SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

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It seems as though the NCAA is as busy as ever investigating and punishing schools and “student-athletes” for taking what they consider to be improper benefits. With that in mind, I ask, “How can an improper organization punish someone for taking improper benefits?” Let’s face it, the NCAA is one of the most hypocritical organizations in America. They have created rules that allow them to benefit from the hard work of others, who do not reap equal benefits, and then punish them for trying to benefit from their hard work.

According to their own website, the NCAA was originally formed in order to “protect young people from dangerous and exploitive practices…” This was in 1906, and over the years as college athletics has grown the scope of the organization’s duties have also grown. However, in my opinion it seems that the scope of the organization has grown to the point of directly doing one of the things that they explicitly set out to prevent, which is exploiting “student-athletes”.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAS A PROBLEM! Every time you turn around it seems as though a different program is being investigated, put on some sort of sanctions, or having players suspended for some sort of violation of NCAA rules. According to the NCAA “student-athletes” (on scholarship) should perform for their university for the payment of tuition & fees, books, room & board, and a small stipend. To some people that may seem like a sweet deal. The “student-athlete” gets the opportunity to receive a free education in exchange for playing a sport that they enjoy. I too agree with that train of thought on the surface. However, once you pull back the top layer of that logic, you begin to see that this statement makes no sense at all and that they NCAA is simply an unconscionable organization that has figured out a way to profit handsomely on the backs of those working for basically nothing. Now, I will not disrespect those who suffered through one of the most troubling times in our nation’s history say that the NCAA and the BCS conferences are treating the “student-athletes” like slaves, but I will say that they are treating them more along the lines of how sharecroppers were treated.

I have heard the arguments made by some affiliated with major college athletics that say, that these kids are afforded the opportunity to receive a free education, which will prove to be priceless and provide the “student-athlete” with innumerable benefits over their lifetime. To that I call B.S! This is a case of providing someone with something that has no value to them. While it is true that there are some “student-athletes” who use their athletic abilities in order to get an education that will further them in life, more often than not, the athletes that fans fill the stadiums to see on Saturday’s are in college for one reason, and one reason only. To play football! Many of these kids do not have the academic credentials to otherwise be accepted and receive scholarships to the Universities that they represent on Saturday afternoons, nor do they have the capacity to succeed academically at these instituations. Therefore rewarding them with free tuition, books, and room & board is like my employer paying me with pepperoni pizza’s (I don’t eat pork). Giving someone something that is of no value to them is essentially the same as giving them nothing at all.

This has been a hotly debated issue on various websites, blogs, and by the paid talking heads on television. Many feel that it is now time for “student-athletes” to be paid. While I agree with that thought, I am not naive enough to actually think that will put an end to the problem. This will not solve the problem because it will be impossible for everyone to be satisfied with their pay. For instance, let’s pretend that the NCAA was paying all (BCS conference) football players $500 a month. That would mean that Terrell Pryor, the quarterback of Ohio State University, who is has won 3 Big Ten Championships, and has a 31-4 record as a starter would be paid the same as the third-string defensive tackle at Washington State. How difficult do you think it would be for someone to point that fact out to Pryor and offer him more than that allowance. Therefore, while the “student-athlete” should be paid, the problem will still persist. I have also heard someone say that the “student-athlete” should receive a percentage of the revenues from their jersey sells upon graduation. That won’t work either, because most don’t graduate. The bottom line is that big-time college football is not an extra-curricular activity. It is a multi-billion dollar business. EVERYONE profits from it except the players. Conferences sign billion dollar television deals, coaches are millionaires, and the schools get to reap the benefits from the sale of tickets, parking, concessions, and merchandise.

While most reasonable people agree that the system is flawed, no one has come up with a solution to this flawed system….until now. I have thought of a way to ensure that college football players are treated fairly, and also force the NCAA to return to their original mission and end the exploitation of the “student-athlete”. This solution will take a considerable investment from the NFL, but it will prove to be well worth it to them as well.

I will be the first to tell you that I like baseball about as much as I like ice hockey (I am a black man born and raised in Atlanta, so that should tell you how much I like ice hockey), but baseball’s minor league system is one of the best ideas in all of sports. With that in mind, I propose that the NFL create a minor league system. Not one with three levels, simply one league with each of the 32 NFL teams running one minor league team. Each NFL team should have a minor league team that is located in a different city within the state in which they play, or in a neighboring state. For instance, the Atlanta franchise could play in Macon Georgia, the Indianapolis franchise could play in Ft. Wayne Indiana, and the Philadelphia franchise could play in Deleware. These teams will be stocked with players drafted by the teams (in the newly expanded 14 round NFL draft) that four years are less out of high school. This means is that players will now have a choice coming out of high school. They could either attend college where they will have to stay a minimum of two years (I don’t like that part of my proposal, but I decided to throw the colleges a bone) or they can enter the NFL draft, where they will more than likely be taken in a later round and assigned to the team’s minor league affiliate.

I am well aware of the fact that a 17 or 18 year old kid is not physically or emotionally mature enough to play in the NFL. However, I feel as though being in an NFL system during those formative three or four years out of high school will be more beneficial to them then playing for a college coach. These minor league teams will be staffed by former NFL coaches who are looking to get back into the professional game. For example, the list of coaches could include Dennis Green, Jim Fassel , Herm Edwards, Dan Reeves just to name a few. Of course, there will also be a spot reserved for Chan Gailey because he is just a nice guy that always finds a landing spot when his employer decides to go in another direction. These coaches will teach these kids the pro game and develop their skills with an eye on being successful in the professional game. This is vastly different from the job that is being done at the college level, where the job of the coach is to win games, not to develop their stars to accomplish their dreams and succeed at the next level. The NFL will also love having the ability to train quarterbacks to play in a pro-style offense, and also teach offensive linemen to run block, which is becoming a lost art in the college game Minor league players will make between $40,000 and $60,000 per year. Therefore the players will be able to be paid a salary for their hard work, while also working toward their ultimate dream.

The NCAA would also benefit from my plan. Due to the fact that most of the athletes who have no interest in the academic programs at the respective schools will be earning a living in an NFL farm system, the NCAA will have a much easier time keeping the sport “clean” according to their standards. The term “student-athlete” will actually have real meaning. The students that choose to attend college would also feel better about the idea of playing for a free education (because I am sure that this plan will all but eliminate the billion dollar television deals and ultimately drive down the economic benefits of the coaches and administrators of the sport). Most major networks would choose to spend their money on the NFL minor leagues, which would essentially be the same quality of football that is played in major conferences today. Therefore the greed that surrounds what is allegedly amateur athletics will be gone, and amateur athletes can truly be amateur athletes instead of pawns in a highly lucrative game of chess that is currently being played between the major conferences and the television networks.

Earlier this week, a caller on a college sports radio show asked, “Why don’t schools just form football teams with the general student body, instead of recruiting athletes with the sole purpose of playing football?” The host replied, “That’s what the Ivy League does. When was the last time you saw one of their games on ESPN on a Saturday night?”

That conversation sums up the entire issue. College football is now big business, and everyone benefits besides the players that are putting it all on the line. It is time to put an end to that.

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