This has been an on-going problem on the desk of Mark Emmert, the CEO of the NCAA, for years now.  The debate over paying collegiate athletes or not coupled with the recent news of basketball stars receiving money from outside sources have not helped the conversation.

Yahoo sports have leaked financial statements from an agency called ASM Sports proving payments towards players of the past couple years.  Obviously this is highly illegal for a student athlete to receive improper benefits from an outside source, especially an agent.

The reason for this agency to invest so much money into college players is the hope they sign with them when they make it big in the NBA.  None of the players listed on the statements signed with this agency after getting drafted.

Why would athletes take these benefits even when they know it is against the rules?  Maybe because the rules are too strict.

NCAA looks at it from a perspective that colleges are giving these athletes free college and housing. They wonder why they need to obtain money when is everything is free.

During the season, athletes are treated to team meals, gear from that current year, and free transportation to all games.  But what about when the season is over?  Now transportation becomes an issue, also food is an issue, and personal interests and hobbies aren’t being able to be fulfilled because they have no money.

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Dennis Smith according to documents was to receive $43,500

According to Lonzo Ball, the star rookie of the Lakers and former UCLA star, “Everybody knows everyone is getting paid.  Might as well make it legal.”

Coming from a star of the NCAA, this is startling for the brand.  To have one of the most media covered college players in recent history come out and say that every player is getting paid is a nightmare.

Now the question becomes just how many basketball and football athletes are getting paid?

The NCAA is on top of the Jenga tower and one by one people are pulling the blocks from the bottom.  Sooner or later everything will crash and these reports and proof that players getting paid is the start of it.  So how do we fix it?

First, the NCAA doesn’t allow athletes to get jobs during college which I think is ridiculous.  If they want to get rid of athletes taking money from others, how about letting them work for it?  Most likely, no college student will get wealthy while working because school is also something to worry about, so the money these athletes will make from jobs will just help with the expenses of food, transportation, etc.

Another big problem I see with the NCAA is that they are allowed to sell athletes names and the brands they have made throughout their career and the players get none of the profit.  These athletes like Johnny Manziel or Jimmer Fredette who have made the NCAA tons of profit based on their unconditional style of play that millions of fans tune in to see.

Johnny Manziel, according to Jon Terbush, brought an estimate of 37 million dollars in media coverage to Texas A&M.  That’s not even counting jersey sales and other Manziel merchandise sold in Aggie stores.

What’s the big deal if Manziel gets $100,000 of that 37 million he brought to A&M?  That’s only a 0.3% cut of what they made.

The one thing I don’t agree with though at all is giving players salaries.  As I said before, there are over 460,000 student athletes so none of the pricing will be fair.  The NCAA can’t just give basketball and football players more money because they are playing the most popular sports.  That will cause other sports to fight for money and the athletes will come together and that’s just a legal mess.

An example that has been in the news lately about player salary is star center Deandre Ayton from Arizona.  Coach Sean Miller was accused of discussing a payment towards Ayton to sway him to come to Arizona, a bribe of $100,000.

This is pretty low of a coach to offer money to a player to come to a college, but the question is, is it normal for these coaches to do this?  Who knows?

That’s the problem.  This could have been going on for years and years and all the coaches we have respected could turn out to be cheaters real quick.

The NCAA is on really thin ice and the recent news of them gaining 1.1 billion dollars in revenue over 2017 doesn’t help this conversation at all.

Yup, that’s right.  1.1 billion dollars accumulated over the past year.  This has caused people to turn up the pressure towards the NCAA more than ever to pay players.  As if the NCAA needed more criticism.

The damage has been done to the NCAA and more scandals will come out ranging from the sexual misconduct at Michigan State to the money situation of college basketball.  The NCAA is corrupt.  No way around it.  Right now it looks as if it was built to fail.