<p>They already get scholarships and huge admission advantages. Paying them would only widen the gap.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, paying athletes is just unrealistic. The athletes should know what they are getting into when they play college sports. Athletes need to be happy that they are going to college for free( or for a cheaper price) to play the sport they love. For Ivy school athletes, they need to be happy that they get graduate with a powerful degree. We can talk all we want, but I don’t see a solution any time soon.</p>
<p>Athletes deserve admissions support. As a D1 recruit, I worked so much harder than even my highest achieving friends to balance playing 3 sports, including 2 at the travel level, fit in lifting and conditioning sessions, correspond with coaches on a daily basis, research colleges before anyone else had even started thinking about it, spend each summer traveling to tournaments and camps having no days off, etc. Could I have gotten a higher GPA if I hadn’t committed myself to my sport? For sure. Would I be any less deserving to go to an Ivy league school, with a slightly lower GPA but national accolades in a time-consuming sport?</p>
<p>my sister has two friends being recruited by ivy league schools for sport. one was told he needs to keep a 3.0 average for the rest of high school and the other only has to score 27 on his ACT.</p>
<p>considering how no “normal person” would get in with those numbers, I think they’ve already been given enough. so I say no to cash.</p>
<p>There obviously needs to be some sort of reform. But that should be left up to people that are much smarter than I am. Of course, they are the ones that came up with the current system. I personally think that the scholarship and room and board should be almost enough, but there should be some compensation for the student athlete. Maybe a percentage of the earnings of their particular sport or maybe a percentage of revenue for jerseys sold with their number on it. You don’t even have to pay them while they are in school, maybe it goes into a fund for after graduation. That could be one of the stipulations. I am not exactly sure what would be the best answer, but there should be something done because it seems like it has been out of control for quite a while.</p>
<p>I think paying college athletes is the wrong solution to the problem. A better topic would be to discuss how to reform college athletics such that there is more focus on eduction. The main reason you attend college is to get a degree. How many college athletes ever go on to make a career and a living out of playing that sport as a professiional??? If they never actually complete their degree since they spent too much time on their sport …what do they do after college??? Athletes shouldn’t just be part-time students who attend class when not busy with their sport.</p>
<p>Do not pay them!</p>
<p>I think that the opportunity to go to college on a scholarship is a great thing! Most of these kids will not be professional athletes and if they waste the opportunity by not graduating then that is a shame. </p>
<p>A few posters on this thread need to get a clue! One poster feels that anyone can take up any sport successfully at any time? These scholarships are awarded based on jumping ability. Try years of hard work…</p>
<p>My son is a football player and a wonderful student. He began playing football at age 7. He does strength and conditioning in addition to football practice and started this at age 9. He has spent many hours working with trainers to develop his speed, flexibility and agility. Yes, he is athletic and was born with a gift. However, the gift is nothing without the work. </p>
<p>Reading some of these posts leads me to believe that some of these people on here think that these athletes sit around doing nothing and exploit skills that all of us possess and can put to use at the drop of a hat. </p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that many athletes, especially those playing at ND and Stanford, have worked harder than everyone else in their class. They gave up a lot of down time to earn that scholarship.</p>
<p>Why do people think athletes should be compensated for the time they are playing their sport, training, etc? Just because you play a varsity sport does not mean you should be entitled to significant financial aid when students with higher GPAs are not. Yeah, athletes spend a ton of time competing, practicing, and training, and it probably affects their GPA in school. Athletes make a decision, though, to sacrifice some of their education to pursue outside interests… does someone who is holding a job after school get more financial aid than someone with significantly better grades who doesn’t have a part-time job?</p>
<p>As it is now, athletes are given extremely good consideration for top colleges and universities. Those who wouldn’t be able to get into Ivy league or other top schools, playing a sport or not, are able to be accepted based on their sport. If one can afford it, there should be no more financial aid solely based on athletics.</p>
<p>(Btw, I’m only in high school, but I play competitive hockey, I’m on the ice 3-4 times/week, and train 3-5 days/week. I’m not just a disgruntled student. I respect athletes a helluvalot!)</p>
<p>eogoalie–</p>
<p>Many athletes do not sacrifice their gpa’s and learning to participate in their sport. Sometimes they have great stats and they bring more to the table- their athletic ability.</p>
<p>Andrew Luck is graduating from Stanford with a degree in Architecture. He was the val of his h.s. class and will, in all likelihood, be a first-round NFL draft pick!</p>
<p>On the flip side- no, there is not a soul on this earth that should participate in sports and expect to be compensated. However, some of the people on this thread clearly do not have the first-hand knowledge of how hard it is to maintain an impressive GPA and stick to a rigorous training/practice schedule (sounds like you do and congrats- I believe it translates to a good work ethic in all areas of life).</p>
<p>Eogoalie, not sure where you are coming from with your comment about there should be no aid for athletics only… Someone who has a part time job is getting paid to do it, being on a high level college team can be considered a “job” because they are getting paid to do their job, which is to perform at a high level and represent their university. Sure most of them love what they do, but perhaps so does the barista at starbucks… should the barista not get paid because they like their job? </p>
<p>You have to look it as being rewarded for considerable hard work. Years and years of time and effort put into whatever sport the athlete is involved in, if they are good enough to get paid (aka scholarship $) then I guarantee you there was a lot that went into what got them there.</p>
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<p>In regards to sacrificing GPAs, I was more replying to those who tried to use that as an excuse for not having as good of grades as those who don’t play sports. I agree, many athletes hold good grades, and these student athletes deserve the benefits they get now.</p>
<p>What I’m saying, though, is compensation should not be made solely based on the fact a student spends time playing their sport and training for it.</p>
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<p>What I’m saying is that athletes should not get aid solely based on the fact they spend time competing and training. If an athlete thinks what they are doing is comparable to a “job,” then they are completely missing the point of playing a sport. </p>
<p>With athletics, the reward is not just earned through hard work. Athletes have to excel in what they do to earn scholarship money, not just play the sport. I support scholarships wholeheartedly as a reward for athletes who demonstrate a higher level of play than their peers, but I do not agree with financial aid for just being an athlete.</p>
<p>My point with comparing a part-time job is to show that colleges don’t give significant benefits based on it. People play sports for the love of the game and to play into college (and the dream of the pros 
). They also play for the hopes of receiving a scholarship for their ability. What they don’t, nor shouldn’t, play for is the thought that they will receive financial benefits from only being an athlete.</p>
<p>^^ Okay I see what you are saying. I agree that athletes should receive money for excelling at their sport!!! ABSOLUTELY
But who gives out money to athletes who don’t? Have not heard of anyplace that says, “hey I like how hard you work, you kind of suck but we’re going to give you $ anyway because we like you”… I know being I’m being a smart a** but it seems like an obvious thing to me.</p>
<p>The point Eogoalie is missing is that the number of high school athletes who go on to play their sport in college is small, less than 10%. Of those athletes, the number who receive significant scholarships based solely on athletics is very small. No Ivy League scholarships, no DIII scholarships, very few/very small scholarships in most equity sports. If you are talking about solely head count sports, yes the scholarships are significant. But so is the talent. The odds of scoring a DI football scholarship are somewhere in the range of 1:50, maybe lower. These are not run of the mill athletes, these are athletes with God given talent who have put the time and effort in to be the best they can be. And some excel in the classroom also!</p>
<p>My daughter is a DI athlete and she works the equivalent of a full time job on her sport. Between coach led practice, on your own practice, visits to the Dr. and trainer, mandatory study hall, team community service and team travel, she spends about 36 hours a week on her sport. She is also expected to excel in the classroom, the team prides itself on its high average GPA. There is virtually no free time. Social life is nonexistent. Her team travels 8 of 10 weekends during the season, doesn’t leave much time for friends outside your teammates.<br>
And her teammates are just as exhausted as she is, their idea of a good night is bed by 7:00pm! Should they be compensated for their time and effort? I believe so. Whether it be in the form of athletic scholarships, a leg-up in admissions, or some other manner of compensation, student-athletes deserve to be compensated for their efforts on behalf of their school.</p>
<p>Fishymom, its about 4% of high school athletes who go on to play in college, ones who receive $ is less than that… (Pretty great accomplishment to be in that stat!!)
Stats are available for the “bigger” sports on NCGA website but they do not include the equivalency sports. I agree with you 100% because I have 2 kids, one is D1 the other is NAIA and both of them not only excelled to get where they got but the work at college level is unreal… I think Eogoalie thinks athletic scholarships are easy to come by or readily available to many. So not the case!!!</p>
<p>fishymom,</p>
<p>I am not saying that athletes shouldn’t get any benefits. I am fine with them getting a leg up in admissions, and that is how it is already. I just don’t agree with the idea that athletes should be given cash for their time. I understand completely that it is hard for an athlete to balance school and sports, but who said it was supposed to be easy?!</p>
<p>I guess my feelings towards this are different than some parents. For me, if I was given the opportunity to just walk on to DI team for hockey, I’d take it in a heartbeat. I enjoy the training and practicing I do for my sport, and the last thing I would see it as is a burden. Being an athlete, you have to be willing to make some big sacrifices, and to keep up with schoolwork, you have to work harder than your peers.</p>
<p>Scholarships are not easy to come by, clearly. I know because I am around many prospective college athletes who are just hoping to get the chance to play DI.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, most athlete chooses to play their sport because they love the game. If that athlete feels that it is taking away from their education too much, then they have to make a hard decision. Money isn’t going to help bring their grades up if that’s the issue.</p>
<p>The vast majority of kids playing sports in college aren’t on a full ride athletic scholarship, or often any kind of athletic scholarship. </p>
<p>If you start googling the figures, you will see the that 1% of the athletes at Cal are on athletic scholarship. Not a lot of kids, eh? </p>
<p>At Stanford 800 athletes participate, and only 300 of them get any kind of athletic scholarship. It most likely isn’t a “full” scholarship, either. </p>
<p>Guess which sports get less than 100%, traditionally? Most of them, with the exception of football and basketball. </p>
<p>When I was in college, I had a part time job to help cover my additional expenses, above and beyond tuition, fees and rent. Most college athletes performing at the D1 level will not have enough time in the day to do this. </p>
<p>It is a job for these kids, even if it’s “fun”, in addition to the demands of the student’s major requirements. Playing sports in college isn’t for everyone. It’s also grueling and painful and exhausting and can lead to injuries that may follow these kids for life. It might be their ticket into a college, and their passion, but it’s also a lot of work.</p>
<p>IMO, Make the football/basketball athletes choose what they want: cold-hard cash without scholarships or guaranteed 4-year scholarships. If they really want a diploma, they’ll pick the latter. If they’re using the school for a year or two as a way to get to the big leagues, they’ll choose the former.</p>
<p>Of course the cash paid to them would not be standardized. The Carmelo Anthonys or the Lebrons of the world would be paid more while your above-average kid who obvoiusly won’t make it to the top league would be paid less - making them choose the 4 year scholarships. In a way, this proposal would force people with above-average talent but who don’t stand a chance to be picked into the top leagues finish their studies and get an education, which in the end would benefit them more than just finishing a year and going undrafted in the NBA.</p>
<p>No. They shouldn’t receive any sort of payment in place of a scholarship. If they want to get paid, they should turn pro. It’s as simple as that.</p>
<p>There’s no questioning the fact that any athlete who earns a full scholarship put in countless hours of work and sacrificed many things that most “normal” tuition-paying students enjoyed as kids and teens. And if they had any clue of what they were doing, they were fully aware of the fact that they would, in a perfect situation, be representing their universities playing the sports they love while earning a degree on a full scholarship. I guarantee you that these athletes wouldn’t have taken the time and put in the effort to get as good as they are without realizing that “all” they would receive in return was a scholarship to compete and study for free. </p>
<p>As an athlete myself I find it hard to believe that these athletes are griping about the fact that they get (often, not always) free educations while representing their universities playing the sports they love. They can’t exactly complain. </p>
<p>As for the athletes who do believe they should be paid for their “services” to their universities, they should do one of two things. 1) leave school and see how much they earn competing as professional athletes 2) take a look in the mirror and realize how thankful they should be that they have the opportunity to be where they are because of their sports. America is literally the only country where a mediocre student who is an excellent athlete can study side by side at the nation’s top universities with the nation’s top students.</p>
<p>But what I think people really fail to realize is that MOST STUDENT ATHLETES ARE NOT ON FULL SCHOLARSHIP. I don’t know the exact figures, but in NCAA DI Tennis, for example, a university is allowed only a total of 12 full scholarships for both the men’s and women’s teams together - that’s if the tennis team has that kind of funding, which they don’t always have. A large majority of these student athletes that everyone assumes are mooching off of the universities with full rides really get very little if any financial assistance for playing their sport. And if they make the decision to compete at these top levels of athletics while pursuing an education without any sort of athletic scholarship, well, that only shows how much they love their sports and how badly they want to represent their universities. I give these student athletes the most respect, but I also don’t think it makes any sense to pay them. If they’re making the conscious decision to commit their time and effort to competition, knowing that they’ll get no scholarship in return, then I can hardly imagine that they would expect any sort of financial compensation.</p>