Question:
I would like to see more college athletes finish their 4 years and hopefully get a degree. One way, I would propose to do this would be to disallow any player from entering the NBA or NFL (for example) until after their 4th year. I would allow these players to be drafted at any time during thier college career and they would be paid by the team that drafted them while they played college ball. Of course nothing like this is likely to ever happend. But I think it would eliminate the hardship case and allow the player to stay in school and still earn money from their craft.
What if the player has no desire to get a college degree, and perhaps barely made it into college in the first place and is only there because that’s where the best competition is unless you are one of the rare ones (for something like football) where you might possibly attract a pro team’s eye right out of high school? — Douglas Siebert Director of Computing Facilities A fool of sufficient magnitude can be found to overcome any foolproof system.
Response:
There is absolutely nothing to prevent a college student from playing golf for money – he just can’t be on an athletic scholarship and play in NCAA events at the same time. It’s a choice, just like any amateur has to make. In my view, the flaw in the system is the implicit idea that colleges and universities should act as farm teams for several pro sports, especially football and basketball, and as a "mini-tour" for pro golf. To my mind, if the principal ambition for a young man is to become a professional athlete, then he should go do it. If he wants a degree, then go to college and earn it. With the exception of football and basketball at a few schools, none of the other sports are moneymakers, so the exploitation argument doesn’t hold. And for every talented athlete that is denied a college education because there is no longer a scholarship for him, there is another academically deserving student who gets a college degree he needs and values. William Clark — *LEGAL NOTICE TO ALL BULK E-MAILERS* Pursuant to US Code,Title 7,Chapter 5,Subchapter II,227,all nonsolicited commercial Email sent to this address is subject to a download & archival fee in the amount of $500US. E-mailing to this address for commercial purposes denotes acceptance of these terms. Violators will be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to see more college athletes finish their 4 years and hopefully get a degree. One way, I would propose to do this would be to disallow any player from entering the NBA or NFL (for example) until after their 4th year. I would allow these players to be drafted at any time during thier college career and they would be paid by the team that drafted them while they played college ball. Of course nothing like this is likely to ever happend. But I think it would eliminate the hardship case and allow the player to stay in school and still earn money from their craft. What if the player has no desire to get a college degree, and perhaps barely made it into college in the first place and is only there because that’s where the best competition is unless you are one of the rare ones (for something like football) where you might possibly attract a pro team’s eye right out of high school?
I’d rather see them go 4 years (and get or nearly get a degree) or skip it all together and go straight to the pros. I’m sick of the 2 and 3 year athletes in basketball. Many of them an extra year might make the difference between them staying in the NBA a long time and washing out after a couple years. I think Mohammad from KY could be one of those. I wish him the best if he does leave (which is almost certain), but I really hope he plays one more year here at KY. He made serious improvement last year. With one more year of similar improvement he could be considered a star if not a superstar. Right now, he is just a prospect. I don’t think he is ready to step right in and play at the next level.
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Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study?
Hmmmm, don’t ever remember anyone saying this about Tiger when he was busy winning 3 Amateurs while in college.
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It has always been a tough decision for a top amateur to remain such or move into the paying game. Bobby Jones. Golf has the classic amateur as a case in point. Golf is most egalitarian in allowing for amateurs to compete at the highest level: an amateur can qualify for any Open event, and opt for prize money should he/she finish in the money. The spirit of Bobby Jones is alive at the Masters as well, with the invitation of top amateurs. It’s probably the only sport that allows a top amateur who triumphs among the best competitors such a singular defining moment.
I thought they had to declare before the tourney started if they wanted compete as a pro (for the money) and if so they would be considered a professional and could not return to the amateur ranks without some kind of status reversal. This whether they actually won anything or not. The myth of college as the crib of amateurism is where it hits the wall. I often wondered why Tiger didn’t just turn pro and forego college – Seve, Faldo and loads of others on the European tour were pros at age 18, or earlier. He lost a couple
I don’t see it that way. He got some good experience from it. His first professional appearance in the Masters compared to his appearances as an amateur should be good evidence that he was much more ready than he would have been a couple years earlier. Plus it delayed his entry into the pressure cooker just a bit. The reason we are souring on amateurism is because the lines have been blurred. Blurring them further won’t clear things up. It seems that what we need is attitude adjustment – if a kid’s good enough at a game to blow off college let him/her blow off college. If it was the wrong decision, too bad. The world’s full of people who’ve "played it safe" and have little to show for it. That’s all folks – I didn’t mean to ramble.
Making money at/from your sport and playing NCAA sports should not be mutually exclusive… in this day and age. But there should be strict rules and guidelines on how it would be done, what the limits are, etc. They should not have to choose between say a Nike endorsement as a (if they can get one) and playing college sports. It’s ridiculous. THis is supposed to be the land of the free. Doesn’t seem very free to me.
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An noble idea, sure, but if he’s good enough to win $5000 in a tournament, he’s damn sure good enough to be on scholarship. josh So what if that money had to go towards his education.. Say someone going to Stanford wins $5000 in a Amateur tourney, I say that $5000 should go towards his/her tuition.
I say they should be allowed to do what ever they want with it. As a student/athlete you go to school not to earn money but to earn an education…..Besides, the endorsement money will be there when he graduates…..
So what does playing for money or not playing for money have to do with getting an education… absolutely nothing.
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I’m still trying to figure this one out though. Suppose he’s on a golf scholarship. Why couldn’t his prize money be applied to his tuition and perhaps to charity or to further the school’s golf team? Or why couldn’t it be done the way amateur track and field is, Joseph. Trust funds are set up for the amateurs and any money they earn competing in professional events goes into them. Then when they graduate they collect the money.
Why should they have to wait?
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Why can’t a student "work his way through school" by winning prize money in golf tournaments? Well, I guess he can, but he can’t be a "student athlete" any more. Whatever. I don’t think "amateur athletics" has made sense for decades. In the good old days, many or most athletes were from wealthy families, and the money wasn’t an issue. Or rather it was fashionable to shun the money. But now, it’s a way for a few talented people to make a living. I’m still trying to figure this one out though. Suppose he’s on a golf scholarship. Why couldn’t his prize money be applied to his tuition and perhaps to charity or to further the school’s golf team? -joseph Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph Where’s it written that he MUST remain in college? He’s free to turn pro at any time. The purpose of the American college is not to further the economic fortunes of the American student-athlete.
If you are going to allow amateurs to win money; are you going to allow pros to compete in amateur events ? The NCAA has some *very* stupid rules but I don’t think that you should blur the line between amateur and professional athlete. If you want examples of stupid NCAA rules you can look at the rules regarding Kuchar’s use of his Georgia Tech golf bag or the problem that arose when Arnold Palmer bought dinner for Tiger Woods (while he was still at Stanford). The NCAA should probably add some spending money to the student’s scholarships.
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So what if that money had to go towards his education.. Say someone going to Stanford wins $5000 in a Amateur tourney, I say that $5000 should go towards his/her tuition.
That’s one questionable "amateur" tournament if it’s paying one player 5K in prize money! … 
Bobby Galvez
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Why can’t a student "work his way through school" by winning prize money in golf tournaments? Well, I guess he can, but he can’t be a "student athlete" any more.
There ya go …. Whatever. I don’t think "amateur athletics" has made sense for decades. In the good old days, many or most athletes were from wealthy families, and the money wasn’t an issue. Or rather it was fashionable to shun the money. But now, it’s a way for a few talented people to make a living.
Nobody’s denying them that. Why does the US continue to think that a college degree is needed by the athlete – or by everybody, for that matter? Some of these kids might be more productive and happier playing their sport for gain than being student-athletes. Golf is unique in that a kid doesn’t have to wait to be drafted ….. he/she just needs to declare pro and get to competing. Baseball’s draft has always been very real-world in going after top high school talent, for example. On the other hand, there are lots of kids who haven’t got pro-level talent but who have enough game to trade it for an education – keep encouraging that. Not everybody needs to be a pro. I’m still trying to figure this one out though. Suppose he’s on a golf scholarship. Why couldn’t his prize money be applied to his tuition and perhaps to charity or to further the school’s golf team?
That would be unfair to the more talented – the less talented would still have a scholarship, so why force the better player to "pay" his way through school. Ditto for taking it and putting it into the program. Putting it towards charity is laudable, but still punitive. Allowing a student athlete to win money and then take it to any other use is too much like indentured servitude. Let’s face it, the system isn’t flawed. Your point about amateur sports once being the province of the wealthy is well taken, but amateur sports was even then on a level below professional sports in terms of performance. Amateur athletics makes a lot of sense – it’s the very heart and soul of sports – it’ what most of us are. What doesn’t make sense is the hodge-podge we’ve made of it. Have the Olympics really been improved by taking pros? Is it that exciting to watch the NBA All-Stars shun the Olympic Village, stay in a 5-star hotel away from the sullied masses, and after not reflecting the spirit of the games get a gold medal? Hockey? It has always been a tough decision for a top amateur to remain such or move into the paying game. Bobby Jones. Golf has the classic amateur as a case in point. Golf is most egalitarian in allowing for amateurs to compete at the highest level: an amateur can qualify for any Open event, and opt for prize money should he/she finish in the money. The spirit of Bobby Jones is alive at the Masters as well, with the invitation of top amateurs. It’s probably the only sport that allows a top amateur who triumphs among the best competitors such a singular defining moment. The myth of college as the crib of amateurism is where it hits the wall. I often wondered why Tiger didn’t just turn pro and forego college – Seve, Faldo and loads of others on the European tour were pros at age 18, or earlier. He lost a couple of good years to the worthy cause of flying the flag for Stanford athletics and setting an example for American youth. At this point what kid cares about Tiger’s college "career?" If he wears his hat backwards, for the next few weeks the golf courses are full of cap’s bills over collars. And the caps have swooshes, not crimson "S’s" on them. The reason we are souring on amateurism is because the lines have been blurred. Blurring them further won’t clear things up. It seems that what we need is attitude adjustment – if a kid’s good enough at a game to blow off college let him/her blow off college. If it was the wrong decision, too bad. The world’s full of people who’ve "played it safe" and have little to show for it. That’s all folks – I didn’t mean to ramble. Cheers !!! Bobby Galvez
Response:
Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph Where’s it written that he MUST remain in college? He’s free to turn pro at any time. The purpose of the American college is not to further the economic fortunes of the American student-athlete.
But here’s the inequity. If I’m in college on a full ride to study computer science I can also work in computer science for whatever amount I can pull down. I also could probably be on some kind of computer competition club or team (not sure about this). I think much of what the NCAA stands for today is wrong. Studen athletes should be allowed to earn money at their craft. Furthermore this whole amateure/pro thing in golf is ridiculous as well. Wining a few thousand dollars a year in rinky-dink tourneys should not make you a "professional golfer". I think it is about time that various organizations re-think the way the determine pro/amateur status. For instance, college team athletes like basketball and football. I would like to see more college athletes finish their 4 years and hopefully get a degree. One way, I would propose to do this would be to disallow any player from entering the NBA or NFL (for example) until after their 4th year. I would allow these players to be drafted at any time during thier college career and they would be paid by the team that drafted them while they played college ball. Of course nothing like this is likely to ever happend. But I think it would eliminate the hardship case and allow the player to stay in school and still earn money from their craft.
Response:
Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph — Author, Effective Perl Programming . . . . . http://www.effectiveperl.com Perl Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.perltraining.com
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Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess.
Actually, that’s as American as it gets. Those in a position to make the rules get their portion of the swag and those who aren’t, don’t. It only works because people don’t have the balls to "just say no" to the whole bloody mess. In the game of golf today, a young golfer of sufficient talent has plenty of opportunity to learn their trade by playing professionally. Anyone who wants to do the college golf thing is doing it willingly (although in mind my they are willing participants in a corrupt and venal system).
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Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph
I’m no lawyer, but I’ve long wondered when some aspiring hot-shot litigator was going to come along and challenge those rules in court. Surely there’s some sort of "anti-trust" type grounds on which to file. Then again, like I said, there’s no license to practice law hanging on my wall. Randy
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Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph — Author, Effective Perl Programming . . . . . http://www.effectiveperl.com Perl Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.perltraining.com Got that right. Matt deserves his share of what 24th place earned at the
Masters and what is to follow.
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As a student/athlete you go to school not to earn money but to earn an education…..Besides, the endorsement money will be there when he graduates…..
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So what if that money had to go towards his education.. Say someone going to Stanford wins $5000 in a Amateur tourney, I say that $5000 should go towards his/her tuition.
As a student/athlete you go to school not to earn money but to earn an education…..Besides, the endorsement money will be there when he graduates…..
Response:
Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess.
I couldn’t agree more…
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Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph
Where’s it written that he MUST remain in college? He’s free to turn pro at any time. The purpose of the American college is not to further the economic fortunes of the American student-athlete. In fact, there’s no law that says he can’t stay in school and still play professionally. Deriving income from his game simply puts him out of the amateur ranks ….. where’s the "un-American" part in it? And remember the heat the NCAA is under for limiting the salaries of some coaches – only the top coaches can claim a fair wage ….. THAT’S un-American. Bobby Galvez
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Why can’t a student "work his way through school" by winning prize money in golf tournaments? Well, I guess he can, but he can’t be a "student athlete" any more. Whatever. I don’t think "amateur athletics" has made sense for decades. In the good old days, many or most athletes were from wealthy families, and the money wasn’t an issue. Or rather it was fashionable to shun the money. But now, it’s a way for a few talented people to make a living. I’m still trying to figure this one out though. Suppose he’s on a golf scholarship. Why couldn’t his prize money be applied to his tuition and perhaps to charity or to further the school’s golf team? -joseph – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph Where’s it written that he MUST remain in college? He’s free to turn pro at any time. The purpose of the American college is not to further the economic fortunes of the American student-athlete.
– Author, Effective Perl Programming . . . . . http://www.effectiveperl.com Perl Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.perltraining.com
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but this guy’s at Georgia Tech, which means he can become an engineer.
Actually, Matt is a management major (at this time 
. Cheers, Mike — Mike Marler Information Technology, Georgia Tech
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An noble idea, sure, but if he’s good enough to win $5000 in a tournament, he’s damn sure good enough to be on scholarship. josh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So what if that money had to go towards his education.. Say someone going to Stanford wins $5000 in a Amateur tourney, I say that $5000 should go towards his/her tuition. As a student/athlete you go to school not to earn money but to earn an education…..Besides, the endorsement money will be there when he graduates…..
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I’m still trying to figure this one out though. Suppose he’s on a golf scholarship. Why couldn’t his prize money be applied to his tuition and perhaps to charity or to further the school’s golf team?
Or why couldn’t it be done the way amateur track and field is, Joseph. Trust funds are set up for the amateurs and any money they earn competing in professional events goes into them. Then when they graduate they collect the money.
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Yes, but this guy’s at Georgia Tech, which means he can become an engineer. Anyone knows this is far better than being a pro golfer – it’s a real career.
Well, William, if Matt doesn’t make it as a player, it sounds like he could always go into clubhouse design. <g
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Damn, Kuchar is 2 under, tied for 13th at BellSouth … doesn’t he ever have to study? Geez, if he finishes well this time too, he could make so much money from endorsements. Why is it that the NCAA only allows coaches and universities to get rich from college sports? There’s something more than vaguely un-American about that whole mess. -joseph — Author, Effective Perl Programming . . . . . http://www.effectiveperl.com Perl Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.perltraining.com Got that right. Matt deserves his share of what 24th place earned at the Masters and what is to follow.
Yes, but this guy’s at Georgia Tech, which means he can become an engineer. Anyone knows this is far better than being a pro golfer – it’s a real career. William Clark — *LEGAL NOTICE TO ALL BULK E-MAILERS* Pursuant to US Code,Title 7,Chapter 5,Subchapter II,227,all nonsolicited commercial Email sent to this address is subject to a download & archival fee in the amount of $500US. E-mailing to this address for commercial purposes denotes acceptance of these terms. Violators will be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.