One of most heavily debated topics in college athletics is whether varsity college athletes should receive monetary compensation from ?universities.
This was the subject of the O’Bannon Ruling, a case between a band of former college football athletes and the NCAA .
The former players claimed they should receive compensation for the commercial use of their names and likeness.
The judge in the trial ruled in favor of the former athletes on two distinct terms.
The first term said that the NCAA can’t cap the amount of a scholarship below the actual cost of attendance.
The second term said that the NCCA can’t ban schools from creating a trust fund to pay players an equal share for their names and likeness.
Schools can cap the amount of the fund, but it can’t be lower than $5,000.
The biggest takeaway from the ruling is that college basketball and football are ?businesses.
So, should players be paid for their services?
During the summer, IU announced the release of the Student-Athlete Bill of Rights.
This Bill of Rights allows any player who leaves the University before graduation to come back and attend college at any point as if they were still on scholarship.
This is an excellent step. Personally, I would like to see a hybrid of two options. Players can either lock into a two-year scholarship for a set amount of money, or the players can opt to seek their fair market value and see how much they can earn.
I like this option for several reasons. The first is that it doesn’t alienate athletes in non-revenue sports. Athletes who would not achieve a high market value can choose a scholarship and receive an education while playing a sport they enjoy.
Secondly, only locking into a two-year scholarship allows an athlete to reassess their options after their sophomore season. If they can capitalize on their success, they should and would be allowed to ?do so.
Lastly, it doesn’t cap athletes who would make a large amount of money on their market value.
If an athlete is established enough to earn money without the need of a scholarship, they should be allowed to do so. This is the right way to care for student athletes and show our gratitude for their service to our University.
luburch@indiana.edu
