In college sports, there is a rule that says that players cannot receive special benefits. But, now with athletes receiving offers to play college sports as young as middle school, the debate on whether athletes should receive benefits within moderation has become a topic of conversation in the sports world. Due to the increasing costs of living in a tough economy it is absolutely essential for athletes to receive some sort of benefit during their college career.
When given a full athletic scholarship by a school, tuition, room, board and books is the standard compensation. Although this is a lot and covers the basic necessities, there is definitely a need to address the basic wants of an athlete. With several athletes from Central going to play sports in college, including four swimmers and several junior football players drawing interest, this is a topic that needs to be discussed.
Being an athlete comes with an overwhelming sense of individuality. Each player wants to have their separate style and rep their team with a certain clothing brand. Some of the common brands that colleges use are Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour; athletes wear them on either their jerseys or shoes. It would be a great idea for the athletes to get a chip of the money for advertising the company that they are wearing.
The question then is, “What will an athlete do with the money that they are receiving?” Many athletes use what money they have for tattoos. If a player wants to do that for themselves, it’s fine and they should get some money for it. A player also deserves to get money to help support their families. Often, athletes need money to support their families and their attempt to go pro early (i.e. as a freshman or sophomore) is a direct result of them trying to help their families.
University of South Carolina football coach, Steve Spurrier recently spoke out his opinion at an SEC spring meeting on how the issue of paying athletes should be dealt with.
“I presented a proposal that we give our football players $300 a game for game expense that they could give it to their parents for travel, lodging, meals. Maybe they could take their girlfriend out Sunday night or Saturday night and so forth,” Spurrier said (ESPN).
Coach Spurrier’s proposal makes complete sense because the athletes deserve the same entitlements that other people their age get. Plenty of college students have jobs and are able to afford things, such as nice dates with their romantic interests. Whatever it is, looking into the future, this topic needs to be further discussed with high level NCAA officials. If solved, this could help save college problems such as receiving illegal benefits and players leaving right after their freshman year in basketball. As Central starts getting more athletes into college sports, this issue needs to be fixed.
