One of the dumbest rules in NCAA history (the one that states that college players can’t receive any financial reward for doing a job that makes their school millions of dollars a year) is officially gone. Well, compromised. Student athletes who receive full scholarships will now be given up to $2,000 per season for their hard work and sacrifice, and although controversial, I don’t think anyone can say that this decision isn’t warranted.
Colleges are notorious for sucking way more out of students, financially and athletically, than they provide in return. A Bachelor’s degree is meaningless nowadays yet tuition and text book costs raise every year, and the amount of money schools rake in on student athletics is disgusting when you place it in the same context as a rule that forbids a player from even getting a free tattoo because the artist is a fan. All the scandals of these past few years is not indicative of some kind of moral lapse in younger players. It simply proves that asking players to come out every day and risk injury while happily saying no to any kind of financial compensation is ridiculous.
$2,000 might be chump change in the world of sports, but the NCAA thinks it will cover some of the extra expenses student athletes are faced with, and provide them more of an incentive to turn down money or free stuff. Schools aren’t absolutely required to offer, but Conferences will be encouraged to require it from their members and are expected to enforce it.
The NCAA hasn’t come out and said it but what they are obviously hoping for is a little less money accepting scandal than they’ve seen in pervious years. Throw a dog a bone type strategy I don’t know if it will work but it’s a step in the right direction. You could say that this is unfair to non-athlete students, but to be fair, they are coming home to their dorms every day and not reporting straight to the practice field. As much as I hate to say it, they’re also not making the school or the NCAA any money. Consider this motion Socialite Approved.
