Originally Posted by ud2
Maybe sort of walking back some of my previous comments...my problem with the current college sports system is that the coaches are making millions and the TV contract is worth billions, yet we are still calling this amateur sports.
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I think you miss the big reason we should challenge this as amateur sports. It is not the big money to the school or the coaches rather it is the payments to the athletes.
The very idea of an athletic scholarship is antithetical to the notion of an amateur. Just because the athlete gets paid in tuition, room and board does not mean he is not getting paid. If it were an academic scholarship then we could accept the amateur status. But these athletes whether in football, basketball or lacrosse or any other sport that receive athletic scholarships are being paid for their athletic services and therefore are not amateurs but instead professional athletes. Just because the pay is low does not change the reality.
