Why College Athletes Do NOT Need to Be Paid

The assertion that college football and men’s basketball teams are making obscene amounts of money while the people who make it for them, aka the student-athletes aren’t getting their fair share has been heard far and wide. Sure, each student-athlete receives a grant-in-aid (scholarship) which pays for his room, board, books, tuition and fees, (not to mention as much free tutoring as he needs) but research has been presented that even that substantial payment does not cover the actual and necessary cost of attendance. Therefore, it seems only fair that an additional stipend should supplement the student-athlete’s scholarship to correct this injustice.

The question that needs to be addressed is, “Exactly how much money would solve the problem?” What if there was a way for student-athletes to receive over $6000 each year (far more than has been discussed)? That would certainly solve the problem. Everyone has heard UConn star (and Final Four MVP) Shabazz Napier’s claim that there were nights he went to bed staving. Dale Brown, the former basketball coach at LSU was one of the earliest and most vocal proponents for paying players. He would tell the story of the destitute, young player, living away from home and not having enough money to go on a date or even just go out for a burger with his fellow classmates. He needed – and deserved – money, over and above what a scholarship covered, just to maintain his dignity, Brown contended.

If, in fact, a student-athlete is that financially strapped, he would qualify for a Pell Grant. This is free money – up to $5645 for the school year ($5730 next year). First, some Pell Grant history. When I first started coaching in 1972 at the University of Vermont, any Pell Grant money the student-athlete was awarded went directly to the school to help defray the cost of the scholarship. Shortly thereafter, this policy changed and the student-athlete him or herself began to receive Pell Grant money. Initially, it was the first $400 they qualified for. Now, it’s all of it. That means every student-athlete who qualifies for Pell Grant money gets every penny of it.

What this now means is even if the student-athlete stayed at his school throughout the summer, i.e. all 12 months, the Pell Grant payout would equate to $470/month (for 10 months, that number would be $573/mo). Unless his place of choice for burgers is Ruth’s Chris, that should be ample money to assuage his late night hunger. Plus, the not enough to eat argument is difficult to “swallow” if anyone has seen the quality and quantity of the food that college athletes have available to them – and the times available for them to eat, i.e. not just the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner. While this sympathetic reasoning sounds righteous, it is absolute and complete BS. I know this because I worked for 30 years at 9 Division I schools (1972-2002) and, at each, I would help players and their, often single, parent(s) fill out the Pell Grant form.

“Well, how about the kid who doesn’t qualify for any Pell Grant money?” you might ask. Hold on. The initial complaint – and the loudest one – was for the poor kid who couldn’t afford what his regular classmates could. The information above should sufficiently eliminate that concern.

As for the kids who don’t qualify for any Pell money, those parents can subsidize their child. For example, my son is a scholarship basketball player at Division II Cal State Monterey Bay. He has a debit card and receives an automatic deposit into his account each Friday. Although we don’t exactly relish the thought of sending our son money, it’s certainly not a hardship on us. Full Disclosure: Neither my wife nor I come from money. In addition, our jobs (mine, a college basketball assistant for 30 years and a high school math teacher for 12 and my wife’s, a human resource specialist at three federal agencies for about the same amount of time) weren’t paying us exorbitant amounts. In fact, the maximum salary I ever made was $75K including outside income (my college coaching preceded the big money that college assistants are making now). Her salary was in the same range as mine, so it’s not like our disposable income is unlimited (both of us are currently retired). Yet, our son lives comfortably.

I’ll check his account online and there are weeks when his balance is less than $5 – on Monday. It’s not at all because he doesn’t have enough money, but because he spends it like it comes from a bottomless pit. I see purchases from Pizza Hut, Chipotle and other eateries, even though he has the highest meal plan the school offers. There are also transactions from businesses that aren’t food places. All this means is he’s learning about budgeting money, i.e. when he runs out, he has to wait until the next Friday. I’m absolutely certain that if we gave him more, he’d still have the identical problem.

If we gave him the same amount of money but did so monthly, like student-athletes get their scholarship checks, he likely would have longer to go without. If the method of payment in Division I hasn’t changed, Pell Grant money is given each semester. No wonder they have a problem! They receive a substantial amount of money and it’s burning a hole in their pockets. They have enough. They just want more.

While I won’t tell you how much we send our son, I will tell you it is not as much as he would get from a full Pell Grant. Maybe it’s an old school thought but shouldn’t college be the place where kids ought to struggle with money problems? I was a scholarship athlete (long, long ago) and had the same problem these kids do. I know it helped me after I graduated, got a job and had to live on my own (more on the getting a job part later in this article).

A few days ago, I spoke with a compliance director (at a university that’s in one of the Big 5 conferences) for confirmation of an additional revenue source that was available to student-athletes when I was still in Division I. Not only does it still exist, but there’s another one! In addition to Pell Grant, the NCAA has money in what is called the NCAA Student-Athlete Special Assistance Fund. It began in 1991 to help athletes with financial need. It covers basic or emergency expenses “for which financial assistance is not otherwise available.” The NCAA has, get this, $10,868,000 in available money in this fund. Believe it or not, some schools are unaware this fund exists.

That fund was the one I was familiar with, money student-athletes could use to pay their phone bill or buy some clothes – as long as the purchase is not covered by the scholarship – like food or rent. They would submit receipts to our compliance director who would send them to the conference office. A check, not to exceed $500, would be sent to the compliance director who would give it to the student-athlete. According to my source, in today’s world, student-athletes need only to fill out a form, i.e. no receipts are necessary. This fund now covers family emergencies, too, for which there is no monetary limit.

A newer, additional means of obtaining money for student-athletes is the NCAA Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund. This one is more loosely restricted, i.e. available to all student-athletes, regardless of financial need, whether they’ve exhausted their eligibility, or no longer compete due to medical reasons. It can be used for personal and educational needs such as travel home, computers and other school supplies, clothing, medical expenses for spouses and dependents, summer school, degree-completion programs and professional development. The funds started at $17 million and increased 13% annually to $57 million in 2013. Anyone who is on scholarship qualifies for this award.

Don’t get me wrong, if the NCAA wanted to give D-II athletes more money, we wouldn’t turn it down, but as far as our son’s situation, we’re not complaining. The reason is because of the additional perk student-athletes have access to that regular students don’t. Every student-athlete desperately needs to take advantage of it.

Ask yourself the question, “Why does a person go to college in the first place – as opposed to immediately joining the work force?” The reason is pure and simple. It’s to get a better job! Student-athletes are constantly in the media spotlight, be it on TV or radio, or in print – which today means newspaper, magazine, online or social media. Every student-athlete must realize, in these situations, that every time he opens his mouth, it’s akin to a job interview, i.e. he’s speaking to his potential employer. Relationship building is paramount to obtaining gainful employment – and getting to know decision-makers is the best way to start. How else can relationships be built?

Think about it. Nearly all business owners or their significant others – or their kids – want to know college athletes. It’s human nature. Like it or not, athletes are celebrities. Maybe it’s an autograph session the media relations department set up, maybe it’s a request for a student-athlete to show up at the party of a booster’s kid (because he’s the youngster’s favorite player), maybe it’s a charity event. There are a myriad of such opportunities and there are always enough requests so that every player can be involved. Each interaction with a president, CEO, HR person, whoever, is an opportunity to sell himself – an opportunity the regular student is not afforded. The athlete is known, popular and usually loved. If he takes advantage of this, it can lead to employment, or at least an interview – the major goal of the college graduate.

At several of the universities in which I worked, we would put on mock interviews – with local TV people which we would record. Afterward, the coach, the student-athlete and the professional media person in attendance would critique the player’s performance, e.g. how many times did he say, “Uh” or “Ya know” or looked at the floor? Then, we’d have him “interview” again. And we would show his “second take.” As with any other skill, practice led to improvement. Our guys started to enjoy the camera.

This advantage alone is worth more than any stipend the NCAA could allocate.

All of this – the assisting with Pell (today there are people in the athletic department who do the work assistant coaches used to do), explaining how to get money through the various NCAA funds that give money to student-athletes, “tutoring” media interviews, etc. – are tools not available to the regular student.

The people demanding stipends for student-athletes fall into the category of:

“Some people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.”

P.S. There was no way this topic could be covered in one article. Look for Part II (what can and should be done) shortly.

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