Are we exploiting our college stars?

By Jon Elliott  |   Monday, March 26, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

College Football
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In this world that we live in, our very existences are controlled by the almighty dollar, to a certain extent. I guess that's why we sometimes take it personal when we hear of pro athletes holding out so they can earn $5 million this year instead of the mere $4.7 that their team is offering. We work hard every day just to live mediocre lives, and we certainly don't want to hear them whining because now they can't add that fifth Bentley to their collection this year.

We feel used when we have to dump nearly a week's salary in order to see our favorite team. After buying tickets, parking passes, hot dogs, drinks, funnel cakes, and a couple of $8 beers, we leave the stadium feeling violated. We make sacrifices just so we can help support the life of luxury for someone else. But what if the script was flipped? What if the athletes also lived mediocre lives, and played solely for the love of the game? Of course, that will never happen...Or is it happening right under our noses?

Every year, thousands of college athletes generate billions of dollars in revenue and never see so much as a penny added to their bank accounts.

The football program at the University of Texas alone generated a revenue of over $52 million in 2005. That doesn't even include the money garnished by having one of the top collegiate merchandising sales rates in the nation. BCS teams can rake in up to $17 million each to distribute among their conference members. Add in the money gathered by broadcasters and sponsors, and the revenue spawned by college sports comes to an astounding $4.2 billion! To put that in perspective, that's roughly $1 billion more than the NBA claimed. Sure, the NCAA boasts more teams than the NBA, but its athletes aren't exactly multi-millionaires.

Obviously, a lot of this money is used by the universities to improve or build new facilities and equipment, pay for travel expenses, and other sports-related needs, but where is the rest of the cash going? Does $32 million ring a bell? That's how much Nick Saban is guaranteed to make over the next eight years as the head coach of Alabama. He could also bring in another $700,000 to $800,000 based on bowl appearances.

How can it be justifiable to pay a coach $4 million per year, while his players juggle practices, games, full college schedules, homework, and playbooks every day for free?

I'm not downplaying the fact that most of the major collegiate athletes are getting a free college education, but realistically speaking, that's pocket change compared to the funds that they bring in. These young stars are expected to perform in pressure situations on national televion every week, but they get disciplined if they accept so much as a free meal.

Sure, there are programs available to athletes in the event that an emergency flight home is needed because of a family sickness or death. However, even those programs carry low maximum amounts available to each athlete. Many of these players come from poor homes and leave behind families that can barely afford survival, yet somehow it's OK for coaches to sit in their massive homes and watch their players fight and claw for the chance to get paid at the next level.

I don't have an immediate solution for this injustice. I'm not even sure of what I'm arguing against. Maybe it's the inflated salaries of the coaches. Maybe it's the actual fact of working for no compensation. Maybe it's a combination of many things. All I know for sure is that there is something burning in my soul that tells me it's just not right.

Hopefully there are smarter people out there who feel the same way and can figure out a resolution. Until then, I guess I will keep shamefully supporting the vastly exploited world of college sports.

Original college football insight, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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