Regular Reader wrote:
Dignified Rube wrote:
This is a bad idea that college athletes can now take money for endorsements. It's hard enough going to school and then having to practice for five hours than also being an endorsement prostitute, too.
It will create more prima donnas than there already are and just cause corruption all around with recruiting or whatever. College athletes are not pro-athletes. They are amateurs. If they want to be pros, then turn pro.
What world are your pro and amateur sports being broadcast in? Do they also not understand the slanted rules there?
I understand that some college sports are big business from television revenue and gate receipts. Education itself is big business. The trade-off is that college athletes receive full scholarships for their time and effort. For some schools like Northwestern, for example, that degree is worth at least $120K. That's not peanuts.
I just think that athletes at this age (17-21) are too prone to corruption. Money corrupts. They are representing their institutions in team sports, not themselves. With endorsement deals, now they're representing their pimps, too. There is no place for third parties in the student-university relationship. It's an honor to receive an athletic or academic scholarship and it should be left at that.