Quote:
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho
First: Let me say, these kids get a tremendous benefit. It's very valuable. I'm not disputing that.
What I'm saying is it's difficult to take FULL advantage of it, especially during the season, because of the demands on your time with your sport. What I'm saying is that when they're generating BILLIONS of dollars and literally making ALL D1 college athletics possible... maybe it's not so bad to throw them bigger stipends so they feel compensated and so there's less incentive for the players to look for illegal benefits.
As for the comparisons... Are you aware of what the daily schedule looks like for a college football player in-season?
Strength and conditioning is 2 hours, typically
Actual practice is technically limited to 20 hours/week, but they don't practice on Saturday or Sunday (that works out to 5 hours a day)
Then there's the study/prep sessions for the next game (Add another hour/day, supposed to be limited to the 20 hour limit but never is)
That puts them at full work days M-F. Plus school. Most athletes take 12 hours in season. That means 12 hours of class over the course of 5 school days.
They get more of a break in the non-season semester, but they still typically have 2-3 hours/day committed to strength and conditioning and offseason work... and then for football, there's spring football, where the schedule is exactly what it is above.
That's why they get pushed into degree programs that are diploma mills, because where, amidst all of that, are they going to find time to take real classes and actually have time to attend them and study for them?
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One benefit you didn't mention. Even though they may get a degree but failed to really learn the material, because they are an athletic alumni they will get jobs or promotions in the real world that if they were just John Doe, they would need some sort of merit to receive that job or promotion.