College football players are they being taken advantage of?

The more greedy it becomes the more you will eventually turn off the average fan. College football is probably right below the NFL in tv value except for NCAA tourney. The sport is headed to a minor league at some point if salaries and tickets continue to go up. I love LSU football but the day is coming when I will sit my butt on the couch to watch games.

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are they being taken advantage of

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No. They are given an education, if they use it, an opportunity to pay for itself unlimited amount of times over their life. They are also given the opportunity to showcase their talents and hone their skills with an even greater financial opportunity to make it in the NFL.

They receive better perks than the other academic students who receive full scholarships.

Also, many of these football players could not even attend certain schools if it weren't for football because they could not have gained admission with their own academic credentials.

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College football players are they being taken advantage of?

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They enter into a completely voluntary agreement, one they can back out of at any time.

They receive, in LSU's case, world class training and exposure for a potential job in professional football and the option to pursue an education for a more traditional career.

Players should absolutely not be paid. Should we expand the list of expenses universities are allowed to defer? Absolutely. But a scholarship + room & board is becoming an increasingly valuable asset.

I think the loudest voices for paying players are the parties that would be paying them in the first place -- ESPN, Nike, and other corporations who would pay college stars for endorsements and merchandise.

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Today that same education isn't nearly as attractive or desirable to kids who probably wouldn't be on a college campus if the NFL or NBA or MLB wasn't in the back of their minds.

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Well if they are good enough, they can enter into the NBA or MLB and be happy making a single A salary. They can also go to europe and play pro ball. Most wouldn't be physically ready for the NFL anyways, but can't they do the Arena league or something?

On average, 2.2k college football scholarship players graduate each year. Only 168 will actually survive an NFL training camp and actually make a roster: that's a 7.5% success rate. About half of those 168 will actually be on a roster for 3+ consecutive years.

It's foolish to:
A) Discount the value of an education and benefits of being on the team (in the neighborhood of $50k a year even at a state school). If they kid doesn't see the value of a solid backup plan that they otherwise wouldn't be available to them, that's the kid or parents' problem.

B) Think that a lot of these kids could actually get into school on their own merit. They are exploiting the school.

Still, I don't see many 17-19 year olds chomping at the bit to play professional baseball for $20k a year in A ball, and I don't see those same kids signing up for $50k a year to play professional basketball for Nurnberg or Milan.

Just because they aren't smart enough to take advantage of an opportunity doesn't mean that they didn't get a benefit. Let them dig ditches instead, IDGAF.

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where else can you go from making $25,000 in one year (college) to .5 - 2 million the next year (pro

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players make $25,000

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You are making a huge assumption that all college players make it to the NFL. Does every Petroleum Engineer graduating from LSU make the same salary coming out of college.....absolutely not. Some might not even get a job offer.

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Football: 1.7% of college players play professionally, 0.08% of high school players do

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LINK MOST of the college football players would likely not even go to college unless they received a scholarship

Ummmm, NO!!!!


The players are treated like royalty for the most part on campus. They get free room and board (campus apartments, not dorms), free meal plans (where they dine privately in their own area if they so choose to), free access to multiple tutors, free books, free tuition and fees, soon to have their own nutrition building, and so on. They get well enough while other students struggle.

If they aren't taken advantage of something like this then they are stupid. Some of us would've killed to have that treatment and life style. Yes, it's crazy how the university banks on their name and productivity, but they aren't professional athletes, they are student-athletes.

the short answer is very simple. they are being taken advantage of big time. the reason is very simple. THEY HAVE NO UNION, NO COLLECTIVE REPRESENTATION.

just think of what pro players would b making without a union. in the last collective bargaining agreement the JUDGE RULED that owners had tried to hide $4 billion to be used during potential lockout. if no union, owners would be screwing players left and right. THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

UT and bama (a&m to sumlimn) were willing to pony up additional millions to coaches but players will get nothing more. manziel was worth $10 million minimum to a&m this year. he got $25,000.

I think the stars of the teams are completely being taken advantage of. The schools and the NCAA can sell and market the jerseys, faces, and likeness of star football players yet those same players won't see a dime of all that money.