Crossfire: Should college athletes be paid?

Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Christine Brennan debate whether college athletes should be paid.

[theworldisyours]

These student athletes are treated like slave gladiators.. if they get hurt, they get fed to the lions

[evanmoore]

That free education line is bullshit. whenever most of these students can't pursue extra curricular activities outside of football they don't have the time to advance their degrees as they would a normal student. Education is a valuable asset but it doesn't take care of the immediate needs most of these college athletes face. many want to support their families and they can't pick up a job because they have no time. Just ask Jalen rose about it. I'm not saying they should be signing contracts and being paid to actually play. But I do advocate that they should collect revenue from Jersey sales and be able to collect money by attending football camps and even speaking if they are invited to do so. And you know what if they're offered money and gifts from boosters. Who the hell cares?

[davesingerman]

the solution is simple: put the athletes on work-study and pay them like any other student who works for the school. this would also make them eligible for workman's comp and obligate the schools to take care of them medically.

[manoneal]

This is one of those debates where there is simply nothing to discuss. Pay them.

[MrMeow]

lol this chick acting like kareem couldn't ball right out of high school

[BriGuy]

I had a thought about the statement, "We are paying our student athletes with education."

Let's say that you have a job. A job you love, a job that you're great at, but still it's a job, and you want to be paid. Your employer is happy to pay you - in manure. When you ask why they are giving you manure, they explain, "This is just as valuable as money. You can use it to fertilize a field, then plant some seeds, weed and till the land, hope for good weather, and after all that work, reap a fine crop to support your family."

The metaphor breaks down in that you can turn around and sell the manure for some kind of financial gain. There is no guarantee that you can "sell" your education.

I do not mean to imply by the scenario above that I am of the opinion that all student athletes should be extravagantly paid, or even paid at all. I'm just stating that in almost every situation where I perform a service for an outside party, I would expect my compensation to be something of tangible or financial value. I would even go so far as to say that I think that expectation is shared by a great many people.

I'm also not saying that education isn't valuable. Many people see the value in a higher education, and hence, colleges exist. I am saying that education in itself cannot be so easily substituted for actual financial compensation, and that it's somewhat misleading to suggest otherwise.

[alex]

This woman is so smug and disrespectful

[hahyunlee]

1:51 "She does not want us to be paying student athletes". That immediately lost the debate for them. It's THE PLAYERS that are paying THESE COLUMNISTS to talk about college sports. The players fuel college sports, that give columnists things to write about, and now these power-confused individuals think they are entitled to say the people that pay them, shouldn't be paid? This is mind-boggling.

Also Christine's fake smile is so infuriating to look at. Her argument against paying student athletes is (paraphrasing): NCAA would have to pay players with market value, worker's compensation, and insurance. [Ok, cool. She's basically stating what Kareem is advocating, to treat NCAA as an ECONOMICALLY modeled professional corporation. She's listing those effects negatively, but it is exactly what the opposing side is proposing. So she doesn't make a logical conclusion here.] "There's not a university president that wants to get into that." So basically she's saying the people that are leeching money off players don't want to do it, so it's completely justified to not pay athletes. OF COURSE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS DON'T WANT TO DO IT. 

She admits that NCAA is hypocritical yet immediately follows that by stating this is the best system we have? Are you serious? If you think someone is hypocritical, it implies you feel there is a BETTER option to view/handle an issue. You don't say someone is hypocritical, but say "it's ok because it's the best they can do". Either don't call them hypocritical and stay consistent to your claims, or just admit you might not have thought things through completely.

And her final point is players need that time to mature for the game in college (claiming athletes aren't all LeBron James). That is a valid point... wait a second... HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO PLAYERS GETTING PAID OR NOT? It doesn't. Players can treasure time in college and still be rightfully paid what they deserve. She goes off topic. The fact she keeps reaching for her coffee, smiling and nodding her head throughout this video just makes me question her credibility and status as a spokesperson for this "debate".

[KaigesClaiborne]

Without the college athletes there's no money!!!! PAY THEM

[blkcyberpro]

Christine Brennan is on the Board of Trustees at North Western University. Always follow where the dollar comes from.

[TheBaybunie]

None of these college athletes, especially NCAA players, should play at all unless an agreement is met where these athletes receive a piece of these multi-billion dollar industry's pie! Straight up.

It's absolutely absurd these kids are plucked from their hometowns to generate massive levels of wealth for these corporations, schools, coaches, etc., when less than 1% of whom ever go pro; and with their great sacrifices, when all is said and done, they go home penniless.

There should be a sort of "trust fund" set up for all of these revenue generating players to receive after their college careers are over. The better the team (the ones who generate most by going furthest) the larger the fund. Period.

[ezestical]

I say they should be paid. They’re bringing in a lot of income for the school by providing entertainment, and business for snack stands (if they have any). They should get some money for this

[MrYodi]

Have you seen ticket prices to a prime time College ffootball game FSU vs UF or Bama vs UGA? Those tickets are 150 upwards to 3 grand! Those stadiums holds atleast 76k plus

[nightrider]

*Newt tearing that girl to shreds.The look on his face when he hears her B.S. is hilarious*

[TheChosennn]

For all the money that gets generated especially college football and basketball and for the amount of work they put in, they deserve to get paid

[iggypopisgod]

Shame on Chris and Von for attempting to blocking student athete opportunities. Newsflash; NIL involves 3rd parties, Title 9 does not apply! Respect Kareem for speaking up.

[kdeezo]

Let's be clear. These big name colleges are not recruiting the students to attend their schools for the educational benefits. They are bringing them in for their athletic talents and are making millions off these kids. You can argue the fact that they are also there to get an education, but put the reality glasses on for just a few minutes. They CANT get educated properly when they have to spend 70% of their time on the football field instead of the classroom or study hall. And these professors are being forced by the universities to pass these players in their classes just to keep them eligible to play! So what type of real education are they receiving? Again, they are there to one reason and one reason only, to play sports. And if the school and the NCAA are gonna make billions off these kids, then at least pay them. Just utilize your filthy high-priced lawyers to work out all the BS legal stuff.

[kiddjayy]

6:10 Schools purposely aim to not turn a profit. The reason for this is as an institution your goal should never be to earn money for yourself its always about the students. It's not good for the schools image if they're making all these millions of dollars profit because then people will want to know where the money is going. It just looks bad for business. So to "hide" all the money they make they immediately spend it on top of the line facilities and arenas, and coaches. Go and look at some these top college locker rooms and training centers. You'll see where that money is going. 

[franciscomarmolejo]

Speaking from experience. I hardly slept due to field of study I entered and playing soccer at a D1 school. I was a walk on, but I made the first team after my red shirt year. I played for 5 years and all I received was a partial scholarship that would sometimes cover books or meals. I played for what Vance says, "love of the game." I hardly slept due to the playing schedule and the school work I had. These people have no idea of what a student athlete goes through. I had some fellow teammates that struggle a lot as I did to either eat or pay for books. I agree that athletes should get either have their complete schooling played for or pay them.

[brandon_gb]

if the student athletes did receive a good education I can understand not paying them because they have something to fall back on. but they don't get a good education because they are spending all their time playing their respective sport and teachers let them slide on their work and some make up grades and classes so they can play.