New Pay for play

[Globetrotter]

Separating the MAC and Big ten even further. If this is not equal for everyone then they are basically paying players. More of a MLB model every day.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... es-changes

[footballguy51]

I heard on the radio on 106.5 The Ticket that one of the ESPN columnists is suggesting that players not be given the $2000 outright, but instead but allowed to submit receipts for up to $2000 worth of accepted purchases during the year. Since everybody claims the players are poor, the receipts should be for things like food and clothing.

Quite honestly, I hate this idea. Now, I have no idea how many students athletes are at BG, but if the MAC were to approve this and let's say BG has 250 student athletes, then that's a potential $500,000 that would need to be found in the budget. Meanwhile, the board of trustees must approve expenditures like that for renovations of academic space in order to approve the quality of education, faculty and staff have been on a wage freeze, furlough days are being forced upon employees, the graduate program is essentially being de-funded, and other staff positions are just being eliminated completely. Schools in the BCS conferences will probably have no problem affording this simply because of the BCS money, but schools outside of those conferences will either be forced to make impossible decisions in order to keep up, or decide not to offer the stipend and fall further behind in the recruiting battle.

Some people have said, "Players won't choose a school for a $2000 stipend." Um...yes, they will. Would you go to one school over another if you were told that you had an equally likely chance of seeing the field at either school, but one school is going to buy you $2000 worth of pizza a year and the other school says you need to figure it out for yourself?

[transfer2BGSU]

...and let's say BG has 250 student athletes, then that's a potential $500,000 that would need to be found in the budget.

Almost double that figure. I read the figure 485 student-athletes somewhere.

[Globetrotter]

If the NCAA would pay for it uniform across schools and sports that would make sense. As it is it allows schools like OSU to buy players.

[footballguy51]

Initially, when I heard about it I thought it was money the NCAA was laying out. Then I heard it was money the school would have to find. At 485 student-athletes, that's $970,000 a year for this program. That is more than the renovation and construction cost of The Learning Commons. What is funny is people keep saying, "Well, the football players deserve to get paid." Watch how long it takes to get shot down if a school only pays the football players. Title IX will come in really fast. If you pay one type of student athlete, I'm sure equity and equality will mandate that EVERY student-athlete, from the starting QB to the 3rd string hockey goaltender to the bench rider on the lacrosse team or golf team, must get paid the same amount for "cost of attendance". Most people that support the extra stipend don't feel all of these people deserve the money, but the case is that every student athlete works hard, puts in a lot of extra hours, and would equally deserve the money.

I, however, don't feel we should be paying for this when budgets are already as tight as they are. These players are getting tuition, fees, room & board, and books paid for. They technically don't have to pay for anything their entire time here if they don't want to.

[factman]

This is to be decided on by each conference and I can't see the MAC voting in favor of doing it.