Stipends for athletes

[KyleUT]

After the dust settles on this day, I'd love to see the debate about giving athletes on NCAA scholarships a "living" stipend rise up. I don't for a minute believe that the amount Bomar and Quinn (and who knows who else) received equates to a living stipend, but the amount of time athletes spend during involuntary and "voluntary" practices and class and study halls and everything else means these guys have no time for a "part time" job for spending money.

Some of these scholarship athletes do not have the means to live beyond the room/board the athletic scholarships give them. I was fortunate to be in the position that my parents paid for tuition, room, and board (and not fortunate enough to be smart enough or have the athletic talent that someone else would pay this), but all spending money was up to me in college. I had the time to work a job (or 3) during school to make money to buy beer/movies/dates/food/whatever. But athletes, especially football players, do not have this luxury -- they simply do not have the time.

My point I guess is, that I hope a high profile program such as OU getting pegged for these kind of extra benefits brings this debate to the forefront. I have strongly believed for a long time that there should be stipends given to athletes on NCAA scholarship while in school.

I truly hope this isn't taken as a "flame" because this is an issue I feel pretty passionate about. These guys deserve the chance to truly EARN a few bucks for spending money, and if they aren't given the time/chance to earn this money (as most athletes aren't because of other priorities), they should get a stipend through their scholarships.

[TheGodfather889]

I always thought college athletes did get stipends. Am I wrong?

[BajaOklahoma]

Switzer brought it up in the 70s.
Question is, how do you make fair? Cost of living is cheaper in Norman than LA, so do you give the LA guy more money? How do you decide what is fair? Someone will always complain, no matter how they do it.

[redbeerman]

Switzer did it in the 70s along with many others. He just wanted to make it official.

[TexasLidig8r]

The problem with stipends, above room and board, tuition, is that it would have to be applied across the board to all sports, not just football. Title IX and the Civil Rights laws would pretty much dictate that all sports, men's and women's sports alike would require the same stipend.

Also, the stipend would have to be applied universally to all Division I schools. Otherwise, certain schools would be placed at an even greater disadvantage.

Now, the question is, where would the money come from? A special scholarship fund set up at each university to be funded by whom? The state? (read, taxpayers).... the Universities themselves (again, the state also read.. taxpayers). Then, what about private schools like Baylor, SMU, USC? Would taxpayers approve increased tax revenue going to universities to pay their athletes? Doubtful.

Then, how to enforce to ensure that the system is not abused?

It just isn't practical.. or workable.

[47straight]

Then, how to enforce to ensure that the system is not abused?

I agree with everything Lid said... everyone is looking for ways for the football players to get a bigger piece of the pie that they allegedly bring in. The main problems with that are a) at most schools, football doesn't actually make money, b) all the money that does get raised pays for the coach and for other scholarship sports, which are required by law. People complain that the schools make money off the player... I disagree. The school doesn't end up actually pocketing any of it, really, it all goes back into the athletic program. Facilities and good coaches are part of what make the athletes successful, so it gets reinvested into mechanisms designed to make them better.

[mdklatt]

Some of these scholarship athletes do not have the means to live beyond the room/board the athletic scholarships give them. I was fortunate to be in the position that my parents paid for tuition, room, and board (and not fortunate enough to be smart enough or have the athletic talent that someone else would pay this), but all spending money was up to me in college. I had the time to work a job (or 3) during school to make money to buy beer/movies/dates/food/whatever. But athletes, especially football players, do not have this luxury -- they simply do not have the time.


Most college students complain that they never have money. Most college students have no problem going to a bar and spending $50 or more and are all walking around with the latest iPods and spending $80/month on their cell phones.

Coinicidence?

[Tear Down This Wall]

Stipends are a bad idea. They've got a good thing going now that they've loosened up the rules on athletes being able to hold jobs. The deal is, though, you have to be at that job working when you told the IRS your were there working! It's not some great philosophical mystery at work here. It's called "honesty." It's called "having integrity." It has nothing to do with anything else.

[Landthief 1972]

Thing is... BOMAR DIDN'T NEED THE MONEY. It would be one thing if we're talking about some kid from the ghetto. Bomar just wanted to be BMOC and flaunt his "power."

[XingTheRubicon]

If scholly players are not happy with free tuition, nice room in the athletic dorm, a truckload of good food every week, free books, free travel/airfare, and hummers from hot chicks, then they can toil away in some other unmerciful environment.


The day some 19 year old girl from Jenks gets $1,100/mo cash for playing soccer at Tulsa is when everyone will realize how brilliant this idea of a stipend is.

[trey]

they do get stipends. full scholarship athletes get about $500 a month

[Mongo]

Now, the question is, where would the money come from? A special scholarship fund set up at each university to be funded by whom? The state? (read, taxpayers).... the Universities themselves (again, the state also read.. taxpayers). Then, what about private schools like Baylor, SMU, USC? Would taxpayers approve increased tax revenue going to universities to pay their athletes? Doubtful.


The funding should not come from the university, but the NCAA itself. They make the rule that athletes cant work, so let them front the bill. the NCAA wants to keep everything under their control, let them distribute the money evenly. Anyone who is under the NCAA rules(any sport or gender) gets paid an even amount.

I know this will never happen, asking the NCAA to pay out money= asking Feds to cut taxes. The NCAA has plenty of money coming in its system. Look at the clearing house every HS student athlete has to pay just for even considering playing in the NCAA system. $75 dollars/person. 117 D-1 FB X 115 people allowed at 2-a-days X $75= $1,009,125. This does not include any other sports, or divisions. Not to mention the countless would be athletes who pay but dont make the team. This is just a small example of rediculous amounts of money this governing body pulls in.

Any body who thinks student-athletes should not get paid, they need to go out and get a 40+ hours a week job. Ask for the exact amount of money to cover your meals and lodging. Also ask for a little bit of money for utilities, but not enough to pay them in full. No gas money, no money for basic supplies. No money to go watch a movie with a date.

Having a free ride is the biggest misnomer alive. It is mentally, emotionally, and physically demanding. IT AINT FREE. One can bust their butt through hard work to pay for their education, but it aint exactly like working at a starbucks.

[Mongo]

they do get stipends. full scholarship athletes get about $500 a month


Wrong. A full scholly athlete is only allowed the equal amount of $ their food and housing is worth. If an athlete is living on campus with a meal plan= no money in players pocket. If they live off campus, they get what the meal plan costs and the cost of living in the dorm.

[Vaevictis]

Question is, how do you make fair? Cost of living is cheaper in Norman than LA, so do you give the LA guy more money? How do you decide what is fair? Someone will always complain, no matter how they do it.

This one is easy, actually. There are other students in any given university that get both a scholarship and a stipend. You just go to the university rulebook, find out what a research or teaching assistant earns, and pay the student atheletes off of the same scale and in line with standard university practice.

As a research assistant, I work 20 hours a week, get paid tuition and a stipend. There are students who have apparently made as much as $19,000 a year as RA's. I think $13k is more normal, however. And if you work the scholarship program, you can get free room and board on top of that.

[redbeerman]

Let's see we have people breaking the rules by giving kids money. Yes, the solution to the problem is give the kids money.

Even it that is tryed it will never be enough money. Have you ever turned down a salary increase? The kids will always want to have more money. If you have an atmosphere where breaking the rules has been allowed in the past you will have some jack ball booster who thinks he can get away with it.

USC will still be giving houses to star players parents and the NCAA will still be looking the other way.

What is needed is equal enforcement of major viloations of the rules? The NCAA need to spend less time trying to find out if a Kid at (pick your small school) received a can of pop from a booster and more time looking for the Bomar type viloations. You know there are others at other schools. Find them and punish them all.

Charlie Weis tells his players to pick there agent before the season starts even though any agreement with an agent is a viloation without fear of NCAA sanctions but some kid at a no name school eats the wrong french fry and the NCAA is all over it.