Wednesday, March 12, 2008

PAY ME!!!

The NCAA is a bunch of pimps. Yeah, I said it. And I'll say it again. They are pimps.

This time next week you or somebody that you know will be filling out their NCAA Basketball Tournament Brackets. There may be an office pool in your office so that people can gamble to see who may come away with the earnings by being the person who can correctly guess the most teams that will be left standing at the end of the tournament. The NCAA doesn't "encourage" gambling. They probably don't encourage it because they can't pimp that.

The Division I Men's Basketball tournament is the only NCAA championship tournament (officially, the BCS Football Championship is not an NCAA event) where the NCAA does not keep the profits. Instead, the money from the multi-billion-dollar television contract is divided among the Division I basketball playing schools and conferences as follows:

  • 1/6 of the money goes directly to the schools based on how many sports they play (one "share" for each sport starting with 14, which is the minimum needed for Division I membership).
  • 1/3 of the money goes directly to the schools based on how many scholarships they give out (one share for each of the first 50, two for each of the next 50, ten for each of the next 50, and 20 for each scholarship above 150).
  • 1/2 of the money goes to the conferences based on how well they did in the six previous men's basketball tournaments (counting each year separately, one share for each team getting in, and one share for each win except in the Play-in game and the Final Four). In 2007, based on the 2001 through 2006 tournaments, the Big East received over $14.85 million, while the eight conferences that did not win a first-round game in those six years received slightly more than $1 million each.
As for football, schools can make $15 million to go to a BCS bowl game. There are nearly 115 Division 1 Schools. And nearly another 65 Division 1-AA schools. Every school, even the ones that don't play in bowl games have enough money to fund scholarships and facilities. That said...as you can see...there's a LOT of money in college athletics. Everybody is making money. The conferences, the schools, the coaches, etc. Everybody is making money...except the athletes. According to the NCAA (aka pimps), no "student-athlete" is to be compensated for playing in amateur collegiate athletics. So the student-athlete (more on that word later) is the one who gets the short end of the stick. Some say that student athletes are being compensated because their tuition is being paid for . That is their pay. I say BS! Pay em! Athletes should be paid. How much? That would be determined on their sport. But they should be paid. The NCAA and everybody else is getting a piece of the pie except the athletes. That's like me going into the woods to find food. I find food, kill it, and bringing it back to be eaten by all but I don't get to eat.

That word student athlete is one of the biggest misconceptions in the world. Especially when you consider that most athletes train year around. They can't work and be paid during their "off-season". You are an athletic student. Most coaches aren't worried about you getting your education...they are merely worried about you remaining eligible to compete in your sport. That's it. As long as the athlete is eligible to play and compete, the better the chances are that they'll team will be successful and playing for a championship. Its the pimp game at its finest. The athletes do most of the work but everybody else reaps the benefits.

As some of you may know, I played college football for 4 yrs. I played at South Carolina State University...a historically black college in Orangeburg, SC. We won a black college national championship when I was playing. Even my school has benefited financially off the success that we had. I'm not some old washed up bitter athlete. I'm just calling it the way that I see it. I think that athletes SHOULD be paid to play. BOTTOM LINE! As you can see, there is a lotta money floating around but the kids should get some money. If you're gonna pimp me, the least that you can do would be to compensate me for a job well done.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. I am big on people getting thier fair or fare shot. LOL

But what I do wonder is how paying Student athletes will effect the game itself. And how do you determine who gets paid what? Do all college athletes get the same amount of money? Do the better schools get more? Do the best athlete get more? or the best student? How do yo divvy up the ends?

Mizrepresent said...

I know how big sports is in college, and realize that there are a lot of people making money off the games and the players, but aren't the players being compensated with a free education, plus perks?

I know how much it costs to attend a college for 4 years, it can be anywhere from 50k to 150k or more, i know it's not millions you speak of, but it is payment.

Anonymous said...

....12Kyle....what position did you play?...Safety?...

I'm torn on this one. I've seen the committment it takes to play compete at the college level and it is JUST LIKE A JOB. Add to that committment the fact that SOMEONE is earning millions of dollars from you and your teammates delivering the goods, and basic economics makes you think the equation is not distributed equally. You think I should be getting a cut of the pie that I'm earning.

While I do not think you can undervalue what earning an a "free" education means, the athletes are often not cared for or prepared beyond the field or court. They are discarded after they expend themselves to earn lots of folks lots of money. That makes me want to see compensation take place.

Jazzy said...

I am so not a college sports fan, but I do agree with you. These kids should be paid.

Just because your tuition is paid does not mean you are not struggling financially. And who has time for a part-time gig when you have to train all year or risk losing that scholarship? Very few...if any.

These schools make HUGE profits off these kids...the temptation to leave college or go pro right after high school wouldn't be so great, if these kids were getting a higher cut of those profits!

Jazzy said...

PS: LMAO @ the title of this post! "PAY ME!!!

Perfect Mess said...

I agree that if there is money made the atheletes get paid.

What I don't agree with is the ways used by some coaches to get the better players on their teams.

Eb the Celeb said...

Everyone gets pimped at some point in time in their life... if they make it to the big leagues... they will get all the money and more for them getting pimped on the collegiate level so I dont feel sorry for any of them. And yes I will be filling out my bracket...LOL!

Eb the Celeb said...

@rezidl

12kyle played the position where you sit on the sidelines and dont get in the game...wait no I forgot he was the waterboy... LOL

you know I had to get you for throwing that little championship thing in there... AGGIE PRIDE!!!

Don said...

That word student athlete is one of the biggest misconceptions in the world

Amen.

Everybody gets paid off the "student-athlete" except the student athlete. Now, I dont have have perfect vision but there is something wrong with that picture. They will say something backwards like..."they are getting a free education." Like we dont know that the rectangle block wont fit in the circular hole.

Don said...

@ eb: what if they dont make it.

Muze said...

wow. i didn't know college sports were raking in that much money. geesh!

i agree with you, they should get some kind of compensation. maybe not millions, but if you're kicking ass and taking names, you should get some kind of love in your bank account. you know those coaches are. lol.


on another note, i gave you a shout out in my blog today. mosey on over and check it out!

Queen of My Castle said...

Not really much of a sports fan, but the way you broke it down I can't help but pity the poor students. I do think that they should be compensated. Merely paying their tuition is nothing in comparison to how much money their talents generate.

PCD (Pretty Circle Drawer) said...

well, 12kyle, i don't think they should get paid. but then again, this comes froma woman who went to college just for the knowledge and self-enrichment. the experience is more valuable to me than anything...

Anonymous said...

Eb..so that would make 12Kyle the Chocolate Boy Waterboy!!!

Muze...cute piece on your site. Also, please believe the vultures around college sports are making HUGE dollars. It's partially why you see the insane things going on around college sports each fall and spring....kids dying, lying and cheating to get in position to make somebody a crazy amount of money.

Anonymous said...

I wholeheartedly agree. I know it's an extreme view, but it reminds me of the STRUCTURE of slavery. And (no one) give me that stuff about how the athletes are amateurs and the benefit by receiving an education, exposure, etc., because the slaves still had roofs, water, clothing and food, while the owners got PAID!

Anonymous said...

Sojourner....great point! That sums it up in a nutshell.

Eb....Aggies have pride?....LOL

Slaus of O Hell Nawl said...

That word student athlete is one of the biggest misconceptions in the world

Never has there a more truth to a statement..

I've always looked ar the NCAA as a damn plantation pretty much.


great blog.

12kyle said...

@ Brad
In true pimp fashion, the NCAA is accustomed to putting a system in place that won't adversely affect the kids (see the BCS system). As for divvying up the loot, it'll depend on the sport in which you play. You can't give a wrestler the same amount of money that you give a football player. The sports that bring in the most money (football and basketball) will be able to pay more than other sports

@ Mizrepresent
You are correct. I'm talking about a payment. These schools are making wayyy more than what it's costing to pay for their education.

@ Rezidl
He's kiddin folks. He knows that I played Wide Receiver. We played together. He was our starting cornerback. We both came to school together in ' 91.

"the athletes are often not cared for or prepared beyond the field or court." That statement is so true. Rezidl, we've seen that happen to many people.

@ Opinionated Diva
The profits are unreal. For example, if my school decided to sell 100 replicas of my football jersey (#12...of course) in our school bookstore for $50...that's $5000. All of it goes to the school. But I can't get any of it. Not even $20 so that I can buy a cheeseburger after football practice. I'm training year round so I don't have time to work. I'm not asking for all the money...just gimme sumthin. You feel me?

@ Perfect Mess
Some of these coaches are the roots of an even bigger problem. They promise these kids everything under the sun to get them to come to their school. But things are totally different once you're on campus.

Thanks for coming thru to tha Planet. Please come back.

@ Eb the Celeb
Everyone does get pimped but that doesn't mean that its fair or that we have to roll with it.

I played wide receiver. And I played. Started. No waterboy's here. Don't come on here with that Aggie Pride stuff. The Aggies haven't won a football game since YOU graduated! LMAO. And the last time that they beat SC STATE...you were in diapers.

@ Don
You hit the nail on the head. I'd like to see some funds to go with that "free education." LOL

@ Muze
These coaches are rollin in loot. Some coaches get millions just for having a 30 minute show on tv when the replay the highlights of the previous games. The coaches don't have to do anything but sit there and analyze a highlight. I'll do that for a mil. LOL

btw...preciate the love on you blog. I just posted my response. And you are killin it with the hat. Very Detroitplayeristic. I'm feelin it even tho i can't see the hair. haaaa

@ Queen
I thought somebody said that you were a Rockets, fan? Nevertheless, this is very true.

@ PCD
I feel where you're coming from. I went to school for the same reasons. I didn't go there just to play ball. I'm just saying that it sure would've been nice to get a few dollaz thrown my way while I was there. LOL

@ Sojourner G
Your words are so true. Thanks for coming through today, bruh.

@ Rezidl
When you haven't won a game in 2 years...you gotta have something, right? LMAO

@ Slausin-Ass Slaus
At times when I was in school, that's what it felt like. And I went to an HBCU. I can only imagine what it felt like at a big white school.

12kyle said...

@ Slausin-Ass Slaus
Thanks for coming thru. I've seen you in some of the other "hoods." Thanks for coming to tha 12th Planet.

Rich Fitzgerald said...

Man, I went to UF when Vernon Maxwell(NBA) and Emmitt Smith played there and them cats was getting paid under the table big time. I wasn't mad at all. Dudes put their lives and careers on the lines for these schools. Ain't no college tuition worth that much. To tell the truth the schools are pimpin all the way around, especially when you can't get a job coming out of college for at least what you spent trying to get the degree in the first place. But I digress, they should get paid a percentage of the school take to be split amongst the players. Put a cap on it to keep the kids from wilding out, but to pay them nothing is ridiculous, especially since for most of them their athletic career will end when their eligibility is up.

Eb the Celeb said...

@Rezidl - see now you were my boy when you gave kyle the chocolate waterboy thing... that was funny... but then you came at my aggies....dont make me hurt you

@kyle - blah blah blah... who cares about winning games...aggie pride is about homecoming... and we have the best homecomings in the world.. period... i'm sure you;ve been to a couple... acting like you were an aggie... but we know how to spot the imposters..

Anonymous said...

Eb....all in love...errr, I think :)

Muze....he won't say it, but he's rockin' a low cut tight edge stylo. He aight....

All...yeah, actually Chocolate Boy Wonder here was my room dawg and go-to reciever....He aight..LOL

Good one today, CBW.

Anonymous said...

the ncaa is gettin over. no doubt. these kids earn enough money so fund every other sport yet ncaa policies treat them the same as women's soccer.

there is a middle ground if the ncaa's and pro sports weren't so greedy. if the us army can pay someone's college tuition, why can't the nfl or the nba? they could let these cats get drafted and keep their amature status as long as they stay in the college program. they can set salary limits not to exceed 50-60k so that they aren't rich but at least it takes the pressure off.

i'm not concerned that every athlete wouldn't be treated the same. internships are competetive too.

the problem is that the draft, which is a marketing opp. wouldn't have the same luster. they ain't giving up the money...

until the student/athlete protest things will be the same...

there are enough retired athletes that know whats going on that can organize these guys but they have that, i got mine you get yours attitude...

12kyle said...

@ Rich
Thanks for coming thru to tha 12th planet. Come back. We're here everyday...raining blogs like Pacman Jones.

Can you imagine how it was at UF for cats like Chris Leak and Joakim Noah??

12kyle said...

@ Eb the Celeb
"who cares about winning games"
We do at SC STATE! Haaaaa. Never been to an Aggie Homecoming

@ Rezidl
Eb didn't know that we were Bulldogs. I told her to chill on that Aggie talk. Ya neva know who's reading this stuff. LOL

@ steve-o
Two days in a row! Hot damn! My dude! You hit the nail on the head.