The next big domino: student-athletes becoming student-employees

[shizzle787]

It's coming, and it's coming really fast. There are two lawsuits that will make landfall within the next two years that will change the face of collegiate athletics as we know it. The end result will be universities across our country paying student athletes as student-employees.

The $64 million dollar question is will non-revenue sport athletics be paid at least a minimum wage as well. Why is this an important question?
It's one thing for a school to pay 15 women's basketball players and 13 men's basketball players and/or a big football school to also pay their 85 football players. It is another thing to pay 300-700 athletes, especially for any school in Division 2, 3, or even in the lower to mid levels of Division 1.

If this goes down, not only will a lot of schools no longer be able to afford athletics, but many small private schools may have to shut their doors as a healthy percentage of their students are tuition-paying athletes.

I would assume many junior colleges would shutter athletics as they are not core to their mission.


Let's just take an example: https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/...fe/sports/

Northern Arizona has 409 student-athletes. The current minimum wage in Arizona is $13.85 per hour. Even using a conservative estimate of 20 hours per week for payment, each student would get $277 a week for probably 34 weeks or so. That is $9,418 per year per athlete. I think that is very conservative but let's go with that.

That comes out to $3,851,962 if every one is paid minimum wage. Their current budget is a little over $20 million. That is almost a 19% athletic budget increase! NAU may be able to afford that but for any athletic department in Division 2 or 3, a cost increase of $3-5 million could be deadly.

 

[billybud]

Student employees....

Just forget the "student"part...pay them and if they want to also attend class...charge them tuition.

 

[TheCatsLair]

Student employees....

Just forget the "student"part...pay them and if they want to also attend class...charge them tuition.

Why would you charge tuition when they're on scholarship? The scholarship and NIL are two separate things. NIL is essentially having a job while under scholarship. The schools and conferences still make millions, even billions of dollars so they should still be paying for their scholarships.

 

[phillionaire]

It shouldn't be any different than being a grad student. You're getting paid by the school (for teaching, research, or playing a sport that generates billions of dollars) and your tuition can be covered by the school as well.

 

[billybud]

Why would you charge tuition when they're on scholarship? The scholarship and NIL are two separate things. NIL is essentially having a job while under scholarship. The schools and conferences still make millions, even billions of dollars so they should still be paying for their scholarships.

We are not talking about NIL...we are talking about athletes being paid employees...The athletes are already receiving meals, lodging, tuition, books, stipends....

I say, if they are not students but paid professional athletes of the school...treat them as such.

 

[billybud]

A Graduate Teaching Assistant at my university does not receive tuition, but may receive a deferral of the amount due until the end of the term...you still pay the tuition.

Graduate Assistant Tuition Plan | Student Business Services

This plan is offered year-round to Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants employed by FSU to defer the due date for tuition and fees (including the $5 FSU Card fee) until the end of the term. For added convenience, plan participants can also enroll in payroll...

studentbusiness.fsu.edu

 

[phillionaire]

A Graduate Teaching Assistant at my university does not receive tuition, but may receive a deferral of the amount due until the end of the term...you still pay the tuition.

Graduate Assistant Tuition Plan | Student Business Services

This plan is offered year-round to Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants employed by FSU to defer the due date for tuition and fees (including the $5 FSU Card fee) until the end of the term. For added convenience, plan participants can also enroll in payroll...

studentbusiness.fsu.edu

That’s pretty terrible for them then. I didn’t pay a dime of tuition when I taught/did university sponsored research and that’s the way it should be since grad students bear the brunt of teaching responsibility at large institutions.

 

[billybud]

Lucky you...in the way, way back, I was not paid....

The freshmen working part time in the bookstore were paid minimum wage.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

A Graduate Teaching Assistant at my university does not receive tuition, but may receive a deferral of the amount due until the end of the term...you still pay the tuition.

Graduate Assistant Tuition Plan | Student Business Services

This plan is offered year-round to Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants employed by FSU to defer the due date for tuition and fees (including the $5 FSU Card fee) until the end of the term. For added convenience, plan participants can also enroll in payroll...

studentbusiness.fsu.edu

That is a crap deal. I didn't pay tuition and received a extremely small paycheck.