Mediafrog+ said:
I'm not going to defend the policies of the NCAA because, along with almost everyone else, I believe a lot of the "amateur" labeling is a sham, but colleges make their money in various ways. Some of it is research funded by government and private industry. Some of it is tuition charged to the students. And a bunch of it is by providing entertainment in the form of student sports. Colleges are a business and are obviously allowed to earn revenue on their skills and services. I see no practical difference between the science department running labs testing mice for disease cures and the university putting a team on the football field.
Going right to the point of your comment though is the fact that the football program at most higher-level colleges directly support all those lesser sports that otherwise would not be offered because they don't draw gigantic public support. There are a ton of student athletes that profit from football even though they don't play the game.
Mediafrog+ said:
Coaches at premier colleges are paid big bucks because they are able to use their records and names to recruit top-skilled athletes to their programs. It is no different than top performers in any other career field.
And just what is a college if not to prepare their students for careers? Is teaching science to someone who will go on to become a nationally recognized expert in the field of physics any different than someone who can run a 9-second 40-yard sprint and goes on to become a nationally respected running back? I think not. Colleges are training grounds for all manner of students - both the mental kind and the athlete.
And yes, the NFL does profit by the college athlete but so does the NHL, MLB and to a lessor degree the NBA and CFL. Those are the career equivalents of Fidelity Corp. for the finance majors and NASA for rocket scientists.
Mediafrog+ said:
Yes, 50 years ago the professional sports scene was quite a bit different. Hockey and baseball players didn't come through the college ranks and football was almost invisible outside of several large cities primarily in the East. There are significantly more dollars in athletic careers today than there were all those years ago but much the same is true for all profession.
Charlie Sheen earned $2M per episode of "Two and A Half Men" because he was the central character in the most successful comedy show on TV. 50 years ago it was Lucy or Gleason or Skelton. The dollars were different but the situation wasn't.
The Olympics has become a showcase for professional athletes from first world countries and amateurs for all others and has greatly diluted its product. Personally, I don't bother to watch any more and I was once an avid fan. The Olympics should not be compared to NCAA sports though as the issues facing each are not related.
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