Paying athletes teaches what?

People can get all confused about money as if the only point in life is to make a lot of it, which is silly. What else can life teach us? When it comes to college I think also there can be a lot of swirling issues which people don't want to admit, so it helps to simplify. And when it comes to college athletics I think it's so simple, it's obvious.

College represents a continuation of a dependency, and is in many ways an extension of adolescence, where many can even find their rights of passage.

The continued dependency means that college students while usually legally adults are still expected to spend most of their time learning.

Adults don't get that kind of dependency, unless maybe sent back to school later, but most don't bother with such things. The point of being an adult is that childhood learning thing is done. Yes, you should learn things throughout your life but having learning be the focus of that life is a thing of childhood.

If you're not trying to learn more then why even bother going to college?

Oh, yeah, status? Just to jump through hoops until you can make the money?

If you do NOT believe in college and think it's just some kind of a joke, then yeah, you may take certain positions. But as an ideal the point is it is a place to continue learning where society still lets you be a bit under adult in many ways.

Meanwhile people who just go fully into adulthood can just get a job.

There are other school options besides college like technical school, but then again technical school is more like apprenticeship for a particular job.

While with college you still have future job options open, at least until you specialize later, perhaps by going to medical or law school. So college is about learning more to make those potentials possible.

Learning is the point of college.

And wow, college athletes can even learn more about their particular sport! And notice how different things can be if they just jump into the professional leagues without that learning phase.

But what about coaches who make a lot of money?

Well coaches are adults who are actually employees of the university!

If your only belief in life is: make money then you do not belong in college.

You're wasting your time and that of your fellow students and the faculty. Go get a freaking job already, and stay out of college. There is nothing for college to teach you.

The idea that learning is key to college to me handles the question of whether or not college athletes should be treated as employees by college or universities and be paid.

And the answer is, no.

But if there is an abuse of the system where they are being used as employees then that should be ended.

Why bother with giving young adults extra time to learn?

That is a great question and one society can involve itself in answering. But as long as college is meant to be a learning environment then we can NOT corrupt it by isolating one group as full adults, paid as employees, within that system.

If there are athletes being used as employees then stop that use.

If legal remedies are necessary then perhaps the US Congress must weigh in on the subject and potentially make it illegal to push college athletes in ways that make them de facto employees.

But if you want them to be employees? Then they're full adults and should be treated as such.

And their primary focus on learning has ended. And it's just time to work.

So if college athletes wish to be fully adult, treated as such, and paid as such, then they should lose ALL the rest, and put every aspect of childhood completely behind them--which means they need to stay out of college entirely.

If you want to learn, go to college. If you want to get paid, get a job.

Um, could that have just been the entire post? Of course not! Can't have an entire blog post that's just a couple of sentences, can I?

Comments appreciated! Trying to get the conversation started: Is it really that simple, or have I missed something? Are these athletes being exploited if the university makes MILLIONS while they just get things, like, scholarships, and to play, and classes, and not money things?

What about the students who would still get NOTHING if athletes got paid to play because they're NOT athletes? Or the programs that aren't BIG BUSINESS? Or athletes in sports that don't draw the huge crowds? Can't we just get away from money as motivation?


James Harris