Should college athletes now be treated as professionals?

[HooperScooper]

I saw this comment from Tennessee's Rick Barnes and it raised my eyebrows. Now that college athletes are getting so much money to play should they be treated more like NBA players? I wonder how many coaches are thinking like Rick Barnes? First time I've heard a coach say something like this. On the one hand you'd like to see college kids be college kids and not NBA players. But on the other hand they're now being paid a lot of money to play so they can't expect to have it both ways.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes gave leading scorer Chaz Lanier a quick hook just 11 seconds into the second half on Saturday at Texas, benching him for peeling off a screen and hurling an errant pass into the bench area. Barnes said after the game the decision had nothing to do with the turnover and everything to do with his decision to decline a shot, which Barnes made sure to note that Lanier is "paid to do."

"I took him out the first play of the second half because he didn't shoot the ball," Barnes said. "That play is designed for that shot. I told him, 'If you're not going to do what you're getting paid to do, then you're going to sit over here.' Because he is getting paid to do that."

Rick Barnes benches Chaz Lanier, says Tennessee's leading scorer wasn't doing what he's 'getting paid to do'

Barnes was unhappy his leading scorer turned down a shot on a play designed for him

www.cbssports.com

 

[adrock7]

Seems pretty clear. Some of these players are making millions, so yeah, they're professionals.

 

[Rico444]

What's funny is NBA players aren't treated like that.

Rick Barnes makes millions of dollars. If he choked in the tournament (again) should he be called out in the press by his AD, since he gets paid to win games?

 

[upstater]

Only if the entire enterprise is taken pro, and I have to think that it will have to become a pro organization soon with total sharing of revenues. It doesn't work at all anymore by attaching it to colleges. You can nominally use the college's name or for those players that want an education, you can develop some kind of transactional structure to allow that, but right now, the financials make absolutely no sense to me.

 

[NJHusky]

Just go to the European soccer model but instead of being affiliated with pro teams, affiliated with colleges

 

[uconndogs]

To the OP, why would they not be treated like professional athletes?

 

[Chuck]

They should be treated like pros, but Barnes's comment comes off bitter. Unless he's just sick of Lanier, in particular.

I've thought of this, though, and I think I'm coming along to the "treat them like pros" side. Even more so when the schools are paying them directly and college kids are paying thousands in fees to fund the salaries.

I'm still not a fan of booing your own guys, but I wouldn't be as offended by others doing it. And I'd have no problem with coaches telling kids they can only major in something super easy (or fake, like at UNC). And I'm all for cutting them loose if they aren't playing as hoped (and that includes taking away athletic scholarships). I also think schools should start putting contracts in place with buyouts. That could slow down transferring and can control guys transferring to rivals by including restrictions.

 

[6Nattys4Us]

They can be a professional (e.g., person paid for their role), but they are not paid by the University only from NIL pools, but because of the nature of student athletes they are not employed, so not employees of the school.

 

[freshler40]

They should be treated like pros, but Barnes's comment comes off bitter. Unless he's just sick of Lanier, in particular.

I've thought of this, though, and I think I'm coming along to the "treat them like pros" side. Even more so when the schools are paying them directly and college kids are paying thousands in fees to fund the salaries.

I'm still not a fan of booing your own guys, but I wouldn't be as offended by others doing it. And I'd have no problem with coaches telling kids they can only major in something super easy (or fake, like at UNC). And I'm all for cutting them loose if they aren't playing as hoped (and that includes taking away athletic scholarships). I also think schools should start putting contracts in place with buyouts. That could slow down transferring and can control guys transferring to rivals by including restrictions.

Student/athletes is a misnomer in today's payment system. Almost everybody that is paid for their services or employment is held to a higher standard than a student would be held. If you take the money, it's expected that you will perform. Div 1 major sports are revenue producers, the economics are much different from 10 years ago.

 

[superjohn]

I saw this comment from Tennessee's Rick Barnes and it raised my eyebrows. Now that college athletes are getting so much money to play should they be treated more like NBA players? I wonder how many coaches are thinking like Rick Barnes? First time I've heard a coach say something like this. On the one hand you'd like to see college kids be college kids and not NBA players. But on the other hand they're now being paid a lot of money to play so they can't expect to have it both ways.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes gave leading scorer Chaz Lanier a quick hook just 11 seconds into the second half on Saturday at Texas, benching him for peeling off a screen and hurling an errant pass into the bench area. Barnes said after the game the decision had nothing to do with the turnover and everything to do with his decision to decline a shot, which Barnes made sure to note that Lanier is "paid to do."

"I took him out the first play of the second half because he didn't shoot the ball," Barnes said. "That play is designed for that shot. I told him, 'If you're not going to do what you're getting paid to do, then you're going to sit over here.' Because he is getting paid to do that."

Rick Barnes benches Chaz Lanier, says Tennessee's leading scorer wasn't doing what he's 'getting paid to do'

Barnes was unhappy his leading scorer turned down a shot on a play designed for him

www.cbssports.com

I love that Rick Barnes said this.

They absolutely should be treated like professionals because that's what they are now. This is what people wanted but with this comes expectations and no more coddling. I'm not sure how these payments work because it's the Wild West but with the money you have to perform and there has to be some return on investment.

 

[HooperScooper]

To the OP, why would they not be treated like professional athletes?

I'm not sure. Why is there a college athletic system? Why do we need the colleges to sponsor these sports? Just shut the entire thing down for revenue sports and go to to a different model.

 

[auggie22]

It is going to be wild when what follows is a proliferation of multi-million dollar lawsuits from the general student body toward many of these athletes. When I was in college I recall our athletes were more than happy to administer drunken beatings. What happens when you have a campus full of sh7t heads baiting them into fights.

 

[superjohn]

I'm not sure. Why is there a college athletic system? Why do we need the colleges to sponsor these sports? Just shut the entire thing down for revenue sports and go to to a different model.

Because they want fanbases/viewers.

 

[Blakeon18]

The majority of the college students get paid zero....some of those are on scholarship so perhaps
that is regarded as being a professional? I suppose the ones participating in sports such
as swimming and all the others not named basketball or football "could" be paid a sum under NIL....but they aren't.
The non-scholarship athletes...he thinks they are pros? I sure hope not. Barnes seem to regard his own sport
as the only one [and football]...they aren't.
Does Barnes really regard all those student athletes as pros? I would love to see him at a college lacrosse
match and berate some player for not taking shot on goal saying "that is not what you are being paid for"

 

[6Nattys4Us]

Everyone is a photographer who uses their phone to take pictures...only a pro gets paid to do so.

College students are not professionals unless they are paid to go to school, but even a scholorship (needs-based, non-needs based, or merit or atheltic) is not pay - it's paying for your education, not paying you to get educated. Big difference the schools lawyer's stick to so no student is classified as an employee.

Barnes is and always has been someone who talks way over their skis.

 

[upstater]

Student/athletes is a misnomer in today's payment system. Almost everybody that is paid for their services or employment is held to a higher standard than a student would be held. If you take the money, it's expected that you will perform. Div 1 major sports are revenue producers, the economics are much different from 10 years ago.

Revenue producers and expenditure firehoses, and that's the problem right there.

They aren't run like a pro sports business.

 

[upstater]

Because they want fanbases/viewers.

It's a risk in some parts of the country, but I seriously doubt the entire south, southwest, and midwest are going to go away if the conferences ever went pro. As long as they could license the college name, there'd be intense interest. I'm not so sure about the northeast and west coast however.

 

[August_West]

What's funny is NBA players aren't treated like that.

Rick Barnes makes millions of dollars. If he choked in the tournament (again) should he be called out in the press by his AD, since he gets paid to win games?

I mean coaches get fired for that, no?

 

[Rico444]

I mean coaches get fired for that, no?

And players get their scholarship rescinded if they're bad. I'm talking specifically about on the record quotes though in this case.

 

[6Nattys4Us]

But student athletes are not paid by the University to play - this is indisputable. A scholarship pays for the student's education and boarding which is not a payment to them for services. Even the IRS says for it to be nontaxable to the student, it cannot be a fee for services, which is is not.

Barnes is 100% wrong. Athletes are paid for the name, image, and likeness by NIL funds/pools, but not "to play" nor "to shoot"

Coaches are paid by the University - they are professionals.
Players are students first and foremost.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

What's funny is NBA players aren't treated like that.

Rick Barnes makes millions of dollars. If he choked in the tournament (again) should he be called out in the press by his AD, since he gets paid to win games?

I think this is more the answer. A lot of pro athletes get coddled by the coaches. Especially the NBA. Major D1 athletes are “pros” now but treating them poorly is not a real reflection of life at the next level.

 

[Kenny11]

At a high d1 level, the players are pros that live on campus housing

But so many of the opponents are still college students that are not getting paid. Some of the kids from Maryland eastern shore had dirty sneakers and wrinkled unfiforms.

 

[RJScootin]

What does that mean get treated like a pro? Is it better to be treated as a college athlete rather than a pro?