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<H1>College football players deserve pay for play</H1><DIV class=bylinebox style="MARGIN-TOP: 8px"><DIV class=bylinephoto>
</DIV><DIV class=bylinetext>By Rod Gilmore
Special to ESPN.com
Archive</DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: right"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: #fff"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top>
Editor's note: ESPN.com asked five of its analysts to discuss one change they would like to see in college football. Here is the third installment of the five-part series. <DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 275px"><DIV class=photocred2>Matthew Emmons/US Presswire</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Vince Young led Texas to a national championship -- and one of the biggest profits in college football.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
It's time to end the charade of amateurism in college football and let the athletes share in the spoils of this multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. Sure, at one time college football was consistent with the mission of a university to educate and provide for the well-being of its student body. However, college football is no longer very different from the NFL. It's part of the entertainment industry. Yet one big difference between the two remains: College players don't get paid. It's time to change this.
Recent events clearly make it a farce for the NCAA officials to hide behind the shield of amateurism. Just consider the massive amount of money colleges are raking in and spending these days. While Vince Young led the Longhorns to a national championship,Texas earned a reported $42 million profit from football during the '05-'06 fiscal year. Michigan earned approximately $37 million, while Florida earned $32 million during that same period. Where does all the money come from? You already know. Just like in the NFL, it comes from television, marketing and media rights, tickets and luxury box/suite income. Further proof of the entertainment might of college football is the fact that we saw the BCS games spread out over a full week, which included four games shown in prime time, including three on non-holiday weekdays.
Is it any wonder that the college presidents voted in favor of adding a 12th game last season? That 12th game helped add to the bottom line. Now, some of the colleges are playing almost as many games as the NFL teams. Twelve schools played 14 games! You might expect that of Florida and Arkansas, but Ohio? Central Michigan? Southern Miss? C'mon.
Since the NCAA won't let schools pay players, a huge amount of this money goes to coaches and facilities. NFL teams have elaborate stadiums with skyboxes and expensive training facilities. Well, so do the colleges. They've jumped into the arms race by dropping big cash on these facilities. For example, Oklahoma State is receiving $165 mill
</DIV><DIV class=bylinetext>By Rod GilmoreSpecial to ESPN.com
Archive</DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: right"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: #fff"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top>
Editor's note: ESPN.com asked five of its analysts to discuss one change they would like to see in college football. Here is the third installment of the five-part series. <DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 275px"><DIV class=photocred2>Matthew Emmons/US Presswire</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Vince Young led Texas to a national championship -- and one of the biggest profits in college football.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
It's time to end the charade of amateurism in college football and let the athletes share in the spoils of this multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. Sure, at one time college football was consistent with the mission of a university to educate and provide for the well-being of its student body. However, college football is no longer very different from the NFL. It's part of the entertainment industry. Yet one big difference between the two remains: College players don't get paid. It's time to change this.
Recent events clearly make it a farce for the NCAA officials to hide behind the shield of amateurism. Just consider the massive amount of money colleges are raking in and spending these days. While Vince Young led the Longhorns to a national championship,Texas earned a reported $42 million profit from football during the '05-'06 fiscal year. Michigan earned approximately $37 million, while Florida earned $32 million during that same period. Where does all the money come from? You already know. Just like in the NFL, it comes from television, marketing and media rights, tickets and luxury box/suite income. Further proof of the entertainment might of college football is the fact that we saw the BCS games spread out over a full week, which included four games shown in prime time, including three on non-holiday weekdays.
Is it any wonder that the college presidents voted in favor of adding a 12th game last season? That 12th game helped add to the bottom line. Now, some of the colleges are playing almost as many games as the NFL teams. Twelve schools played 14 games! You might expect that of Florida and Arkansas, but Ohio? Central Michigan? Southern Miss? C'mon.
Since the NCAA won't let schools pay players, a huge amount of this money goes to coaches and facilities. NFL teams have elaborate stadiums with skyboxes and expensive training facilities. Well, so do the colleges. They've jumped into the arms race by dropping big cash on these facilities. For example, Oklahoma State is receiving $165 mill
