EA Locker Rumor

[ODogg]

mgovick - I appreciate your dedication to your cause but comparing it to indentured servitude is a huge stretch I think. Especially considering all of these kids have options and as I've stated before, the vast majority aren't college superstars that the universities are profiting massively off of. For every Reggie Bush there are 50 guys no ones ever heard of in college football.

[RamblinWreck21]

I'd say 90% of the players in college football aren't giving the NCAA anything. And the funny thing is, if it was that big of a deal, a lot of players would sign deals with NCAA AFTER they graduate to get money for their jersey sales. Example: #5 USC jersey that actually says BUSH. However, hardly anyone does this and there are alot of "college" legends that aren't in the NFL who aren't already millionaires who'd sell a lot of jerseys still. Not to mention they do get paid...quite alot actually. Going to a D1 school costs tons and tons of $$$$$$. I'd say they easily get payed more than me and my roommates combined.

[ODogg]

Yeah, that's a big part of my point RamblinWreck21 that it seems people keep missing. Most of the college athletes bring nothing to the school. It's only a select, elite few who do. And of those select, elite few, they go on to the NFL and get paid big-time. So who's really getting 'screwed' over here? No one. It's an equitable system.

Sure some of the pay the select, elite few get isn't equal to what they bring in, but as I stated before, that is true for almost everyone in society, look at scientists who work for drug companies. I'm friends with a guy who works in that field, developing drugs for large pharmaceuticals. He makes good money, about $250,000 a year but the products he develops makes billions for those companies. So is he getting "screwed"?

No, because the company he works for provides him with a place to work, all the materials he needs, a system for selling what he develops, a system in which he can make mistakes that don't ruin him, great benefits, ongoing education, etc. Sound familiar?

[mgovick]

Quote: Originally Posted by RamblinWreck21

I'd say 90% of the players in college football aren't giving the NCAA anything. And the funny thing is, if it was that big of a deal, a lot of players would sign deals with NCAA AFTER they graduate to get money for their jersey sales. Example: #5 USC jersey that actually says BUSH. However, hardly anyone does this and there are alot of "college" legends that aren't in the NFL who aren't already millionaires who'd sell a lot of jerseys still. Not to mention they do get paid...quite alot actually. Going to a D1 school costs tons and tons of $$$$$$. I'd say they easily get payed more than me and my roommates combined.

They probably get paid more than you and your roommates combined because they bring in more money than you and your roommates.

Michigan is my favorite team so I will use them as an example.

Big Ten Network deal: $22 mil/yr
Adidas: $6.5 mil/yr (not including royalties)
ABC/ESPN: $9 mil/yr
Bowl allocation: $5 mil/yr ( each B10 team nets $2mil annually from the bcs)

Total: $42.5 mil/yr

say there are 115 players on the roster (85 schollies)
then the mean per player just based of these numbers is...
revenue generated per player per year
entire roster- $365,000+
schollie players- $494,000+

cost of enrollment- $25,000/yr (tuition $17,000)out of state

in 2007 34/50 michigan football players that had declared a major, majored in general studies. The second most popular major only had 3 football players. While athletes make up 3% of the total population, they account for almost 50% of gen. studies majors.
Michigan football players 0.003% of the student population and 19% of gen. studies majors.

Its not because these kids arent driven to make the most of their academic opportunity, its because coaches steer these guys to certain majors to keep them eligible and team gpa's up/

Even if scholarships are sufficient compensation for bcs football players, that still doesnt negate the fact that they should be compensated for use of their likeness. The Ncaa is the only group that is except from that statute. Former NFL players won a settlement for the same thing. Hell, even the rick ross, the real ricky ross is going to get paid for use of likeness.

@odogg- my persistence, is my charm

[GatorFan1963]

ODogg, the problem with your example of your pharmaceutical friend is that he is probably not being used to market the very drugs he makes. They key here is the marketing. College athletes are essentially walking talking billboards. As mgovick pointed out with Michigan, there is a ton of $$ associated with the uniform makers. Think about it...everytime that college player walks out there in his nike/reebok/addidas uni on, he is nothing more than an advertisement for those companies.

Then the NCAA goes on and adds more bowl games? Why? There is only one answer to that and we all know what that is. So now these walking billboards have another opportunity to make $$ for someone else. And I'm sure you guys notice that during every game that is televised, each team gets some commercial that basically says, "Hey everybody, our school is the best so you should come here". This just another plow just to get more potential students to apply.

In all of our jobs, we are responsible for creating some product. But at the same time, 99% of those people involved in creating the product arent responsible for marketing that very same product. Then think about all the practice time and such these guys put in each week that they don't get paid for either. These athletes do way too much and are manipulated way too much for them not to be getting some sort of stipend during the season.

[ODogg]

The issue is still the same though, even when your actual image is used your employer often makes profits off of you. Look at models. They make great money but the products they sell can often make the companies millions. But how can you say they put in all that practice time and don't get paid, as I said before, they are getting paid, or compensated, just not in cash.

As I said though, I do agree with a very minimal, base stipend across the board for all athletes at the collegiate level, from the football player to the discus thrower to the swim team. Not one based on "value" or who is bringing in more revenue or anything like that at all but a simple, across the board, fair, minimal (ie. min. wage type wage which is what it'd have to be) wage. But I don't see that happening as in doing so the NCAA is giving an inch and it will open the door up for them wanting to take a mile.

[GatorFan1963]

It's not a question of the employer making $$ off of you, it's how much in relation to what they are paying you. Models (the popular ones anyway) are getting paid tens of thousands of dollars to do what they do per event. If you add all the time a college athlete spends on his/her sport for an entire year (during season and offseason) it basically equates to the college athlete getting approximately minimum wage for all the hours "worked".

I did a quick calculation based on UF in state tuition and max number of hours the NCAA will allow college football athletes to practice (then I added time for game days), and it worked out to be approximately $7/hr. All I'm saying is I know janitors that get paid more than that.

[jolson88]

Quote: Originally Posted by mgovick

They probably get paid more than you and your roommates combined because they bring in more money than you and your roommates. Michigan is my favorite team so I will use them as an example. Big Ten Network deal: $22 mil/yr Adidas: $6.5 mil/yr (not including royalties) ABC/ESPN: $9 mil/yr Bowl allocation: $5 mil/yr ( each B10 team nets $2mil annually from the bcs) Total: $42.5 mil/yr say there are 115 players on the roster (85 schollies) then the mean per player just based of these numbers is... revenue generated per player per year entire roster- $365,000+ schollie players- $494,000+ cost of enrollment- $25,000/yr (tuition $17,000)out of state in 2007 34/50 michigan football players that had declared a major, majored in general studies. The second most popular major only had 3 football players. While athletes make up 3% of the total population, they account for almost 50% of gen. studies majors. Michigan football players 0.003% of the student population and 19% of gen. studies majors. Its not because these kids arent driven to make the most of their academic opportunity, its because coaches steer these guys to certain majors to keep them eligible and team gpa's up/ Even if scholarships are sufficient compensation for bcs football players, that still doesnt negate the fact that they should be compensated for use of their likeness. The Ncaa is the only group that is except from that statute. Former NFL players won a settlement for the same thing. Hell, even the rick ross, the real ricky ross is going to get paid for use of likeness. @odogg- my persistence, is my charm

No way that math works. You're essentially saying that even a second/third stringer is bringing in the same amount of money to the school as a guy like Tebow. No way. Even if you did it on a curve, it still wouldn't work out because you can't just evenly divide across all the players. You have coaches, other campus staff, vendors, etc., that all contribute to bringing that money in. However, I see your argument (or what I expect your counter-argument would be) that all that staffing is not contributing with their likeness like the football players are.

I don't have any sympathy for the players though. A college education is extremely valuable and is almost priceless. Suck it up . If they feel they are getting the raw deal because coaches are pushing them into general studies, boo hoo hoo. Transfer to another school (heck, go to a smaller school with better academics that would beg you to come to their school). By the time you're in college, you're an adult and should make decisions like an adult.

I think part of the problem is that the problems start _way_ before college. I'm sure many of these kids are pushed from childhood that football is "The Only Thing" and haven't had the type of up-bringing that would allow them to prosper in this situation.