Cash Cow: NCAA Must Pay The Student-Athletes

Apr 30, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches trophy displayed during half time at the Oregon Ducks spring football game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports /

The NCAA has been pocketing money for years. It’s time they pay the athletes. Here are my thoughts on it all.

In the eyes of many, it’s exploitation. Using the services of the “employees” who generate the desired results day in and day out, only to fatten just their pockets. An excellent way for the NCAA to reel in revenue only to not compensate the “product”. Exploitation. Mishandling. Corruption. All of the terminologies fit and paint an accurate depiction of the current circumstance with college athletes.

What is interesting is the NCAA moves very swiftly when it comes to student-athletes who are suspected of receiving improper benefits such as money, cars, houses/apartments. The association will go the extra mile to make schools such as SMU or USC pay for their mistakes while also laughing in the face of the athletes that make them piles of cash. Looking over the landscape of collegiate sports, the NCAA has made enormous deals for their own benefit in recent years:

UCLA & Under Armour agree to deal on the terms of a 15-year, $280 million dollar deal
Earlier this year, Nike agreed to deal with Ohio State (15 year/$252 million) and Texas (15 year/$250 million)
NCAAB/CBS agree to an eight-year, $8.8 billion dollar extension
NCAAF/ESPN agreeing on a payoff of $470 million per year to ESPN to televise the College Football Playoff

As you can tell, I’ve presented evidence from numerous directions. Schools as well as the association themselves, brokering deals with top-notch sports entertainment platforms while some colleges come to an agreement with elite apparel lines to enhance the image of the program.

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Now of course, an NCAA representative would initially say that these type deals are for the benefit of the athlete. On their respective playing field, whether it’s the gridiron, basketball court, baseball diamond, etc., the players benefit. The jerseys become spiffy. The shoes appear flashy. The facilities are improved with intentions to reel in recruits and/or transfers. However, what it doesn’t do is compensate the athlete. You know, the one who is training their butts off. The ones who sacrifice more than the corporate representative with a nice office and a well-tailored suit. The ones who are just as liable to walk away a season-ending or career-threatening injury.

The ones that are juggling the life of being a student, being an athlete, while also having little to no money to eat or partake in daily routines.

By all means, how the NCAA devises a way to properly pay the athletes is on their terms. Yet, it is difficult to see the NCAA generate so many lucrative deals, garner so much revenue, off the talents of these young adults. When you’re in the shoes of former South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore, the dream being taken away due to injury is a blow that is tough to absorb.

On an annual basis, the NCAA makes approximately $6 Billion dollars. With all of that money, you expect me to be convinced that the athletes don’t deserve ANYTHING??! The benefits of playing on national television and getting a free education can only go so far. It’s time for the NCAA to do the right thing, to fairly compensate the ones who actually make their “business” grow.

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