Thoughts By: Coach Brown
I've had several passionate debates about the topic of college athletes being paid, and as a former collegiate athlete, I wholeheartedly stand on the side of college athletes being paid some type of stipend.
The major argument against college athletes getting paid is that they get full scholarships to receive a free education, but this is a half-truth because the majority of college athletes do not receive full rides and do have to pay some money to attend school. Do some research, you will find the information.
Now, whatever scholarship is received definitely does not equal what the athletes generate for the school and I am basically referring to the Division 1 schools that are football and basketball factories for the most part. Don't get take what I'm saying the wrong way, I do believe it is the student-athlete's responsibility to graduate from school, but at the same time I believe there is a way to compensate these student-athletes for what they do for these institutions.
These schools literally generate billions of dollars (from TV & Radio contracts; uniform, clothing & shoe deals, jersey sales, video games, etc.) using quote on quote amateur athletes. How can this be an equal tradeoff when a college/university can continue to use a student-athlete's likeness even after that person has graduated or used up all their eligibility, and the school doesn't have to pay them a dime? That's grand theft larceny isn't it?
PBS and HBO (Tonight! 3-30-11) are doing specials on college athletes getting paid and I suggest all the parents with aspiring college athletes to tune-in to hear and see what has happened, what is currently going on and to see what might be happening by the time our children become "student-athletes."
*Checkout Jalen Rose's (ESPN/ABC Sports Analyst; former NBA player; University of Michigan "Fab Five" Basketball Team Member) article below on Should College Athletes Be Paid? (Jet Magazine; March 21-28, 2011; pg. 48)
I have a solution I believe would be helpful to the many student-athletes across the country and alleviate some of the debate about whether college players should be paid. As a former college basketball player at the University of Michigan, I have lived by the rules of the NCAA and also faced its consequences when those rules were broken.
Collegiate athletes should be paid a stipend of $2,000.00 per semester. Universities, coaches and staff benefit financially from the success of these student-athletes. For example, the NCAA just signed a 14-year, $10.8 billion contract with CBS and Turner Broadcasting to televise its men's basketball tournament.
The NCAA advocates will scream student-athletes are paid via education, but keep in mind, athletes are not only recruited for their grade point average and test scores. College athletes are recruited for their skill level and how they can help boost visibility of the university and its program. Furthermore, student-athletes spend a considerable amount of time honing their athletic abilities, though few of them will turn professional. It would be nearly impossible to maintain a part-time job even if it was permissible by the NCAA.
For those who believe the NCAA stresses education over athletics for its student-athletes, bear this in mind: An athlete's scholarship can be taken away at any time, regardless of his/her GPA. The Athletic Department has the authority to rescind a player's scholarship, no matter how well they perform in the classroom.
My solution of providing a $2,000.00 per semester stipend to student-athletes will at least offer these kids a drop in the bucket to cover living expenses and earn some well deserved money during their college career.
Student-Athlete Character Development & Positive Focus Training at its best! This Amazon Best Seller helps student-athletes understand that the same passion & effort put into a particular sport, is the same passion & effort that must be put into academics, learning, behavior & everything done in life! *Important youth sports issues, solutions to those issues & outstanding youth stories that applaud & uplift our youth that are achieving in academics, sports & life!
The Seven (7) "Plays" of THE STUDENT-ATHLETE PLAYBOOK!
GOALS - FOCUS - EFFORT - FAMILY - ACADEMICS - CONSISTENCY - SACRIFICE - PERSEVERANCE - RESPECT - CHARACTER
When losing a golf tournament really makes you a winner!
*Thoughts by: Coach Brown
In today's world, it seems like everyone is selfish. It appears that a lot of young people do not have any compassion for others, but when you read the story below, you will see that we have some young people that do have their heads on straight and do think about their peers. I give a shout-out to the parents of both of these young men.
One Love!
By: Shane Bacon (Yahoo Sports)
There are times to be competitive. Moments when all you want to do is humiliate your opponent as you defeat him. It's the nature of sports, and what our internal competition meters usually read.
That, we all know, is how athletes feel most of the time. But, at times, and these are few and far between, we see acts that defy wins and losses. A moment when a girl is brought in on crutches to score a layup to break a record or someone being carried around the field after she twisted her ankle rounding the bases. Opponents coming together to transcend the game.
That is what happened between two collegiate golfers, vying for a spot in the NAIA National Championship.
Grant Whybark, a sophomore at the University of St. Francis, had locked up a spot in nationals with his team, which won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship, but was in a playoff against Olivet Nazarene's Seth Doran for individual honors.
As championships go, both the winning team and winning individual are asked to move on to nationals, so if Whybark won the playoff against Doran, he'd be honoring both spots and Doran wouldn't be asked to move on.
What happened next is the type of stuff movies are made about. Whybark stood over his tee shot on the first playoff hole, looked down the fairway and back at his ball, and hit it 40 yards right of the fairway, out of bounds by a mile. He made double bogey, Doran made par, and Olivet Nazarene had a man in nationals.
What makes it so incredible? Whybark intentionally did it, because he felt Doran had earned a spot in the next round.
"We all know Seth very well," Whybark explains, "and he not only is a very good player, but a great person as well. He’s a senior and had never been to nationals. Somehow, it just wasn’t in my heart to try to knock him out.
"I think some people were surprised, but my team knew what I was doing and were supportive of me. I felt Seth deserved to go (to nationals) just as much as I did.
"It was one of those things where I couldn’t feel good taking something from him like this. My goal from the start was to get (to nationals) with my team. I had already done that."
Too many times we read about cheap shots or fights or cheaters, and it is stories like this that make it all seem petty. A golfer simply knew his place, was comfortable with where he was, and thought that a senior, playing in his final tournament as a collegiate golfer, had done enough to earn one more week with the game he loved.
I'm not a big believer in karma, and I'm sure the story won't end the way it should, but if Whybark somehow won nationals, it would make for a really nice screenplay.
Whybark did what most of us would never do, and although he is short a trophy in his case, he earned respect from anyone reading this story.
Nice shot, kiddo.
In today's world, it seems like everyone is selfish. It appears that a lot of young people do not have any compassion for others, but when you read the story below, you will see that we have some young people that do have their heads on straight and do think about their peers. I give a shout-out to the parents of both of these young men.
One Love!
By: Shane Bacon (Yahoo Sports)
There are times to be competitive. Moments when all you want to do is humiliate your opponent as you defeat him. It's the nature of sports, and what our internal competition meters usually read.
That, we all know, is how athletes feel most of the time. But, at times, and these are few and far between, we see acts that defy wins and losses. A moment when a girl is brought in on crutches to score a layup to break a record or someone being carried around the field after she twisted her ankle rounding the bases. Opponents coming together to transcend the game.
That is what happened between two collegiate golfers, vying for a spot in the NAIA National Championship.
Grant Whybark, a sophomore at the University of St. Francis, had locked up a spot in nationals with his team, which won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship, but was in a playoff against Olivet Nazarene's Seth Doran for individual honors.
As championships go, both the winning team and winning individual are asked to move on to nationals, so if Whybark won the playoff against Doran, he'd be honoring both spots and Doran wouldn't be asked to move on.
What happened next is the type of stuff movies are made about. Whybark stood over his tee shot on the first playoff hole, looked down the fairway and back at his ball, and hit it 40 yards right of the fairway, out of bounds by a mile. He made double bogey, Doran made par, and Olivet Nazarene had a man in nationals.
What makes it so incredible? Whybark intentionally did it, because he felt Doran had earned a spot in the next round.
"We all know Seth very well," Whybark explains, "and he not only is a very good player, but a great person as well. He’s a senior and had never been to nationals. Somehow, it just wasn’t in my heart to try to knock him out.
"I think some people were surprised, but my team knew what I was doing and were supportive of me. I felt Seth deserved to go (to nationals) just as much as I did.
"It was one of those things where I couldn’t feel good taking something from him like this. My goal from the start was to get (to nationals) with my team. I had already done that."
Too many times we read about cheap shots or fights or cheaters, and it is stories like this that make it all seem petty. A golfer simply knew his place, was comfortable with where he was, and thought that a senior, playing in his final tournament as a collegiate golfer, had done enough to earn one more week with the game he loved.
I'm not a big believer in karma, and I'm sure the story won't end the way it should, but if Whybark somehow won nationals, it would make for a really nice screenplay.
Whybark did what most of us would never do, and although he is short a trophy in his case, he earned respect from anyone reading this story.
Nice shot, kiddo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)