Should the NCAA pay college athletes? | College Football on ESPN

Jay Bilas, Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway join Rece Davis to discuss if college football players should be paid based on their name, image and likeness.
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[JuliusC]

So Joey acting like them Ohio St. boosters didn't hook him up.

[amac]

Rule #1: Don’t debate Jay Bilas...you’ll come in second

[shanenelson]

So if a player gets injured and their scholarship gets pulled, how do they get an education or money to actually pay for college?

[cnote]

Nick Saban doesn’t recruit grades he recruits NFL players

[michaelr]

That black dude is a sellout. Jay Bilas, you are a real one bro

[treomoe]

Lets go Jay. This man is telling the truth about college and how they abuse the student athlete.

[LunchBox]

Ticket sales for one game - $5, 000, 000+
Jersey Sales - $50 - $100+ per jersey
Concession Revenue - $600, 000+
TV Revenue - $50, 000, 000 - $200, 000
Totally School Revenue - $20, 000, 000 - $200, 000, 000

Cost of college for 4 years - < $300, 000

People buy tickets to see players play, buy food while watching players play, buy player jersey because they like watching player play, people pay for television which most cost is for sports channels.

[savethewolves]

If they do, I’ll never watch another game or give another dime to my Alma Mater’s athletic club - and we currently give $20, 000+ annually.

[tyleradkins]

I don’t think people realize how much money these athletic departments put into their football programs to ensure the student athletes have literally the best of everything.

[cljackson]

North Carolina and Notre Dame are still playing football EVEN THOUGH their schools are closed. Let that sink in. ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS ARE AT HOME. Football players are required to stay at school to play ball. Sounds like employees to me.

[cnote]

People go to school to make is a circular is on point

[darrylnelson]

They don't care about the degree so why should the university. Pay them and be done with them. And make sure to pay the walk ons too. They work just as many hours in practice with no scholarship.

[murphyc]

Allow them to make money off of NIL each year. Then take a percentage of revenue and put it in a trust fund for the player that they gain access to once they graduate. If they don't graduate use that money to pay for operating costs or the next player's trust fund. This way you encourage players to get their degree while also letting players earn money for their efforts on the field. Seems like the best compromise possible imo.

[xeverlastingxchaosx]

I mean if NCAA is allowed to make revenue off their image, i think they should deserve their fair share as well.

[darrylnelson]

Jay Bilas graduated from Duke and Law School debt free. Basically $200K of free education. Not bad if you ask the average college student that has student loan debt when they graduate.

[gc]

First make all them get admitted to college via the same process all students have to use and same for transfers. Then they can "apply" to play on the football team as if they get the job then they are eligible for a scholarship and all players can be paid as work study at the same rate as any student can get. Colleges are for education so make the football or basketball respectful of that.

[ekojar]

Here is how you get rid of the jealousy problem. Just like most jobs, you are not allowed to disclose how much money you make.

[usmsci]

Let's get to the real issue here. The issue here is that college sports has become a multi-billion dollar business. See thats the problem. If that wasn't the case - then we wouldn't even be having this discussion. There would be no problem.

Colleges should be in the business of educating students. Period. Not being part of a multi-billion dollar business thats centered around the same students they should be educating. See theres a conflict of interest. You cant be part of a multi-billion dollar business and have amateurism at the same time.

Jay is saying the all other students can go out and make money for themselves and doesn't see the difference. There is a difference. The college athletes are on tv, providing the entertainment that is central to the multi-billion dollar business that he speaks of. The tv contracts, the advertisers, etc. Regular students that go out and work at Papa Johns delivering pizza are not part of that business. Thats the difference Jay and it's the central problem at the same time.

The real question, is why did we allow things to get so out of hand? I know that theres money to be made in sports but sports should be secondary and we've made it out to be the primary focus. If colleges can't survive without money generated from college sports then thats their problem. They shouldn't be dependent on that, since their focus should be on Education. Not sports.

By the way Jay - they are getting paid. For instance, to live on campus at the University of Florida, includes tuition, dorms, meals and everything else is about $21, 000 per year. When they graduate they have a degree and don't have $80, 000+ in debt to pay back to the feds. They also have other grants and or stipends that would leave money in their pocket.

Also those figures are for in-state residents. Usually that number doubles for non-residents.. so if you are a football player, playing for Florida as a non-resident your school debt would be around $160, 000.

[shanerd]

No pay. No way. Period. Let college be for amateurs. Everyone else should be allowed to go directly to whatever Pro level exists for their particular sport.

[ZombieInfectionMC]

College athletes aren't even allowed to use their likeness to make money.