Things are certainly getting interesting, even affecting this weekend’s Texas game. A few thoughts & questions:
If a student decides to sit out the rest of the season to preserve their redshirt year, does the school have the right to cancel their scholarship, if they refuse to play? Why should a school carry the burden of tuition, room & board, books, etc., if the player refuses to be part of the team?
Should redshirts be issued/approved by the schools, and not an automatic? Or maybe eliminate them, except for injury/hardship?
Should schools be required to document all compensation in a contract that stipulates the contract covers all comp and benefits, and any other promises, verbal or otherwise are not binding, like real estate. Something that makes it clear to the student “this is the deal?” Any wink winks on the side, the student needs to take at their own risk.
In the modern era, tuition, room & board, etc. are hardly cheap. Even more expensive is the training, nutrition & supplements, medical care, and rehabilitation and recovery. Everyone seems to blow right past the six figures in benefits they get already. Not saying they don’t deserve more, but it’s hardly like they are playing for free. They are already getting more than the avg American college graduate’s salary, in benefits value (tax free?) and for most, that’s for not even playing, much less starting.
Letting kids profit from their name image and likeness should have happened years ago, but bear in mind, just like for everyone else in the world, only a few actually have the brand to get paid something. It should have nothing to do with the school, unless the advertiser/sponsor wants to use the schools branding, too. And of course pay for the privilege.
At some point (years ago) college athletics crossed the “it’s big business, real money, now” Rubicon, but shifting from amateur school athletics to what it is now was always going to be a long messy process. e trick is to not kill the golden goose we all love.
If a student decides to sit out the rest of the season to preserve their redshirt year, does the school have the right to cancel their scholarship, if they refuse to play? Why should a school carry the burden of tuition, room & board, books, etc., if the player refuses to be part of the team?
Should redshirts be issued/approved by the schools, and not an automatic? Or maybe eliminate them, except for injury/hardship?
Should schools be required to document all compensation in a contract that stipulates the contract covers all comp and benefits, and any other promises, verbal or otherwise are not binding, like real estate. Something that makes it clear to the student “this is the deal?” Any wink winks on the side, the student needs to take at their own risk.
In the modern era, tuition, room & board, etc. are hardly cheap. Even more expensive is the training, nutrition & supplements, medical care, and rehabilitation and recovery. Everyone seems to blow right past the six figures in benefits they get already. Not saying they don’t deserve more, but it’s hardly like they are playing for free. They are already getting more than the avg American college graduate’s salary, in benefits value (tax free?) and for most, that’s for not even playing, much less starting.
Letting kids profit from their name image and likeness should have happened years ago, but bear in mind, just like for everyone else in the world, only a few actually have the brand to get paid something. It should have nothing to do with the school, unless the advertiser/sponsor wants to use the schools branding, too. And of course pay for the privilege.
At some point (years ago) college athletics crossed the “it’s big business, real money, now” Rubicon, but shifting from amateur school athletics to what it is now was always going to be a long messy process. e trick is to not kill the golden goose we all love.
