Richard Sherman on NCAA, worth watching

in particular given that he went to Stanford. I think a lot of people begrudge the players for not getting better educations while they're in college, not making more of the 'free ride' that they get, without realizing the fact that the schools see them more as football employees than they do students playing football.

I don't get the "gas or food" thing. is he saying that he just can't eat when dining halls are open? I would think football players would have something they could access 24/7 where their meal plan would be able to work. yeah, they can't order pizza and stuff like that maybe that's what he's talking about.

In comment 12116282 26.2 said:

Quote:

I don't get the "gas or food" thing. is he saying that he just can't eat when dining halls are open? I would think football players would have something they could access 24/7 where their meal plan would be able to work. yeah, they can't order pizza and stuff like that maybe that's what he's talking about.

Do these football players on scholarships get meal plans included in their room and board? If so, I agree with your point.

I assumed the "board" part would be in the form of a meal plan on campus.

Had to choose between 1, 2, or 3 meals a day plan and it wasn't mandatory just extra money. With that said I don't see how a football player with a scholarship doesn't get meal plan provided but I don't know

In comment 12116294 RC02XX said:

Quote:

In comment 12116282 26.2 said: Quote: I don't get the "gas or food" thing. is he saying that he just can't eat when dining halls are open? I would think football players would have something they could access 24/7 where their meal plan would be able to work. yeah, they can't order pizza and stuff like that maybe that's what he's talking about. Do these football players on scholarships get meal plans included in their room and board? If so, I agree with your point.

We used to get three meals a day and a small stipend.

The NCAA just adjusted that to make it unlimited meals.

In that case...that argument about choosing gas or food seems to be false. So boo fucking hoo.

with no athletic scholarships, athletes have to invest so much time in their sport that their academics suffer. With no scholarship at stake, of course, they have the option of just dropping their sport. All I'm saying is that the time demands are huge.

is a quaint fiction, as Americana as apple pie. These guys are semi-pro athletes, funneled through a semi pro system, that compensates them based on that quaint fiction.

Unfortunately, too many kids think they're there JUST to play sports. It's a choice. You can take advantage of it or choose not to. The demands are great, but if you choose to ignore the opportunity, it's on you.

many players do take that opportunity in front of them seriously and make something out of it. But the point Sherman is making here, and it's one that I agree with, is that the overall system in place here is about funneling football talent to the schools, and that the emphasis is on the football program.

I do see it as a semi-pro type of farm system.

are getting taken advantage of their talents in this system

and also not on a football roadtrip (which would presumably have team meals and/or a specific per diem per meal). I recall plenty of times when school wasn't in session and things on campus were closed.

For example, if a student athlete is driving home during winter break, what money are they supposed to use for gas? Or if they need to get themselves a suit for an internship or simply go to a movie? Since its against the rules to have any employment I think the answer is they either need to get $ from their parents or that they're given some form of a per diem each semester - and Sherman's point is that more often than not those funds were in the negative than the positive, and the athletes themselves have no control over the matter (since they can't make their own money).

They do have a choice not to be in that system and just go make a living doing something else. If you want the benefits, you have to play into their game. Not commenting on whether the system is right or wrong, but it is the players' choice to play the game or not.

Not necessarily the same thing, but I've known many people, who went to my school and signed on the dotted line to hand over their personal freedom to the government for four years to get a free education and a guaranteed job upon graduation. But while getting this education, they constantly bitched and complained about how their personal freedoms were taken away or that their time was taken up by too many other obligations. Some eventually decided that they had had enough two years in and left, but others kept bitching the entire four years to the point of exhaustion. Eventually when they did graduate, they enjoyed the fruits of the four years.

Sometimes people don't see the opportunities they have and only focus on the cost to them. Many hundreds of thousands of people have gone through the same process and successfully accomplished much.

knowing what you're getting yourself into, but at the same time it's not unfair to try to improve systems or facilitate progress. The NCAA as an organization is far from being beyond reproach, and the public nature of their massive financial windfalls (and profits) certainly provides fodder. Some of the bigger SEC schools are literally making hundreds of millions of dollars each year in profit, and while the system is still providing a net positive to a great number of student athletes it's certainly fair to think that all should benefit from the rising value of the sport, not just the administrations.

In comment 12117094 Eric on Li said:

Quote:

knowing what you're getting yourself into, but at the same time it's not unfair to try to improve systems or facilitate progress. The NCAA as an organization is far from being beyond reproach, and the public nature of their massive financial windfalls (and profits) certainly provides fodder. Some of the bigger SEC schools are literally making hundreds of millions of dollars each year in profit, and while the system is still providing a net positive to a great number of student athletes it's certainly fair to think that all should benefit from the rising value of the sport, not just the administrations.

Agree with regards to the need to improve the system. We all know that the NCAA is a fucking racket. But the benefits and opportunities provided to the student athlete far outweighs the cost to them.