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First the NCAA would not be providing anything to the athletes, it would be the individual schools. Do you count the value of the education and fees as income against "minimum wage" payments. That would require taxes to be paid. Where does an 18 year old get the money to pay taxes on the value of their education? Think about a kid at Duke. Where do they get the money to pay taxes on over $60,000.00? As for unionizing, only 14 FBS schools are subject to the National Labor Relations Act. The rest are public employers and only subject to their individual state laws on employer-employee definitions and unionization. Have you also taken into account all of the extra expenses that go along with students being employees? For example New York State employees vest for a pension after five years of employment. Do the athletes qualify for a pension and lifetime health insurance like of New York employees? How much will it cost schools to cover all of their athletes for workers' compensation benefits? This would not be limited to football and basketball teams. It would have to apply to all teams. Furthermore, everything that wants people give these benefits to Division I athletes, the same relationship between schools and athletes apply at Division II and Division III schools as well, as it relates to employer-employee relationship.

So the players have been the problem then? Or the HC? Gotta be one of the three and ideally it would be the ACs.

If he does well this year, he can go there next year...

I think we can all agree that we want an athletic department of the athletes, by the athletes, and for the athletes. Lifetime medical, and full pensions are the least that should be provided.

Where do you propose the ~million dollars a year for this comes from? The UB band's operating budget isn't anywhere near that currently. Nobody here has been making that argument. Only lawmakers make that argument because they don't want a team to move on their watch. Are you even in New York? In New York you can't bet on college sports that involve New York teams. I don't bet on sports and I know this. You've successfully derailed yet another thread from discussing our subpar sports teams to insane conservative conspiracy theories. Isn't there a more appropriate place for this, that's not this forum?

commitment from #1 WR in Ohio. Now we need someone to throw it to him.

You won't have much company in your boat implying that it has to be one or the other for a D1 program with the resources UB has to offer. Demanding excellence in both doesn't seem an unreasonbable requirement for a D1 AD, and many many schools are doing it every year.

I don't know what this is supposed to mean or the point you are trying to make, but I can guarantee you that 29% of D1 players do not make it to the majors. Nope, you have us confused with somewhere else. Perhaps The Buffalo News comments or local news Facebook comments? This is not true for UB student athletes at all. If you're comparing UB to colleges that do not give athletic scholarships that's comparing apples to avocados.

That's a completely different conversation than relating multimillion dollar athletes to the slave trade, but ok. I did no such thing, no idea what you're talking about. If you're referring to the board as a whole as "you," I'd suggest being a bit more precise with your language. There are a lot of people here, all with their own views. Free tuition is a hell of a head start compared to, you know, regular college students. Student athletes should be educated on and prepared for the fact that they are unlikely to be professional athletes. There's no reason that "the vast majority" of student athletes, disadvantaged or not, should be failing to utilize the opportunity their athletic talents have afforded them in the classroom.

This thread is a mess. Comparing men doing something they love and competing to be the most well-compensated professionals in the history of the world to a slave auction is in the immortal words of Bob Uecker...juuuuust a bit outside. I'd watch ESPN if I wanted my sports stuffed with hysterical, misguided political themes. Maybe take a few plays off?

You are telling me that somebody goes to a basketball game for what happens during media timeouts and halftime? I though people went to basketball games to see basketball.