NCAA Overturning Full Cost of Attendance Stipend?

[IrishLax]

The Associated Press: Challenge threatens NCAA's $2,000 stipend

This is unreal to me. If you can't afford the $2000, then don't give it to them. But schools should at least have the OPTION of paying players the stipend because realistically students spend much more than $2k a year out of their pocket on things that scholarships don't cover. IMO, this is total BS.

 

[JadeBrecks]

The problem is if one school can afford it and another can't that is an unfair advantage.

 

[jjsccer2]

The Associated Press: Challenge threatens NCAA's $2,000 stipend

This is unreal to me. If you can't afford the $2000, then don't give it to them. But schools should at least have the OPTION of paying players the stipend because realistically students spend much more than $2k a year out of their pocket on things that scholarships don't cover. IMO, this is total BS.

I'm totally ok with the $2,000 but as far as players thinking they deserve more, that's total BS. Students who are not on scholarship have the same out of pocket expenses athletes do on top of paying for tuition, housing, food, books, etc. Athletes obviously deserve better treatment because they bring in revenue for their schools. But the football payers at ND are effectively getting paid about 100k a year without paying taxes. They obviously have tremendous more work loads than traditional students, but getting more benefits than twice that of the average household income, I don't see why student athletes think they are getting the short straw here.

 

[ND_HAS_RISEN]

The problem is if one school can afford it and another can't that is an unfair advantage.

So what... I was a D1 football player on full scholarship and it was impossible to survive without extra money. My parents didn't have any money so I had to take out student loans just to survive.

Before the holier than thou come on and say "oh you had to take out student loans like everyone else, poor baby..." Look at it from this perspective... A high school kid who gets a full scholarship for academics gets everything paid for just like the athlete. The academic kid can work "almost" a full time job while keeping up on his academics (certainly not easy, but not overly difficult either). The student athlete is governed by the NCAA on even what kind of job they can have and how much they make. When I was going, all I could make was 2000/year!! Finding the time to even work that job is impossible during the season, practically impossible during the spring, and doable in the summer so long as you only do one summer semester. Point is that everybody wants to point out how much money the student athlete gets with his/her scholarship, and claim that they already get enough and shouldn't be paid anything more. Why is the academic scholarship any more rewarding than a athletic scholarship? Each worked equally hard to "EARN" their scholarship. I know several academic scholarship students who never had to pay one dime to college, and never took out one penny for a loan just to make ends meet. Meanwhile university football programs typically fund everything else..

I could go on and on on.. This is one of those core issues that I personally had to deal with and can't stand the crowd who thinks its ok for these kids to suffer financially they way they do. Up to 4 years ago, the scholarship checks were the SAME amount of money that the Athletes were getting back in the 90's!! Gas prices alone during that time have quadrupled.. Food costs have raised dramatically.. Everything is more expensive, yet the monthly stipend for athletes had been the same for years..

These kids deserve more.

 

[ND_HAS_RISEN]

I'm totally ok with the $2,000 but as far as players thinking they deserve more, that's total BS. Students who are not on scholarship have the same out of pocket expenses athletes do on top of paying for tuition, housing, food, books, etc. Athletes obviously deserve better treatment because they bring in revenue for their schools. But the football payers at ND are effectively getting paid about 100k a year without paying taxes. They obviously have tremendous more work loads than traditional students, but getting more benefits than twice that of the average household income, I don't see why student athletes think they are getting the short straw here.

Because the student athlete worked their butt off and "EARNED" their scholarship. It wasn't given to the on a silver platter. Its not a 4 yr guarantee either.. Its a renewable contract EVERY YEAR! Some programs take athletes off scholly after a career ending injury, yet nobody even sniffs at that kind of crap.

Why does a full-ride academic scholarship student have the opportunity to live a normal college life, but a student athlete has to live at or below the poverty level without taking out student loans? People don't ever know all the facts about how the scholly's work. Take the food for example.. Athletes only get the food plan if they live ON CAMPUS. When they live on campus, they get room and board and a a small stipend during the fall and spring months, and a single summer stipend check. When I was getting that check, is was worth 130 bucks. So, I stayed in the dorms, had the food plan (which btw is 2 meals a day, not 3..) and then got a 130 bucks every month of the "normal school year. In the summer, I couldn’t live in the dorms, and I got a SINGLE $750 stipend for the entire summer ( I could work, but was limited to 2000 total earnings). If I chose to live off campus I could no longer be on the food plan, and I had to pay my own rent. Because of this, the monthly scolly check went from 130 to 600. But again, that was having to pay for EVERYTHING on my own ( 6 FB players sharing a 3 bed house just to make the damn rent payments). You tell me anywhere in the US that a single person can live a decent life on 600 dollars a month.

They absolutely deserve more!

 

[RyCo1983]

The problem is if one school can afford it and another can't that is an unfair advantage.

This is why we have the current situation.

I don't think many of us will argue that the players do deserve more than they get now. The NCAA absolutely limits their ability to make any money to pay for everyday things.
I certainly won't argue the point.

But it does certainly give the schools with the better funding a clear advantage in recruiting over schools that can't afford to pay it.

 

[IrishLax]

I agree with so much of what is being said here. Schools SHOULD be able to offer full cost of attendance scholarships if they want... yeah, some schools "can't afford it" but playing field isn't level anyways. Some degrees are worth more, some schools have better facilities, some schools get on TV, etc. So I really don't buy that argument.

Simply put, paying athletes = not cool in my book. Giving student athletes enough money to get through school as part of their scholarship makes all the sense in the world though.

 

[ND_HAS_RISEN]

Simply put, paying athletes = not cool in my book. Giving student athletes enough money to get through school as part of their scholarship makes all the sense in the world though.

BINGO!

 

[PANDFAN]

@ObsSportsEditor: I talked to Swarbrick today and he said if the NCAA allows it, #NotreDame will definitely do the $2000 stipend.

 

[IrishMoore1]

Hold on now. Does not the full scholarship cover books, tuition, room and board, and meals?! What in the world do you need extra money for.

 

[PANDFAN]

Hold on now. Does not the full scholarship cover books, tuition, room and board, and meals?! What in the world do you need extra money for.

depending on the player and school...cough cough tats, bling, weed etc

 

[Carlyle Javar Holiday]

I'm totally ok with the $2,000 but as far as players thinking they deserve more, that's total BS. Students who are not on scholarship have the same out of pocket expenses athletes do on top of paying for tuition, housing, food, books, etc. Athletes obviously deserve better treatment because they bring in revenue for their schools. But the football payers at ND are effectively getting paid about 100k a year without paying taxes. They obviously have tremendous more work loads than traditional students, but getting more benefits than twice that of the average household income, I don't see why student athletes think they are getting the short straw here.

You do realize it is against NCAA rules that athletes can have a job during the season. Players do have a life outside of football and actually want a car and a cell phone like many students.

 

[IrishLax]

Hold on now. Does not the full scholarship cover books, tuition, room and board, and meals?! What in the world do you need extra money for.

1. Travel to and from your house for breaks, semester end, etc.
2. In many cases, lodging over the summer because summer earning are capped for athletes at a whopping $2000 to avoid shenanigans by boosters.
3. Travel for your parents to come see you play.
4. Meals if you ever want to not eat at the dining hall.
5. Clothing (e.g. suits, etc.) for interviews and formal events.

The list goes on and on and on and on............ you think it's free for Manti to fly home to Hawai'i?

 

[IrishMoore1]

1. Travel to and from your house for breaks, semester end, etc.
2. In many cases, lodging over the summer because summer earning are capped for athletes at a whopping $2000 to avoid shenanigans by boosters.
3. Travel for your parents to come see you play.
4. Meals if you ever want to not eat at the dining hall.
5. Clothing (e.g. suits, etc.) for interviews and formal events.

The list goes on and on and on and on............ you think it's free for Manti to fly home to Hawai'i?

Ok I see your point but:

1. Yeah travel expenses should probably be covered
2. Housing in the summer is paid for isn't it?
3. Again, travel should likely be covered
4. They have flex points for eating at places other than the dining hall
5. Perhaps every player should be measured at weigh in and whatnot to have a suit ordered for him.

 

[Carlyle Javar Holiday]

Ok I see your point but:

1. Yeah travel expenses should probably be covered
2. Housing in the summer is paid for isn't it?
3. Again, travel should likely be covered
4. They have flex points for eating at places other than the dining hall
5. Perhaps every player should be measured at weigh in and whatnot to have a suit ordered for him.

Movies, gas, car, cell phone, clothes, gatorade, rent if they choose to live off campus. After all, athletes are people and want things that you and I have/want too. Yeah they are provided the basic necessities, but outside of that they are not allowed to have any sort of fun? I mean here in LA, to go to the beach will cost you at least $30 in gas and $10 in metered parking.

 

[IrishLax]

Ok I see your point but:

1. Yeah travel expenses should probably be covered
2. Housing in the summer is paid for isn't it?
3. Again, travel should likely be covered
4. They have flex points for eating at places other than the dining hall
5. Perhaps every player should be measured at weigh in and whatnot to have a suit ordered for him.

You're missing the forest for the trees here. It's easier to cut them a check for an extra $2k than to put in patchwork fixes like getting a tailored suit for each guy, reimbursing travel and setting travel rules in place for what is reimbursable and what isn't, etc. for every little thing that isn't covered... and then try to police it all to make sure the schools aren't cooking the books.

And no, there are issues with lodging/food/pay over the summer. Big issues. Let's say you're an athlete and you get offered an internship in Chicago for a month during the summer.... but you're from Florida. How do you pay for that? Situations like this arise all the time where being an athlete actually hurts your chances of getting workforce ready unless you have parents who can support you financially.