Service Academy Football Question

[TheBigDA]

Since Cadets are treated the same, football players or not, then do football team players get payed like cadets? If so, isn't that technically extra benefits? Granted I think we should pay all military personnel especially since being a cadet carries a 5 year service commitment, but isn't this the same thing most coaches are lobbying for?

Personal opinion is to put all student athletes on work study and pay them for the legal hours they practice the same way you pay any other student who works for the university.

 

[patdog]

If every student at a university is paid, it's not an illegal benefit.

 

[KurtRambis4]

The minute

a cadet (football or not) steps on campus, he or she is considered active duty.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

So are you saying the athletes are paid like anyone else who is active military?

 

[AFDawg]

They are active duty. But they get cadet pay.

It's not much, but they do get a free world class education.

Here's USAFA's info, for example. http://www.usafa.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9420

 

[WrapItDog]

A cadet at the United States Military Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, or the Coast Guard Academy, or a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, is entitled to monthly cadet pay, or midshipman pay, at the monthly rate equal to 35 percent of the basic pay of a commissioned officer in the pay grade O–1 with less than two years of service.

MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION OF PAY
Salary Earned ...................................... $961.00
Distribution:
Federal Income Tax ..................................15.27
State Income Tax .....................................13.41
FICA .................................................. .... 73.51
SGLI (Servicemember’s Life Insurance) ......... 27.00
Repayment of Advance ............................. 265.00
Cadet Account Deposit ..............................341.81
Checking Account Allowance ...................... 225.00
Total .................................................. ... $961.00

The cadet account is for things such as haircuts, laundry, books, uniform items, etc. The amount you get to spend (checking account allowance) increases each year.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Impermissible benefits **

 

[DuNing]

Yeah, the mids/cadets see very little of what they are actually "paid"

When I was at Navy in the mid-2000s plebes got $100/month, youngsters (sophomores) $200, Second Class (juniors) $300, and Firsties (seniors) $400. Once a semester they give you "held pay" which is the rest of your pay minus all the stuff they take out of it and minus your monthly allowance. For plebes, that ends up being around $1200 (less for upperclass), which is usually just enough to buy your books for the semester.

 

[Tin Cup Cowboy]

put all student athletes on work study and pay them for the legal hours they practice

How much do we pay them and where does the money come from for this? Because as you put it, it has to be every student athlete. It can't be just be football. There is no way we could bank roll something like that.

I am in no way for universities paying any of them. Should they be allowed to work in the summer, sure I have no problem with that. Should they be allowed to go out independently and sale their image, absolutely.

You will never convince me that there is justification for paying them no matter what you call it.