Fall Saturdays are lovely for a myriad of reasons, but primarily because of college football. Today the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide will do battle and tonight the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Clemson Tigers will get down. Love it. Whether the game is on TV or whether I am in the midst of a tailgate college football is the best. I love Game Day on ESPN, seeing people at the store in their school gear, the flags on the cars, and the smell of grilled food all across the neighborhood.
My issue is that I feel guilty because these young men give society so much, but relatively speaking they get virtually nothing. College sports generates billions of dollars! A recent report released National Collegiate Players Association (NCPA) indicates Division One football athlete-students would receive $120,000 plus if the revenues (that we know about) were split 50/50. Maybe 50/50 is a bit much, but 40/60 sounds fair. Moreover 30 percent of football athlete-students do not graduate in six years and on average they leave $20,000 in the hole. An athletic scholarship does not even cover the full cost of attending college.
So when you think about it some athlete-students end up paying universities to audition for the National Football league (NFL). This is the part I hate. Like I said… a love hate relationship.
