(The following is a parody)
Indianapolis — Already this year, two major American sports leagues have endured prolonged work stoppages. It now appears a third is suffering major labor unrest. Last week, representatives from the National College Football Players Association traveled to the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis to meet with NCAA President Mark Emmert and various college football dignitaries.@@http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/NCAA+President/Mark+Emmert+Biography@@
The Emerald was granted exclusive access to the negotiations and transcribed highlights of the conversation.
Mark Emmert: Welcome, student-athletes and other distinguished guests, to this landmark meeting. I’m thrilled to be able to give the student-athlete, the true beneficiary of the college-sports system, a voice in their future. Before we begin, I hope to remind all in attendance of the mission of our organization:
“Founded more than one hundred years ago as a way to protect student-athletes, the NCAA continues to implement that principle with increased emphasis on both athletics and academic excellence.”
And on that note, let’s begin our meeting.
Andrew Luck, Stanford quarterback: Greetings, Mr. Emmert. Thank you for having us. The student-athlete leadership board and its advisers have been working hard over the past few months to determine a revenue-sharing system that is fair for all parties.
Emmert: Likewise. As I’m sure you’ve heard, we recently passed a new rule that allows schools to provide student-athletes with an additional $2,000 a year in scholarship money.
Myron Rolle, former Florida State safety: You do realize that a pair of tickets for the Alabama-LSU game could run you more than $2,000 on StubHub in and of itself? While getting a little over $38 per week in a stipend is a nice start, in light of recent labor disputes in the NBA and NFL we propose a more equitable deal for college football players, a 50-50 split of football-related income. That is, both NCAA member institutions and NCAA football players would split evenly in profits from television deals, ticket sales and accessories bearing the likeness of college football players and … @@http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_fsu/2010/04/former-florida-state-safety-myron-rolle-too-smart-for-the-nfl.html@@
Emmert: You’re kidding, right? Do you not understand what a privilege it is to be a college football player? Fans adore you. Your fellow students worship you. You get better academic support than normal students and access to top-notch facilities. You get to be on television every week, are featured in a variety of widely circulated news publications, get a subsidized education and most importantly, get to do something millions of 18-year-olds dream of.
Nick Saban, head coach at Alabama: Mark’s right. I would coach Alabama football for a stipend to cover my living expenses and food. Being on TV and associated with the University of Alabama is all the payment I’d ever need.
Rick Neuheisel, head coach at UCLA: Although my work speaks for itself and I’d likely be worth millions, if not more, I coach for the love of the game. In fairness, my desire for inside knowledge on how to win our weekly college football office pool also plays a factor in my career choice.@@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/neuheisel_rick00.html@@
Russell Wilson, Wisconsin quarterback: I’m not sure I believe either of you. Even so, coaches don’t face the same physical risks players do. We go hard in practice for 20 hours a week, every week. We do risky activities, such as the “Oklahoma drill,” numerous times throughout the season. Then we play 12 or 13 games against some of the most elite athletes in the world. The results often aren’t pretty. Concussions, joint problems, multiple surgeries — these don’t seem likely to fall in line with the NCAA’s mission of “protecting student athletes.” And let’s remember, most of the consequences from playing football at the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) level don’t manifest themselves until years after a player’s football career ends, when the NCAA has no legal obligation to assist with any medical bills. That’s why we propose that the 50 percent split of revenues the players receive be placed in a trust (less tuition and living expenses) to be accessed once — and only once — they graduate. This money will help launch the professional careers of athletes (assuming they go pro in something other than football) and encourage students to work hard to earn their degrees.@@http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wilson_russell00.html@@
Luck: According to our rough calculations, 85 student-athletes on scholarship at 120 FBS schools with an average of a $40,000 per year scholarship (including the $2,000 stipend) earn $408,000,000 per year. TV deals for one year of the Pac-12 and SEC media rights contracts alone add up to more than that. Schools take in billions of additional dollars per year in ticket sales, sales of memorabilia bearing our likeness, and lucrative TV contracts for other conferences, yet the actual breadmakers receive only a small percentage. In what world is that fair?
Emmert: You raise a number of valid points. Unfortunately for your group, like the NBA players, you have no leverage. The growth of college football in America seems to be limitless, and frankly, there’s no incentive to change the system. It’s not like you guys would have the courage to actually boycott a major bowl game, or do something to change the system, so we’ll stick with the status quo. Thanks for coming up here, though, and let’s do it again soon!