The debate of paying NCAA athletes has always captivated me since I completely understand both sides of the argument. With that said, I have always believed that if they do allow for student athletes to be paid, there should be a framework in place so that it isn’t just all booster club members trying to buy the #1 recruit for their school. From my understanding of the proposed rule changes, there are to be guidelines in place to mitigate that as much as possible. The whole bit of third-party companies is a logical way to keep any deals separate from the universities themselves; the guidelines for business managers/agents also make a lot of sense since most 18 year old kids have no idea how to manage money, let alone how to negotiate an endorsement deal. But let's be real, the NCAA is really only concerned about losing the top DI recruits to the pros and the fact that the the kids who will really benefit from this rule change are the ones who will never go pro.
Now, for me personally, I don’t really care about the big name recruits who could have decided to commit to a full four years at a prominent DI school, to go one-and-done, or to immediately go pro. I care about the kids on the less popular college sports (you know, the ones that operate in the red each and every year) and the kids in the DII and DIII schools. This gives these kids an opportunity they would never have had. It allows for those students who might not go on to play professionally, a way to make some extra cash while in school.
I understand that there are still people who are so hung up on the term student-athlete itself. They believe that these kids are students first and athletes second. While at its purest form, this is true and is a logical argument pertaining to a solid chunk of student athletes (i.e. DI kids who will not under any circumstance go pro and even more true for the DII and DIII kids). But in the digital age we live in, it just doesn't work as a foundational argument anymore.
In decades past, there weren’t as many opportunities for student athletes who weren’t the star QB or the point guard. Now, we live in a world where a social media presence is almost as important as your athletic ability. And because of that, a broader selection of student athletes have a greater chance of obtaining endorsements too. Obviously, monetarily, the contract terms will differ significantly, but it still makes sense to allow any student-athlete to throw up a #ad on a post and make some money off of their social media presence.
When you really think about it, besides being considered a student-athlete, what is really the difference between the kid living down the hall who has become an influencer and monetized their social media? Nothing. Yea, you are going to hear ESPN, and other sports media companies, talk about the deals of Duke and Carolina's basketball players are getting, and you will hear about the endorsements of Auburn and Alabama's kickers and QB1's, but you will likely never hear about the DII track athlete securing an ad for their Instagram account. And it's that DII kid that is more student than athlete and who is really no different than the kid down the hall.
Yes, you can argue the whole “well they get scholarships to play” until you are blue in the face, and yes, it is true, some students do get scholarships to play their sport. But, looking at the NCAA as a whole, not all student-athletes have a full scholarship linked to their sport. Also I want you to think for a minute, what is the difference between a scholarship'd student-athlete and a drama major, enrolled in the same school, with a scholarship, who can book a gig for a local commercial without any repercussions? Again, when it really comes down to it, absolutely nothing.
For example, it might not be a huge contract, but the lesser known student-athlete could endorse a restaurant in their hometown and another student-athlete, specifically one on the sailing team, would have the ability to enter a global sailing competition that they would otherwise not qualify for because there is prize money involved. It would also mitigate the fear of student-athletes who are in. the hard science and engineering majors who want to sell a product they developed based upon their experience as a student-athlete. Hell, it could be as simple as a DIII student-athlete blogger who wants to bring in ad revenue and endorsements who can finally put in the “About Me” section, that they are a student-athlete at whatever school.
I get that people don’t agree with my logic and I understand that people want to cling to the “they are amateurs” argument. But, let’s be really fricken real here people, that whole argument went out the fucking window in 1992 the second International Olympic Committee let professional athletes compete. ✌
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