By Clint Younts
Hey, what do all y’all think about paying college athletes? I hear there’s been a lot of talk lately on ESPN and other sports channels about it. I haven’t heard a whole lot about the pros and cons from the so-called experts since my TV has a tendency to change channels as soon as I nod off during a commercial break. One minute I’m listening to an interview with Nick Saban about paying college football players, and then I close my eyelids for a two-minute break and awaken to the sound of New Jersey housewives whining about their botched boob jobs.
What I’ve read on the internet and some real newspapers is that some college athletes think they should be compensated for playing sports. Millions of dollars are earned by schools every year from having successful athletic programs, so why shouldn’t the athletes get a cut from these television contracts and ticket sales? Because they aren’t professionals, that’s why!
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the vast majority of college athletes, whether they play football, basketball, or even chess, receive full tuition plus room and board. Having recently paid a fine Texas university a chunk of money to educate my own kids, I know how much college athletes earn in scholarship money, and folks, that’s plenty. I can’t figure out why these college kids think they should get paid for playing for a school that is paying the tab for a college education. Isn’t four years of higher education enough reward for a kid who might’ve never gotten to college without his or her athletic abilities?
I believe college athletes are learning more by watching the greedy athletes in the NFL, NBA and especially major league baseball where free agents can earn ridiculous salaries by switching teams. That’s good business, I suppose, but what about team spirit and playing for the love of the game? If college athletes start getting paid for playing for a school team, what keeps another university with wealthier athletic boosters from offering a better job on their team?
No, sir, I believe paying college athletes is wrong, but there might be some extra benefits we can offer to these gifted college kids to keep them in school. As a one-time college athlete (yes, beer-chuggin’ was an official sport at the University of Tennessee back in the ’70s, and I would’ve turned pro if I hadn’t suffered that career-ending esophagus injury in the 1979 Final Four tournament), I feel justified in revealing several things a college boy might like to have besides a paycheck.
How about a dorm room with a bed that wasn’t purchased secondhand from a World War II prison camp? I spent four years sleeping on a paper-thin mattress set on a plywood frame. No wonder I have back problems today. If colleges put decent beds in dorms, maybe their basketball players won’t leave for the NBA after their sophomore years just to get a good night’s sleep.
What about installing a color TV and cable in the dorm rooms? I understand college kids are supposed to study at night, but hey, I was in school back when JR Ewing was wheelin’ and dealin’ every Friday night, and it would’ve been right nice to watch him on something other than my 9” black and white RCA.
Having decent food would’ve been nice too. Occasionally, our cafeterias served some good vittles, but since lots of our food came from the ag campus, we often had mystery meat. It kinda looked like beef, but the texture resembled boot leather that had passed through a paper shredder. They’d pour BBQ sauce on it, plop it on top of steamed rice and name it “Tuesday’s Special”, and we college kids ate the heck out of it.
Instead of paying college athletes money, why not give them gift cards to Applebee’s or Chili’s? I was on a meal plan back at THE UT, and I loved Sunday nights when I would go eat real food at a fine restaurant near campus like Pizza Hut, or dine on a dozen Krystal hamburgers while watching Battlestar Galactica on a little-bitty TV. I’ve heard the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Hey, all you athletic directors out there, feed your athletes well and watch how happy they’ll be.
There are other things college boys are wanting, but since this is a family newspaper, I’ll omit this suggestion. But there are a lot of rotund country boys playing offensive line at schools across the Midwest who would love to get a date with a pretty gal for the homecoming dance instead of taking their homely cousin. Just sayin’.
OK, now you’ve heard my opinion of paying college athletes to keep them in school. Compare what I’ve just spewed to the garble you’ll hear on sports radio and ESPN, and see who offers a better solution for this hullabaloo. Now, I must excuse myself so I can resume my physical therapy. An esophagus injury is nothing to scoff at, and it requires frequent treatment with 12 ounce curls.
Clint Younts does those curls, of course, with Lone Star beer or Corona … whatever is on sale.
crowsnest78610@yahoo.com
