Should college athletes be paid? Spoiler. Nope.
As a former Division 1 athlete, I feel like it’s okay for me to comment on the latest NCAA basketball scandal. In case you haven’t been paying attention, more than 20 of the nation’s top athletic programs were implicated in possibly breaking NCAA rules. Including my alma mater, Seton Hall. WTF. What an embarrassment.
Hey Isaiah Whitehead. I’m talking to you.
Whitehead is the most high-profile recruit signed by SHU head coach Kevin Willard. He even led my beloved Pirates to a Big East tournament win over Villanova in 2016. Was I cheering and whooping it up when they won? You betcha. But now? I’m just shaking my head in frustration. Whitehead was cited in the FBI report for accepting money. Everyone who plays collegiate sports knows that is a huge no-no. Why isn’t the honor of playing college sports enough for these greedy clowns? I guess being compensated with tuition, travel and training just isn’t enough.
We may be separated by distance but my college teammates are my buddies for life.
And what about the camaraderie with your teammates? My college softball buddies remain some of my closest friends to this day. Big wins. Upsetting losses. There is something to be said about spending a significant time with your teammates and experiencing those special moments. I look forward to the opportunity to connect with them whenever possible. BG’s for life!
Nothing like getting together at the annual Alumni game.
Listen. I get it. College sports are a huge business. Colleges and universities make a lot of money off student-athletes. The key word there being student. Do you honestly think that if you pay these kids, they will go to class? Nope. Many of them already don’t go. Even if they do, standards and expectations are often lowered to accommodate them. I worked my ass off to maintain a high enough GPA to play softball. There is something to be said for doing well in school and juggling a full sports schedule. Once you get to the Division 1 level, sports and academics are your job. It sets you up with the ability to take on whatever life throws at you after you graduate.
One of the reasons why I love watching college sports (especially hockey) is because the athletes (most of them) are playing for the love of the game. If we start paying college athletes, it will ruin the college sports industry. Would we see college athletes holding out on contracts? Lockouts? Probably. And then what fun would the Frozen Four or March Madness be?
Only time will tell if the NCAA decides to eventually pay student-athletes. But it would most likely lead to more corruption in an already corrupt system.
