Grothe Thinks Players Deserve A Cut Of Sales

[Bull Dozer]

This will never happen... if players strike which is the only way to try and force their hand then we the fans loose, and the colleges will just draft from the student body to replace them or not play at all.

It would also be a death blow to more football programs out there than most realize.  Unless it's done with revenue sharing you would see some programs fold up due to not having the extra $$$ to pay the players.  Not every athletic department has coffers overflowing with money which is why you see some programs do 3 or more "pay day" games a season and thats just to support the other programs and keep the budget in the black.  

[Bull Dozer]

Well i wouldn't call it a salary, they are not professionals. They should get "living expenses"

Free room and board isn't enough living expenses?

Is not free, they are putting around 20hrs a week in practice something that a lot of other students on scholarships don't have to do. Those other students can work 40 hours if they want, a football player can't do that. I'm not saying let's give them $1,500 a month, but at least $500 per player.

Playing football is a choice they are not being forced to do it by any means.  Players to leave to focus on school ala Voss. 

[Guest]

This will never happen... if players strike which is the only way to try and force their hand then we the fans loose, and the colleges will just draft from the student body to replace them or not play at all.

It would also be a death blow to more football programs out there than most realize.  Unless it's done with revenue sharing you would see some programs fold up due to not having the extra $$$ to pay the players.  Not every athletic department has coffers overflowing with money which is why you see some programs do 3 or more "pay day" games a season and thats just to support the other programs and keep the budget in the black.  

You're acting like football programs don't make any money at all. Athletic departments need to stop being so money-hungry.

[Bull Dozer]

Well your right bull dozer, but the football players don't just get their degrees. They have to perform in the class room as well.

Actually a good portion of them do.   So what's the difference between the kids that do and the ones that don't?  Simple It's how seriously they take the class room.  Some kids do just enough to get eligible some seriously work towards graduating, why should we reward the ones that are just here to stay eligible and play football?  If you gave someone a free car and they wrecked it by being reckless would you pay for the repairs?    

You kind of lost me there. If players do badly in their classes, they don't play football..

You did notice i say doing just enough to stay eligible.  If a player is eligible he's going to play at 99% of the programs around the country.  Point is some are busting their asses and getting their degree others are doing just enough to stay on the field.  I don't feel sorry for a kid that has a chance at a free education especially when they receive all the help that the ball players do when it comes to the classroom.  

[Bull Dozer]

This will never happen... if players strike which is the only way to try and force their hand then we the fans loose, and the colleges will just draft from the student body to replace them or not play at all.

It would also be a death blow to more football programs out there than most realize.  Unless it's done with revenue sharing you would see some programs fold up due to not having the extra $$$ to pay the players.  Not every athletic department has coffers overflowing with money which is why you see some programs do 3 or more "pay day" games a season and thats just to support the other programs and keep the budget in the black.  

You're acting like football programs don't make any money at all. Athletic departments need to stop being so money-hungry.

Ours does but that's not the case at many smaller conference schools out there.  Football at a lot of schools is the cash cow that actually gets the $$$ for other weaker revenue sports to survive.  Again small schools do pay day games for a reason and usually that reason is to support the smaller revenue sports.  Not every athletic department is a UF, OU, USC, OSU as a matter of fact the majority in the NCAA are just working hard to stay in the black so they dont have to cut sports.

[Orlando Bull]

Well i wouldn't call it a salary, they are not professionals. They should get "living expenses"

Free room and board isn't enough living expenses?

I think every athlete at a University should get some kind of compensation. Iif you're on an academic scholarship, there are expectations, you keep your grades up, you continue to get the money.

As an athlete (and I really want to separate this just from football), you have to keep your grades up, you have to dedicate a lot of time, and there really is no guarantee that you keep your scholly. I know of two people that went through the USF softball program who signed with other colleges, their coaches left, the new coach came in, and they were cut...scholarship gone.

If it's not a guaranteed scholarship, then something else needs to be there. These kids can't work a real job like the other 40,000+ students at USF.

I don't know a solution for it, funny though, I wrote a paper on this when I was at USF. English professor at the time was very impressed and it opened a lot of eyes of people in my class on how much the athletes do in order to earn a scholarship.

...also, not every baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, etc. player is on a full scholarship. The money gets split up a lot to make sure that everyone gets some help. So, those kids aren't getting a completely free ride.

Again, this isn't a football issue, it is a global NCAA athlete issue, it's hard to look at that way since we get so caught up in football, but consider the other sports, and you may start to change your opinion a bit.

Bottom line, like Bulliever said, why are they asking Grothe these types of questions. He's a kid, probably wasn't prepared for this line of questioning, and why is it relevant to what they are doing. Ask those things in the off season or not at all.

[IncrediBULL]

Pay the Players!! absolutely. did anybody see that monster contract the SEC just signed? does anybody think it's wrong that corey brewer played at UF while his parents lived in a dilapidated trailer while his coach pulls in $3.5M a year? Granted he went on to the NBA but most don't.

All BCS schools should set up a fund where a scholarship player for a revenue producing sport is given a $10k (at least) bonus for graduating. 25 graduates a year for football = $250k. Our head coach makes well over a million dollars.

How much do some of these coaches get paid (Millions) and yet they have kids that come from poor families that work their tails off for little or nothing.

If they don't go pro, so what.  They got a free education.  More than those of us with much better grades can say.  Their opportunity is a free education.  FOr the 99% who won't go pro, that is what their focus should be.  It is not a college team's problem someones family lives in a crappy trailer.  That is their own fricken fault.  We are not a nation who gives free crap to everyone who doesn't have things.  People in the US have to work for what they ahve, and all have an equal opportunity.  Unless we elect Obama, then you can be sure those of us with jobs will work harder to pay the taxes so more people can live on fricken welfare.  Nothing like  a free handout and sitting on your a$$ all day.  Makes me want to puke.

[IncrediBULL]

I love MG's tenacity and leadership on the field and am proud to have him as part of our team. That being said....I know he's still young...but after reading the transcripts of several of his interviews including this one, I kinda wish the kid would keep his thoughts to himself because it's hurting my opinion of him.  :-\ (I can't be the only one...)

I liked it better when CJL did not allow media access to its players.  They say some stupid things as 18 - 22 yo kids...  Open mouth and insert foot.

[windbane]

This will never happen... if players strike which is the only way to try and force their hand then we the fans loose, and the colleges will just draft from the student body to replace them or not play at all.

It would also be a death blow to more football programs out there than most realize.  Unless it's done with revenue sharing you would see some programs fold up due to not having the extra $$$ to pay the players.  Not every athletic department has coffers overflowing with money which is why you see some programs do 3 or more "pay day" games a season and thats just to support the other programs and keep the budget in the black. 

You're acting like football programs don't make any money at all. Athletic departments need to stop being so money-hungry.

I think everyone here that believes players should get payed more need to take a class at USF called Issues in Sport.  It's online, it has commentary from Lee Roy Selmon and many star players and coaches in football, and it explains what a problem it is to pay players, among many other things.

Responding to this quote specifically:  most athletic programs DON'T MAKE MONEY.  Most D1 Football programs don't make money, and those that do use the money to pay for every other athletic program around the campus.  There are very few that receive enough money to have an excess in budget.

Furthermore, college athletes are eligible for academic scholarships, too.  Playing football is the same as another student having a job on the side, except YOU GET TO PLAY FOOTBALL.  If your grades are good, you also get academic scholarships and grants.  Honors gives money every semester, as well.

If your family is not well off, you get a Pell Grant of up to $2000 a semester.  Just fill out a FAFSA and the check comes to you.

As Greg pointed out:  if you give money for Jersey sales you create a situation where a booster can buy thousands of them to resell and give that money to the player immediately.  That gives USC even more money to spend on players.  I don't think any of us want that.  Rich get richer, poor get...you get the idea.

As others have stated, if you were to compensate players (even more than the athletic scholarship which is in addition to potential academic scholarships and government grants), you'd have to give each player the same amount across the country.  If you give everyone that amount that plays sports (because you can't just give it to football players) then the athletic departments make even less money.  And again, most don't make money overall.

Issues in Sport is a great class if you need 3 easy credits and want to learn about sports ethics.

[HOTMello2005]

he goes to school for free...isnt that enough?

NUFF SAID......Lock this thread.