Paying Players and Not Paying Players

To Pay or Not To Pay

 

    This topic is TOO HOT for me to ignore right now. With the NCAA investigating Johnny Manziel for possibly being paid for signing autographs, the question has become a big time story just before the season gets started. However, this isn't anything new. The NCAA has been under fire for years for making money (and lots of it) off the players' likenesses.

 

     One of the more obvious ways they had been making money was off the marketing of team jersey sales. Of course the name of the player isn't on them, but why else do they choose the particular number to market to fans? In other words, the NCAA has lived by this phrase for awhile now, even though they feel it is only half right.... "It is not okay for the college athlete to receive money or benefits, but, we the NCAA can market and use your likeness to further expand our overall dollar mark". Obviously the NCAA only agrees with half that statement, but the other half is totally TRUE.

 

     Understand that if the NCAA wasn't involved in the way that it is, there would a free-for-all around the country with paying players or players receiving extra benefits. There would only be a handful of teams that could handle such chaos. Recruiting would be a mess, and big programs would be the only ones that survive. So, the NCAA having this rule, while it is a terrible rule, may actually be the best case scenario in college football at this point. What does the future of this topic hold? Where does the NCAA go from here? Where do universities go from here? Do programs start to introduce some form of payment to ALL college athletes? How close are we to this rule changing?

 

     EA Sports has been selling an NCAA Licensed College Football game for years now. And nearly every off season for the last decade, a college player has come forward with a lawsuit against the NCAA for using players' attributes......and nobody has won yet, other than the NCAA, but the last two years apparently, there has been some traction gained. Hints the NCAA ended its License agreement with EA Sports. Not only has the NCAA gone this far, but this week the NCAA president just ordered the NCAA website to stop selling team jerseys. So does the NCAA realize now that they are guilty of exploiting these student athletes?

 

     It's a no win scenario for both sides. Most say we should give these student athletes the money they deserve, but they forget what that would do to the big sports (Basketball, and Football). Others say that the rule is fine and they just need to police it; but apparently they are okay with the NCAA making the money they don't deserve off these student athletes.

 

    So where do you stand? What do you think would be an acceptable rule change to the NCAA? Is there a scenario where both sides win without the sport suffering? I want your thoughts. Send to Jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com or post to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/collegefootball2day . OR leave a comment below.