There has been a great deal of media attention over the past several months focused on the question of whether Universities should be paying salaries or stipends to student-athletes.  Some, including Jay Paterno (the son of Penn State football icon Joe Paterno) have opined that the players are already getting a great deal that other students around campus “would gladly take”.   Many others argue that top-level college sports is indeed big business, but relatively little money flows down to the athletes.  This question has recently become even more interesting as big-name football programs like USC and Ohio State have been sanctioned for payments to players or profit-seeking activities by the players that are against NCAA regulations.

So, what’s the truth?  A basketball-buddy of mine, who is himself an aficionado of college sports, Flint Harris added his $.02 to this debate recently on his Holy Turf web site (quite a good site — check it out).  Flint’s article sheds useful light on this question by simply providing the data regarding how much money athletes actually receive (or can receive within the existing rule structure) during their college career.  In my view, any discussion is more useful with real data as the foundation.  It turns out, according to Flint, that players can receive approximately $17K each year in living, eating, and clothing expenses (this does not include scholarship money that goes toward the cost of tuition and books and fees).

This information is helpful, but does not by itself settle the question of whether players should be paid additional dollars for their efforts.  But it does allow us to dismiss the exaggerated claims that we simply must pay stipends otherwise these players can’t afford to buy a pizza or go on a date.  This seems not to be the case.  However, it certainly seems reasonable that college athletes, like most college students, may mismanage their funds and at times find themselves out of pocket money.  But this situation, in and of itself, is not a justification for paying players stipends.

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To read the entire essay … surf over to:

http://www.holyturf.com/2011/08/ncaaownkids/