to the bonuses coaches receive for winning bowl and/or college football playoff games.
Coaches reap benefits
Nick Saban earned $100,000 extra for each of Alabama’s CFP wins. The players went home with about $500 worth of swag from gift bags.
A former Texas A&M player who is unemployed said he received a watch, a pair of Nike shoes and a backpack when he competed in the Liberty Bowl in 2014. His coach at the time, Kevin Sumlin, earned an extra $50,000.
“I’m not saying coach didn’t deserve his bonus,” the player said. “I just think when you look at it, the money the football program brings in, it’s not right that there were times in school some of us could barely afford groceries. Someone should look at it that way — from the player’s views.”
Addison said he’s happy the conversation is taking place and hopes it can be looked at logically from all sides.
“Being able to play college football and get that education is special,” he said. “That’s so true. But it’s good to look at the everyday lives of athletes, at those who need the extra money for basics like food, and see that they don’t have the opportunities to get jobs or earn anything outside. This is something that people need to look at and talk about so we can come up with the right solution.”