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Back when Archie played, football players were given a modest "laundry stipend" of $15. Nowadays they don't even get that, though television-rights fees have increased exponentially, and shoe money has pushed the income of some coaches into seven figures. According to NCAA rules, a player can't hold a part-time job during the school year, lest he neglect his studies, or worse, be given a no-show, easy-money position. The current executive director of the NCAA, Cedric Dempsey, has appointed a special committee to explore ways to help the welfare of student athletes.
Yes, yes, student athletes should be thankful for the educational opportunities afforded them, not to mention the cost of tuition, books, room and board (worth about $12,000 at a large state university like Tennessee). But who can blame them if they feel resentful at the millions of dollars being made off their talents? No wonder so many turn pro so early; no wonder so many succumb to Faustian handshakes with agents. University of Maryland president William E. Kirwan, who is heading the NCAA special committee, says, "We realize we underestimated the magnitude of the problem. We estimate that 90% of those who would be picked in the first round of a pro draft have had some form of contact with agents and perhaps received improper gifts. I don't think there's anyone who would look at the system as it is and say this is how it should be."
Here's a modest math problem for presidents and student athletes alike: Multiply $100 a month times nine months times the 130,000 Division I men and women who juggle sports and academics. The answer is $117 million, or peanuts compared with what major college sports generate in TV revenue, gate receipts and apparel sales, not to mention the untold bounty from endowments and name recognition so dependent on football and basketball. In fact, $117 million is about what a network would pay to televise the oft-discussed college Super Bowl.