BOL Round Table

Yes

Of course they deserve a stipend. The millions they bring in, the coaches getting paid out the wazoo, and the players doing all the work get tuition and fees? Come on. The players deserve a stipend. But will that happen? Of course not.

Less money than ever goes to the schools from the state, tuition is rising for all students, professors haven't seen raises in years, and, most importantly, schools outside the big four (SEC/Pac 12/Big 12/B1G) could not even afford to give athletes anything because they don't generate enough revenue. You think the NCAA will allow the schools who can afford it to give stipends, and all the other school can't? No way. The only other option is some sort of national profit sharing model where every revenue generating conference pays in and the money is distributed evenly to all schools for the purpose of giving stipends. Such a socialist model would and should never be accepted. The NCAA is all about creating a level playing field (hence the scholarship limit/over signing rules/recruiting rules) and there is, frankly, no way to give players anything more than what they already get.

Now is that right? No way. Our players deserve stipends because they, no matter how much coaching goes into it, are the ones who play the game and bring in millions of dollars through their hard work and ability. I don't agree with Spurrier too often, but on this one, he is spot on.

I went to Bama on an academic scholarship and graduated with no debt. I didn't bring in a dime for the school through any of the "honors" I won, "societies" I got in to, "elections" I won, "classes" I aced. I thank God every day that I was blessed with some academic ability. I also worked all 4 years of college in any job that I could find so that I could send money home to my unemployed Dad. These kids, some of whom come from destitute situations that most of us cannot even fathom, don't have the luxury to work because of the demands on their time. They deserve a stipend. End of story

Absolutely they should get paid. They should also get a piece of jersey sales and video games.

Jay Bilas is on the side of paying athletes what the market dictates and makes a very compelling case as to why they should.