Another example of why we need to pay college athletes

[Soooie21]

Get a job,,,I worked and went to school at the same time....

[Fatty McGee]

Get a job,,,I worked and went to school at the same time....

Going to school, and going to school and playing major college athletics in a revenue sport are two different things. The sport IS your job.

[husker71]

^^^   yea that stuff about I went to school and worked doesn't work when you are a Div 1 athlete    Your time is all spent with either practice (20 hours a week) OR mandatory study halls and even mandatory weight lifting.  When could you get a job except limited summer hours.  I know at most schools even summer includes either summer classes and/or players led practices that are just short of mandatory.  My solution is to get rich sugar daddies like Sam Gilbert was at UCLA basketball during their heyday.  I would have no problem with some rich people giving the 85 football scholarship players each $100 per week.  I think it would be easy to find those that would do that for 85 football and 15 mens and ladies basketball players and 15 baseball players    If not $100 then $50  whatever the market would bear.

[bigred223]

Fatty, so what would be reasonable? Offering contracts to high school seniors?

[jmalott86]

To me the Hogs basketball players being arrested all comes down to one thing: money. Obviously if they were being taken care of by the university like they should be they wouldn't have had to resort to that to put a little extra money in their pockets. When athletes commit assualt or hit a woman or get popped for drugs or something like that, that's just them being a knucklehead. But when it comes to something involving money, like robbery or something of this nature, that's different. A lot of these guys aren't well off before they go to college, and when it comes to them needing money it just should not come to this. The colleges get rich off the backs of these guys, and while it has gotten better, it's still not where it needs to be. And I'm not just talking about these particular guys. I really believe Portis and Qualls (those are just the latest examples) could've been persuaded to come back if the money was there and improve their draft stock. Same goes for Darius Philon. A little money now (but not as much as they could've made later by staying) is better than no money at all.  As long as this issue is not adequately addressed you're going to continue to see cases like this.

Have you ever toured the Razorback Athletic Facilities? The men's football and basketball teams are fed/clothed/treated like kings. There is absolutely no reason for these guys to commit crimes out of financial desperation. For those that don't have families that can provide some financial support, pell grants and other scholarships are there to bridge the gap, hell get a student loan if you have to. And like an above poster said, A Collins works at the Catfish Hole, get a job and don't break the law. No excuses.

[(notOM)Rebel123]

Going to school, and going to school and playing major college athletics in a revenue sport are two different things. The sport IS your job.

FIFY

[-Blu]

Have you ever toured the Razorback Athletic Facilities? The men's football and basketball teams are fed/clothed/treated like kings. There is absolutely no reason for these guys to commit crimes out of financial desperation. For those that don't have families that can provide some financial support, pell grants and other scholarships are there to bridge the gap, hell get a student loan if you have to. And like an above poster said, A Collins works at the Catfish Hole, get a job and don't break the law. No excuses.

+1, well said.

A lot of people don't realize all the perks these guys get.  There's no reason for them to be out committing crimes or desperate for money.  Please believe the average college kid is doing MUCH worse than are, in terms of financial situation.  You have to think about it, they are getting a full scholarship that pays for any major they want.  Then you think of the costs of housing, books, a meal plan, tutors, clothes (razorback gear) etc. all of that is free, and other students have to pay for all that, most are taking out loans or only getting some of it paid with their tuition.

And as jmalott86 said if it comes to the point where you don't have any money, there's always pell grants and student loans.  I know when I was in school I had scholarship that paid for most of my tuition and books, but I had a pell grant as well, that gave me an extra $2500 a semester, with both of these combined all my stuff was paid, plus I got like $1000 something refund check back every semester.  I worked a part time job and between this and the $1000 i got back, that was enough for me to pay car insurance/note , and have an apartment (roommates of course). And If I needed any extra money I would take out a small loan, and only time I would need extra is when I was taking a lot of road trips and going on Spring Break.

Now Imagine a full scholarship player, they should get all their pell grant money back, and any money back from any other scholarships they have.  They don't have any other expenses unless they got a car note, so they should be pocketing a few thousand dollars every semester, and if they need any after that, why not take out a small loan?  There's so many other options other than stealing out there.

[Razorback_Mack]

Going to school, and going to school and playing major college athletics in a revenue sport are two different things. The sport IS your job.

I worked so much when I was college I rarely got more than 3-4 hours of sleep. I'd take 15 hours and go work 6pm-6-am at a factory. I doubt those guys are grinding like that but I could be wrong. Most athletes I've met have all kinds of free time. I had none. There's no comparison to playing a game and working a real job 40-50 hours a week.

[jmalott86]

I worked so much when I was college I rarely got more than 3-4 hours of sleep. I'd take 15 hours and go work 6pm-6-am at a factory. I doubt those guys are grinding like that but I could be wrong. Most athletes I've met have all kinds of free time. I had none. There's no comparison to playing a game and working a real job 40-50 hours a week.

My son was a college basketball player, he didnt have time to hold down a full time job. But between reffing little league baseball, football, basketball, etc.. and doing odd jobs. He did just fine all while going to school full time and playing a sport. This wasn't even on a D1 level where the resources are unbelievable for the athletes. And now they even have the cost of attendance stipend. Anyone who thinks these guys are struggling financially are clueless, if an athlete steals or commits a crime for financial gain, it is out of greed not desperation.

[Pigsfeat]

Anyone who thinks these guys are struggling financially are clueless, if an athlete steals or commits a crime for financial gain, it is out of greed not desperation.

Ding, ding, ding!

I was like many others on here, having had to work during their time in college. I ran track and cross country in college. Running approximately 100 miles a week year round. Married  as a sophomore. Taking 16-18 hours a semester and still worked on campus after practice until 11pm during the week and at a hardware store on Saturdays (when not traveling for meets) during school year. Worked full time at hardware store during summers. My parents didn't have any money to help and I didn't expect it! All this and I still look back at my college years as being some of the most special years of my life!

[-Blu]

All this and I still look back at my college years as being some of the most special years of my life!

I feel the exact same way.  That's another reason I don't like the whole one-and-done thing, money is nice, but these kids miss out on a lot that money can't buy when they don't really experience college.  That's why you see a lot of these athletes broke after they retire, because they never went through any hardships, they went from Mom and Dad taking care of them to a millionaire.  They really didn't have an opportunity to grow up and mature. 

I was a completely different person from the time I  first stepped on campus until the time I graduated.  I was whole lot more mature and probably 10x smarter than what I was from freshman year to graduation.  You give me a million dollars my freshman year, it would probably be gone by my sophomore year, you give it to me after I graduated, I would turn it into 2 million the next year.  And besides the maturity/learning aspects of things, I met my wife at college, 2 of my groomsman and best friends I talk to almost everyday, I met at college.  Then I think about all the trips we took together and good times we had just doing random stuff, I wouldn't trade any of that for any amount of money.  Matter of fact I would trade a year of my salary to be 21 in college again for another year.  Those were fun times.

[Fatty McGee]

Fatty, so what would be reasonable? Offering contracts to high school seniors?

Well, these three idiots getting arrested shouldn't be the catalyst, I will agree with that.

And honestly letting adults contract to maximize the value of their talents like we do in every other arena would be "reasonable."  Be it through individual contracts or allowing the players to unionize and collectively bargain.  I put that in quotes because "reasonable" shouldn't be the standard.  Legal, or even if you want "moral" should be the standard.

The Kessler lawsuit most likely resolves this in the next 12 months.  O'Bannon already took a huge step forward.

[Fatty McGee]

Ding, ding, ding!

I was like many others on here, having had to work during their time in college. I ran track and cross country in college. Running approximately 100 miles a week year round. Married  as a sophomore. Taking 16-18 hours a semester and still worked on campus after practice until 11pm during the week and at a hardware store on Saturdays (when not traveling for meets) during school year. Worked full time at hardware store during summers. My parents didn't have any money to help and I didn't expect it! All this and I still look back at my college years as being some of the most special years of my life!

That's awesome for you.  Really, I mean that.  Doesn't mean everyone should be stuck with the same requirements because you enjoyed your experience.

[Fatty McGee]

I worked so much when I was college I rarely got more than 3-4 hours of sleep. I'd take 15 hours and go work 6pm-6-am at a factory. I doubt those guys are grinding like that but I could be wrong. Most athletes I've met have all kinds of free time. I had none. There's no comparison to playing a game and working a real job 40-50 hours a week.

Great for you.  I'm sorry you weren't blessed enough to have a talent that someone would pay to watch.  Heck, I'm sorry for me that I'm not John Grisham and can barely put together a coherent post on a message board.  That doesn't mean I think Mr. Grisham shouldn't be able to maximize the value of his talents. 

[azhog10]

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing about today's athlete. But I will say this. I have been on both sides. I was on a college basketball team D2, and also worked as an undergrad assisstant while going to college with no job outside of the summer. I also went to college taking 18 credits and working 30 plus hours a week. I can say that the amount of "extra" time I had favored the time i took 18 credits and worked 30 hours. It wasn't by a lot, but I defintely had more of a social life and was able to go out and party a little more with a job than when I played. At the D1 level the schedule is more demanding with travel and other things. I'm not saying these kids do or don't have it easy, but many don't understand that amount of time you put into it. For instance we had morning workouts around 530 then class, then practice, then weights, then film, and sometimes class again. When I worked I had class, then work, and i didn't do that more than 3-4 times during the week, with my other two work days being weekends.

So you are definitely putting a lot of work in, and i do believe you are getting paid for it via scholarship. BUT, I think athletic scholarships should go away and just pay the kids like a job. Let them figure out how to pay their tuition, room and board and everything else. Then they might realize how good they had it, OR, maybe everyone see's that it's better. Who knows.

[sickboy]

This is far too complex a conversation to say if we pay players this stuff won't happen. Obviously, there's sooooo many socio-economic aspects to this conversation.

You can't think about the conversation from your perspective as a college student, because things are vastly different then even when I was in school ten to fifteen years ago. It's a different world and a complex conversation.

[LSUFan]

Paying college athletes would kill college athletics.

Wrong
On so many levels.

They are already paid. Whether people know it or not.

Wanna take a walk on the dark side?

[jmb1973]

To me the Hogs basketball players being arrested all comes down to one thing: money. Obviously if they were being taken care of by the university like they should be they wouldn't have had to resort to that to put a little extra money in their pockets. When athletes commit assualt or hit a woman or get popped for drugs or something like that, that's just them being a knucklehead. But when it comes to something involving money, like robbery or something of this nature, that's different. A lot of these guys aren't well off before they go to college, and when it comes to them needing money it just should not come to this. The colleges get rich off the backs of these guys, and while it has gotten better, it's still not where it needs to be. And I'm not just talking about these particular guys. I really believe Portis and Qualls (those are just the latest examples) could've been persuaded to come back if the money was there and improve their draft stock. Same goes for Darius Philon. A little money now (but not as much as they could've made later by staying) is better than no money at all.  As long as this issue is not adequately addressed you're going to continue to see cases like this.

Sweet Jesus this is the dumbest reasoning I've heard yet, and I've been on
Hogville for 10 years.

[Pork Twain]

Sometimes the logic on here is just so darned amazing.

[Hoggish1]

To me the Hogs basketball players being arrested all comes down to one thing: money. Obviously if they were being taken care of by the university like they should be they wouldn't have had to resort to that to put a little extra money in their pockets. When athletes commit assualt or hit a woman or get popped for drugs or something like that, that's just them being a knucklehead. But when it comes to something involving money, like robbery or something of this nature, that's different. A lot of these guys aren't well off before they go to college, and when it comes to them needing money it just should not come to this. The colleges get rich off the backs of these guys, and while it has gotten better, it's still not where it needs to be. And I'm not just talking about these particular guys. I really believe Portis and Qualls (those are just the latest examples) could've been persuaded to come back if the money was there and improve their draft stock. Same goes for Darius Philon. A little money now (but not as much as they could've made later by staying) is better than no money at all.  As long as this issue is not adequately addressed you're going to continue to see cases like this.

Actually, this is exactly why NOT to pay athletes. 

Did you not comprehend what CBB was saying about $ in the pockets of kids who have never had that kind of cash? 

[Fatty McGee]

Actually, this is exactly why NOT to pay athletes. 

Did you not comprehend what CBB was saying about $ in the pockets of kids who have never had that kind of cash? 

Bret Bielema had never had $4 million dollars before but he seems comfortable with figuring out what to do with it.  America and all.

[ricepig]

Bret Bielema had never had $4 million dollars before but he seems comfortable with figuring out what to do with it.  America and all.

How do you know, do you work for the IRS?

[Fatty McGee]

How do you know, do you work for the IRS?

He's been a public entity employee for a number of years so his salary was known.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25061764/arkansas-gives-bret-bielema-raise-extension-through-2020

[husker71]

99% of us never had cash before we hit 18 or 21   some can handle it at that age (not me so well) and some can not   but tell me why giving them $50 per week would hurt someone   (supplied by the booster club)   

[ricepig]

He's been a public entity employee for a number of years so his salary was known.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25061764/arkansas-gives-bret-bielema-raise-extension-through-2020

You think salary is the only source of income for someone?? He could have put $1m in cheese futures when in Wisconsin years ago, that or Apple, so don't assume that someone's listed "public" salary is there income.

[husker71]

I don't care if he bought gold at in 1972 at $63 per ounce   If his or anyone base salary in $4  million a year that is good enough for me   maybe he has a rental property in Gravette and makes $2,000 profit per year  but again when your salary is that high who cares about other income

[Fatty McGee]

You think salary is the only source of income for someone?? He could have put $1m in cheese futures when in Wisconsin years ago, that or Apple, so don't assume that someone's listed "public" salary is there income.

So you're refuting me with unsourced speculation on cheese futures?  Ummmm, ok. 

[LSUFan]

Cheese curds are the bomb.