daspollak wrote:You can't do equal treatment, because all schools are not created equal. That is the fact of life, and I don't believe all schools should be treated equal. If boosters were allowed to pay, Harvard would have the best chance of fielding an elite team. Football is the one sport where there is no alternative for a HS kid to take his talents and get paid. Basketball kids can go to Europe, baseball has an effective minor league system, and soccer has a development system where they can get paid. Football brings in a lot of money on the backs of those kids, and they should have better compensation for their wear and tear they put on their bodies.
If you did want to make football more equal you would have to make them distribute the TV money more evenly, but that is a topic for another thread.
Those kids are compensated with 10s, if not 100s, of thousands of dollars worth in scholarship and living expenses.
You are wrong that they don't have other options. First of all, it's nobody's god given right to be able to play football. They are playing NCAA football because it is one of their options. They also have the option to play in the CFL, the various arena leagues, and other minor football leagues. They also have the option of not playing football and getting a job right out of HS, or just going to school as a regular student. They've got tons of options. They CHOOSE to play college football because A) Some value the education that they're receiving, and B) They enjoy football, and C) It is their best bet to playing in the NFL. Nobody is making them do this. They are choosing to maintain amateur status for the opportunities they gain both in scholarships, and potentially future pro aspirations.
Football brings in a lot of money at the highest levels, yes, but not everywhere. Football is a losing endeavour at the MAC level, and is probably only barely profitable even at some of the lower tier BCS schools. There is a ton of money, but it's not evenly distributed. And MOST of that money goes to funding all the non revenue generating sports.
The one thing nobody seems to remember is that if these kids need spending money while in college they can all go out and get student loans like every other kid on campus. They can live the high life while in school and still probably leave with far less debt than the average student. When you get down to it they are making a LOT of money to play sports...between the living expenses, clothing allowances, books, and tuition they are not playing for "peanuts" as so many seem to think. A ND football player is probably pulling in over $50k a year, and we're saying they deserve MORE money? If they feel exploited, I suggest they take their talents to a lesser football league and see what the real world is paying.
