The saying “time is money” is of extreme importance to former Duke All-American basketball player Shane Battier, especially when it comes to the debate over whether college athletes should be paid.
The pay-for-play issue was once again brought to the nation’s attention when Wisconsin senior basketball player Nigel Hayes wore a sign that read, “BROKE COLLEGE ATHLETE … ANYTHING HELPS” during last week’s ESPN College Gameday show. (shown above)
Battier, now an ESPN commentator, had an interesting take recently mentioning that compensating today’s athletes is like “low-hanging fruit”, only a temporary supplement of a problem that is wider in scope.
Battier believes more of an emphasis should be placed on preparing athletes for long-term financial success after college with more time devoted to such planning instead of the incredible amount of training time.
“Jock Ec – sort of like ‘Home Ec’ but it’s for jocks,” Battier said in a panel discussion during a recent Knight Commission for Intercollegiate Athletics meeting in Washington, D.C.
Battier (shown below) previously has advocated for new compensation for student-athletes, including suggesting the NCAA or another entity could set up trust funds with money that players could receive only if they graduated.
Now, he is stressing along with the Knight Commission for the NCAA to adopt new policies that would give student-athletes more free time to prioritize their academic goals. He also told Knight Commission members that the organization should continue to advocate for fairness for student-athletes in relation to their schedules.
“I was probably one of the last of the Mohicans,” Battier said, referring to his time at Duke almost 15 years ago. “I’m just shocked at the schedule of the college basketball player. It has literally become a 24/7 job. . . . I would highly suggest that we do a better job of letting our students be students.”
Between team workouts, travel, tutoring, classwork and other demands, “over-scheduling” has become a troubling trend with competition becoming more of a highly-publicized pressure-filled multi-million dollar business.
Are athletes more in need now than ever because for financial reasons? Or do athletes today have more of a sense of entitlement because of all the work they put in while noticing their effort is helping schools earn millions?
Their time in their formative years is really most valuable, as Battier points out, but the emphasis instead is placed more on monetary concerns for athletes while in school.
The NCAA has a regulation that should limit training for athletes to 20 hours per week. According to an NCAA survey conducted in 2011, however, Division I football players averaged 43 hours of training a week. Baseball came in second with 42.1 hours and men’s basketball came in third with 39.2. These are in-season numbers. On top of class work and homework, athletes are essentially working full-time for their coaches.
The natural reaction to Hayes’ pay-for-play campaign:
– A full-ride scholarship apparently is not enough.
– Stipends averaging $2,000 to $5,000 annually don’t cut it.
– Unlimited food free of charge for athletes at Wisconsin’s dining hall beneath Camp Randall Stadium might not be sufficient for the Badgers. Reportedly on the menu on occasion is steak, prime rib or even crab legs.
– The amenities of the relatively new $76.8 million “Athletic Village” – a three-story academic and weight-training facility – provided to student-athletes are state-of-the-art. They really can’t ask for more from that facility, can they?
Wisconsin boasts on its website that its residence halls “offer some of the lowest on-campus housing rates of any Big Ten School while providing exceptional facilities, programs and experiences.”
What more does a student-athlete like Hayes need or want?
“I want to be a voice for those who aren’t in the fortunate position I’m in,” Hayes told ESPN last week.
Hayes wants to bring to light how student-athletes do not get a sufficient kickback from what the NCAA makes off of their performance. He indicated the purpose of the sign was “providing a voice” for the student-athletes who can’t afford what their scholarship does not cover, including plane tickets to visit family for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
This pay-for-play outcry is taking place despite recent NCAA legislation that is athlete friendly, including the stipends and the allowance of free unlimited food (changed from athletes only allowed three meals a day).
Unfortunately, what is not discussed is Battier’s agenda. Time is of the essence, literally, to think more of the athlete’s future in the many years after college than the four to five years in which they are in school.
Keep the training regulated. Make the process feel like less of a job for the athletes. Give them the direction they need while in college to take care of their financial goals with mandatory future-planning courses. Develop programs in which the athletes gain experience working with local businesses in their study field.
The athletes will gain much more from that in the long run than what the NCAA can pay them now.
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