Money And March Madness: Should Student Athletes Be Paid? (VIDEO)

While millions of dollars are being made from the NCAA tournament and March Madness generating the best ratings in 20 years, one question is repeatedly asked: Should student athletes be paid?

PBS's "Frontline" correspondent Lowell Bergman tackled the subject in a Tuesday segment called "Money and March Madness."

Begman discusses the concept of amateurism with NCAA president Mark Emmert, who considers college athletes as "pre-professionals."

At his first NCAA convention, Emmert said that student athletes are "people who are in training for what they will do in their life."

"That's what all of our students are like," Emmert continued. "They're pre-professional and some of them happen to play sports."

Best-selling author Michael Lewis rejected the idea of amateurism in college sports and pointed out that the real value of a star quarterback on a college team "could be $5 million a season."

"College sports is professional in every aspect but one, they don't pay the labor," Lewis said.

Bergman also talked with former sports marketing executive for Nike Sonny Vaccaro, who said that the players aren't treated fairly because everyone makes money except for them.

Scroll down to watch the report.

Quick Poll

Should student athletes get paid?

Yes - They're the only ones not getting paid.

No way! - The system is good as is.

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Comments

[beaverlocal]

07:48 PM on 03/31/2011

No,I had to spend 4 yrs in the military to get some money from the G I bill to go to school. I had to comute three of the four years . I bought used books,quit one year for a job to buy a used car,ate cereal three times a day,went on food stamps for a while. I faired better than most students. Most students went through what I did but graduated with thousands and thousands of dollars of debt. I agree that there needs to be some changes but these players get all bills paid for,new books,shoes,great food,free tutors,and a chance to graduate owing nothing. If they do not want a free education than don't come to school.

[Dave Blum]

10:38 PM on 03/31/2011

Im with you. There is not one athlete in this final 4, or even back in the 16 games that is staring down the barrell of 90,000 in tuition debt! They dont have to wake up an hour early to try to start thier 180,000 mile vehicle that is on its last legs, they have no idea what it takes to really do college, they get enough free housing, tuition, books, tutors, you dont think that is worth half a mill?,,,they are greedy,,,if they want more,,,let them drop out and go pro.

[doctorkosan]

02:05 PM on 03/31/2011

Pay them, they earn it. A Div 1 athlete works at his job -sports 12 months a year and can hold no other besides going to class ( an assumption but true for most).
And they are not easily replacable workers ergo the huge recruiting effort each school undertakes.

[Unrepentantliberal]

12:48 PM on 03/31/2011

Pay the players? Yes. The tv networks and universities make billions off these young men and women. A 'free' education is not near enough compensation considering the financial circumstances.

[beaverlocal]

07:50 PM on 03/31/2011

The pros pay the players. Go pro.

[dukesman2000]

12:30 PM on 03/31/2011

All the folks on this blog, on TV and radio siding with the disillusioned argument that these players get a free education. How many players actually graduate and use the free education? If you stayed four years in college, chances are you are not that good to be a pro. These athletes only go to college as a formality, they don’t want to be there. They are pros!
The only way one can actually begin to solve this issue of athlete taking illegal money is for the institutions to pay athletes. There is no other way around it. You best believe, (and I believe, if injected with truth serum, most you would too) if I was a stud athlete and an agent or university came to me with cash, you can bet your last two quarters I am taking it. I mean, you have some of these marquee athletes who help their respective teams to championship games and can’t even afford to buy tickets for family members to go see them play. All of this while the colleges are making millions in one season off their backs.

[Dave Blum]

10:41 PM on 03/31/2011

Their disregard for education is their problem. Shame on them for making college less important in their lives than a student that is going to there to actually learn,,,,that is their issue,,,not mine,,,,,give me a break! I sure would not feel sorry for a person that is given a free ride to college and does not take advantage of it,,,there is no free ride in my life,,,,unless you would like to assume my student loans,,,,I could care less how many of these players graduate,,,,,that is their bad,,,dont put that on me, you have to be kidding me,,,maybe its your fault,,,not mine!

[Christin Wright]

10:52 PM on 03/31/2011

Exactly! Fanned and faved.

[Megandale]

09:47 AM on 03/31/2011

They do get paid - they get a free education.

[doctorkosan]

02:07 PM on 03/31/2011

Right they already get paid. What is under discussion is the pay rate as they are underpaid unless paid illegally like some are.

[beaverlocal]

07:51 PM on 03/31/2011

Plus food,books tutoring,free travel and tha chance to play a game in front of thousands of people.

[bannorhill]

09:10 AM on 03/31/2011

They get a scholarship worth $80,000 to $200,000. That is good pay for someone without a college degree.

[Unrepentantliberal]

12:50 PM on 03/31/2011

Yes, but they can't redeem that scholarship for cash can they? So, it's just access to an education, not money in hand which is what many of them really need.

[bannorhill]

01:42 PM on 03/31/2011

Yes, you can cash in the scholarship.

In 2000 it was found the average earnings of a high school grad was $30,400 per year compared to $52,200 for a college grad. $21,800 MORE per year.

Over a lifetime it was projected the college grad would earn almost TWICE as much as the high school grad.


Give a man a fish....feed him for a day. Teach him to fish....feed him for a lifetime.

http://www.earnmydegree.com/online-education/learning-center/education-value.html

[the5thhorseman]

07:10 AM on 03/31/2011

Plus these players get brand (themselves) recognition...plus they don't start their professional careers saddled with burdensome student loans incurred because, unlike these athletes, who are commodities really and nothing more, they had to pay for their education they don't have a skill that helps them sell cars, deoderant, and caffeine drinks...and there aren't too many places within American society that labor doesn't think that management doesn't care about them. To that I'll just say what my ex-wife used to say: get over it.

[DanoX]

01:23 AM on 03/31/2011

they already are...

and when it's not straight up cash to them or their families, it's hookers and cars. If you don't realize this you are seriously deluding yourself.

[liberalpolicysucks]

09:40 PM on 03/30/2011

they already are...

its called a scholarship

[liberalsrheros]

07:46 PM on 03/30/2011

if we were to pay athletes, it should be all scholarshi­p athletes in all sports. the student athlete should be able to pay expenses, have a reasonable amount of money to spend for typical college recreation and afford to travel home to see their families. they ought to have free health care for 5 years after graduation and longer if they've suffered a disabling injury. fancy cars and condos and an extravagan­t night life, well, that ought to be paid for by the nfl, nba mlb etc. if i were guess at a figure, maybe something that would correspond to a pro rata for time they are at school to an average first year salary of graduate of that institutio­n minus what payments that student would have to make on a student loan in a year.

just pay the kids, don't rationalize it with a bunch a guff about the risks the school takes, they drop athletes after injuries and for other reasons, only people getting used are the athletes.

very happy to see the voting going better than 2:1 to pay them, at this point.

[D Pelletier]

07:32 PM on 03/30/2011

They should be paid the same as any student who has financial aid in the form of work study. As a Mother who has had 3 kids who have gone to college, that doesn't amount to much depending on the job. I would say no more than a $100. a week. Enough so if the kid needs to put gas in his car, wants to go to the movies, buy a new pair of jeans he has some money that is his own to spend.

[mike dougles]

07:27 PM on 03/30/2011

I dont see it.

If you pay the 2 sports that make money, football and mens basketball you would have to due it for all sports including womens sports.

[SimianNation]

06:42 PM on 03/30/2011

They should receive, beside their scholarship, a stipend to offset having to take another job. they have class and their sport.

[frenchgod]

05:41 PM on 03/30/2011

Absolutely they should get paid. Colleges make millions & millions they can afford to pay the athletes.
Just do it in a smart way where it goes in a trust fund and they can't touch it until they're 25 or something. OR do something in connection with the pro-leagues that could have money put aside for when they retire and have the necessary medical attention they deserve.
I'm not talking about the star QB...I'm talking about the 3rd string offensive lineman.

[Dave Blum]

10:45 PM on 03/31/2011

why should anyone but them pay for their medical. I did not force them to play,,how rediculous.

[youpeoplearefunny]

03:28 PM on 03/30/2011

Kind of pointless to even discuss it, as title ix would put the brakes on any effort to pay athletes in the only two sports (generally speaking) that make money for their schools. Football and men's basketball are the bread-winners but one would think that they would be forced to pay all athletes.