By: Martin Rand, III
Date: October 28, 2011
In the heated discussion between whether college athletes should be paid to play, the NCAA has cooled downed a bit.
According to USA Today, the NCAA adopted a number changes to the athletic scholarship, one of them will give student-athletes $2,000 extra in grant money. NCAA President Mark Emmert was at the forefront of the change proposals.
"This is certainly not play for pay," Emmert said. "This is a recognition that for four decades or more, the (athletic scholarship) model has been unchanged."
The extra money is to better represent the cost of attending a college institution. An athletic scholarship generally covers room-and-board, meal plans, tuition and other academic fees. However, students need money for other things while on a college campus; and, with schoolwork and athletics being so time consuming, getting a part-time job is almost out of the question.
The extra money will also come with an increase in academic standards to qualify for the scholarship. The NCAA has also increased the Academic Progress Rate (APR) for teams to qualify for bowl games and tournaments, which the NCAA projects will increase graduation rates by 50%.
USA Today Writer Andy Gardiner writes:
In applying the APR to teams' postseason eligibility, the NCAA will use a cutoff of 900 for two years before moving to 930. For the 2014-15 school year, teams falling below 930 can remain eligible if their two-year average is at least 940. The strict 930 requirement takes effect in 2015-16 without exceptions.
Had that bench mark been in effect last year, it would've sidelined seven teams that reached the Division I men's basketball tournament, including champion Connecticut, and eight that played in bowls.
Along with the APR, initial eligibility standards have been raised for incoming freshmen, beginning in 2015-16, from a 2.0 grade point average in core high school courses to a 2.3. Transfers must carry a 2.5 GPA (also up from 2.0), starting in 2012-13.
This topic also comes up with the recent college scandals involving student-athletes. College football players at University of North Carolina, University of Southern California with Reggie Bush, University of Miami, Ohio State University and other schools have had players suspend due to them receiving improper benefits.
When the scandals are revealed, the school's wins, trophies and championships are rescinded and wiped from the history books.
While it's good the NCAA is being proactive in trying to stop the scandals in their sport, I don't think $2,000 is going cut it. Not when college sports is a billion dollar a year industry and the employees (because that is literally what college athletes are) are getting paid nothing.
There are video games and merchandising sold with the athletes likeness being represented. Even though they may not put a name on the back of jerseys or display their real name in video games, everyone knows whose jersey they are buying and who they are controlling when they are playing games.
When Bush played at USC, everyone in the stadiums had on number five jerseys. It wasn't because it was the president of the school's favorite number or because it had any significant meaning to USC's history. It was because Bush was on the field breaking records and doing amazing things.
USC made millions of Bush and Bush got 0% of it. The school didn't pay him, so he went with someone that would pay him.
For people who say it's okay for the coaches and athletic directors to get paid millions of dollars a year because it's their job need to think long and hard about that statement in reference to student-athletes.
Is it not a job for them? If they miss an assignment continuously, do they not get benched? If they don't live up to expectations, do they not get cut? If they don't get playing time, do they not go to another team? It's the same job and the same worries the pros do and have. They just don't get paid for it.
Like I said, I'm happy the NCAA is being proactive in this fight against scandals plaguing their sport but $2000 isn't enough in a billion dollar industry.
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