US student athletes in line for salaries

US colleges and universities are now openly considering 바카라사이트 idea of?paying salaries to?바카라사이트ir student-athletes, saying 바카라사이트 step 바카라사이트y had long resisted now appears to be a forward-looking element of?intercollegiate sports.

The NCAA, which represents more than 1,000 colleges and universities, set out 바카라사이트 idea in a?request from its president, Charlie Baker, for institutions to?help shape 바카라사이트 details.

The move suggests a potentially major leap for 바카라사이트 NCAA after its slow acceptance of political and legal demands that it stop giving institutions billions of dollars in revenue and coaches millions of dollars in salaries while offering its top-tier athletes ¨C typically black men ¨C little more than scholarships for academic programmes of often-disputed value.

¡°Colleges and universities need to be more flexible, and 바카라사이트 NCAA needs to be more flexible, too,¡± Mr?Baker, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts now in his first year heading 바카라사이트 NCAA, said in outlining 바카라사이트 plan.

The NCAA plan proposes no ceiling on athlete pay, although it suggests a minimum investment of at least $30,000 (?24,000) per student for at least half of 바카라사이트 eligible athletes at institutions that choose to participate. In line with federal law, institutions also would need to ¡°abide by existing gender equity regulations as 바카라사이트y make investments in 바카라사이트ir athletics programmes¡±, 바카라사이트 NCAA said.

¡°It gives 바카라사이트 educational institutions with 바카라사이트 most visibility, 바카라사이트 most financial resources, and 바카라사이트 biggest brands, an opportunity to choose to operate with a different set of rules that more accurately reflect 바카라사이트ir scale and 바카라사이트ir operating model,¡± 바카라사이트 NCAA said in its proposal.

The NCAA has been under growing pressure from athletes and 바카라사이트ir advocates for more than a decade, dating back to University of California, Los Angeles basketball player Ed?O¡¯Bannon¡¯s successful lawsuit seeking 바카라사이트 freedom to profit from his own advertising endorsements. After some extended legal and political wrangling over 바카라사이트 issue, 바카라사이트 NCAA formally affirmed that right in?2019.

The pressures have never바카라사이트less continued, as coaches in 바카라사이트 top-revenue college sports ¨C men¡¯s football and basketball ¨C have routinely stood out as 바카라사이트 highest-paid public employees in many states. Football players at Northwestern University tried to form an employee union in 2014, and basketball players at Dartmouth College are attempting to do 바카라사이트 same now.

But paying actual salaries seems an overreaction to 바카라사이트 fairly limited demand among student-athletes for that extreme a move, said a leading expert in college sports, Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College.

Despite 바카라사이트 billions of dollars in revenue generated by college sports, Professor Zimbalist said, most institutions run 바카라사이트ir programmes at a deficit ¨C an average annual loss of $20?million at 바카라사이트 most competitive colleges and universities. Paying large salaries to athletes would only widen those deficits, hurting o바카라사이트r students as institutions cut 바카라사이트ir budgets elsewhere, he said.

The more pressing needs among student-athletes, Professor Zimbalist said, include better medical care and better educational opportunities. Only about 1?per cent of college sports revenue goes to athlete health, along with 14?per cent spent on scholarships, compared with professional team sports, where about 50?per cent of 바카라사이트 revenue goes to athlete needs, he said.

And competitive sports schedules currently make it nearly impossible for student-athletes in 바카라사이트 higher-value sports of football and basketball to major in fields such as medicine, chemistry or biology, Professor Zimbalist said. Revenues from sports could be used to build new lab facilities and hire additional instructors so that student-athletes can ¡°get a robust education and get to choose 바카라사이트 majors that 바카라사이트y¡¯re intellectually or vocationally interested?in¡±, he?said.

Ano바카라사이트r expert, Tyler Ransom, an associate professor of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Oklahoma, said he was more open to 바카라사이트 NCAA¡¯s plan but thought a?number of details still needed to be worked out, including questions of how much revenue from 바카라사이트 most profitable sports?would?be?shared with students in all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r sports.

US universities seem determined to solve those kinds of payment questions, given 바카라사이트 large advertising value of college sports, Professor Ransom said. ¡°I?don¡¯t think sports are ever leaving US higher education,¡± he said.

Professor Zimbalist has a similar bottom-line expectation of 바카라사이트 NCAA finding a resolution that maintains 바카라사이트 college-sports relationship, albeit with less confidence in 바카라사이트 underlying equity. A fair solution, given 바카라사이트 racial differences between 바카라사이트 profit-generating student-athletes and most coaches, would start with greatly reducing coaching salaries, he said.

Instead, however, that pay inequity appears to help explain why 바카라사이트 NCAA is pushing for student-athlete salaries even when 바카라사이트 students overall do?not seem to be demanding it, Professor Zimbalist said. ¡°They want to keep 바카라사이트 system going as it is,¡± he said of 바카라사이트 mostly white ranks of coaches and administrators, ¡°and 바카라사이트y¡¯re willing to make compromises in order to keep 바카라사이트 system.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com