3 ms·

My preference would be for a world where college athletes were genuinely student-athletes: held to the same academic standards as other students while genuinely

My preference would be for a world where college athletes were genuinely student-athletes: held to the same academic standards as other students while genuinely acting as amateur athletes. But that's not the world we live in (particularly for football and basketball.) The quasi-professional setup we have now, where athletes generate tremendous revenue for schools and and capture very little of that, is untenable. I don't necessarily think athletes should get paid by schools, but it's hard to articulate why they shouldn't be able to benefit from endorsements.

mlyle 7y ago
Tremendous revenue but not really any profit. College sports overall are not "profitable" except at a very few elite programs. (Schools hope knock-on effects, like increased alumni interest, make them pay off).
- dragonwriter 7y ago
  > Tremendous revenue but not really any profit. College sports overall are not "profitable" except at a very few elite programs. Those elite programs are probably the only ones where athletes would have any significant endorsement opportunities, anyway.
- mrosett 7y ago
  In a narrow sense, you're right. But even if a college isn't directly profiting on an program, there are a couple things to consider: - If a university is breaking even on a program but its donations are captured on a different part of the balance sheet, it's still reasonable to think of it as profitable. - College football coaches are able to capture a huge share of the football revenue at a school in part because players are unpaid.
- moate 7y ago
  If that's accurate, and college sports in aggregate have no net positive value to the schools (through alumni donation, local economic stimulus, etc.) that's all the more reason to not support the status quo. That would mean these kids are making lots of money that's not benefiting anyone except the NCAA and others able to siphon value off.
  - mlyle 7y ago
    Oh, I totally agree. I don't know how to fix it, but I don't like how education and competition teams are tangled up in the US. In lots of Europe, schools don't do that, and there are a greater number of local recreation centers that have quality competition teams both for kids, college students, and adults for very reasonable, low fees. It seems like a better model, but we're used to doing it the current way and have built up large facilities at high schools and colleges.
Enginerrrd 7y ago
>My preference would be for a world where college athletes were genuinely student-athletes: held to the same academic standards as other students while genuinely acting as amateur athletes. For the most part, that IS the case. Big 5 schools make up only a tiny fraction of student athletes. My experience with student athletes was that they had in general, above average academics compared to the rest of the students in their department, which included my engineering department. Granted, this wasn't at a big 5 school or anything, but I'd predict roughly the same there on average as it reflects personality traits correlated with success: i.e. to be successful in college athletics, it usually takes strong social skills, self-motivation, discipline, and consistency. These things tend to carry over to other endeavors. There's also additional motivation among athletes to maintain a sufficiently high GPA to keep their scholarships/financial aid.

mlyle 7y ago

Tremendous revenue but not really any profit. College sports overall are not "profitable" except at a very few elite programs. (Schools hope knock-on effects, like increased alumni interest, make them pay off).

dragonwriter 7y ago
> Tremendous revenue but not really any profit. College sports overall are not "profitable" except at a very few elite programs. Those elite programs are probably the only ones where athletes would have any significant endorsement opportunities, anyway.
mrosett 7y ago
In a narrow sense, you're right. But even if a college isn't directly profiting on an program, there are a couple things to consider: - If a university is breaking even on a program but its donations are captured on a different part of the balance sheet, it's still reasonable to think of it as profitable. - College football coaches are able to capture a huge share of the football revenue at a school in part because players are unpaid.
moate 7y ago
If that's accurate, and college sports in aggregate have no net positive value to the schools (through alumni donation, local economic stimulus, etc.) that's all the more reason to not support the status quo. That would mean these kids are making lots of money that's not benefiting anyone except the NCAA and others able to siphon value off.
- mlyle 7y ago
  Oh, I totally agree. I don't know how to fix it, but I don't like how education and competition teams are tangled up in the US. In lots of Europe, schools don't do that, and there are a greater number of local recreation centers that have quality competition teams both for kids, college students, and adults for very reasonable, low fees. It seems like a better model, but we're used to doing it the current way and have built up large facilities at high schools and colleges.

Enginerrrd 7y ago

>My preference would be for a world where college athletes were genuinely student-athletes: held to the same academic standards as other students while genuinely acting as amateur athletes. For the most part, that IS the case. Big 5 schools make up only a tiny fraction of student athletes. My experience with student athletes was that they had in general, above average academics compared to the rest of the students in their department, which included my engineering department. Granted, this wasn't at a big 5 school or anything, but I'd predict roughly the same there on average as it reflects personality traits correlated with success: i.e. to be successful in college athletics, it usually takes strong social skills, self-motivation, discipline, and consistency. These things tend to carry over to other endeavors. There's also additional motivation among athletes to maintain a sufficiently high GPA to keep their scholarships/financial aid.