Warning: Old Man Rant in 3..2....1
I have now officially changed my stance on college players. I used to be in the camp of "they are just college kids" but that ship has sailed.
There is no ambiguity on this anymore. As colleges such as UT and now apparently Carolina are implementing a ticket fee specifically targeted to pay student athletes they are now professionals and should be treated as such. They are paid to perform. They are paid to win. They aren't being paid to go to class, or expand their thinking or experience a diverse cultural experience. Charging a talent fee to ticketholders means they serve a singular purpose. All the activities ties to being a student are now part of the job, whereas before college athletics were part of their college experience as a student. Its flipped.
And now this idea of people saying "they are students they aren't there to entertain you, or they don't owe you anything" - whatever variation of that? That mentality is out the window. Many of these students will be making more money than the ticket holders who buy the tickets. Some will be making more money than the professors, coaching staff and administration being paid to educate them as "student". Ticket holders who spend money now have a right to demand performance, to demand winning. There is no sacrifice on their part as a student athlete because as athletes they now participate in the revenue sharing of the product they provide.
As for students involved in sports that don't receive revenue sharing , or at least anything more than just covering pizza and gas money, I will continue to defend them as kids who sacrifice their time to play a sport they love while focusing on their education.
Old Man Rant Over.
I have now officially changed my stance on college players. I used to be in the camp of "they are just college kids" but that ship has sailed.
There is no ambiguity on this anymore. As colleges such as UT and now apparently Carolina are implementing a ticket fee specifically targeted to pay student athletes they are now professionals and should be treated as such. They are paid to perform. They are paid to win. They aren't being paid to go to class, or expand their thinking or experience a diverse cultural experience. Charging a talent fee to ticketholders means they serve a singular purpose. All the activities ties to being a student are now part of the job, whereas before college athletics were part of their college experience as a student. Its flipped.
And now this idea of people saying "they are students they aren't there to entertain you, or they don't owe you anything" - whatever variation of that? That mentality is out the window. Many of these students will be making more money than the ticket holders who buy the tickets. Some will be making more money than the professors, coaching staff and administration being paid to educate them as "student". Ticket holders who spend money now have a right to demand performance, to demand winning. There is no sacrifice on their part as a student athlete because as athletes they now participate in the revenue sharing of the product they provide.
As for students involved in sports that don't receive revenue sharing , or at least anything more than just covering pizza and gas money, I will continue to defend them as kids who sacrifice their time to play a sport they love while focusing on their education.
Old Man Rant Over.
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