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Student athletes well paid for their services
To the editor, The Daily Wildcat's editorial Wednesday advocating that college athletics be eliminated to create economic pressure in favor of student athletes was completely off the mark. I was appalled to read such a demented definition of what it means to "(get) screwed" and be "virtually slaves." The editorial complains that athletes do not get their fair share of the revenues they "generate." Why should they? In the first place, if it weren't for television networks that made college athletics popular nationwide, this influx of big bucks would be non-existent. Secondly, I think it's already a sweet deal that an athletically talented high school senior can go to college for free to play their sport. Why are they entitled to more than that? They swim, run, shot, pitch, whatever. After college, if they have been successful, they make the pros; if not, they move on in life to something else. In the meantime they have done nothing worthy of a share of corporate wealth. When I was in little league and even in high school sports, I thought my efforts were made in the name of commitment, loyalty, persistence, strength and discipline. I didn't know that athletes were entitle to "proportional payments for their efforts." Now, even with full-ride scholarships and hopes of professional stardom, an athlete is still "getting screwed... badly" if he or she doesn't get a cut of television and commercial profits. That is not what athletics is about and that is greedy. And now the saddest part. The editorial whines, "(Student athletes) spend years training and performing, risking serious injury, all so that Nike can sell shoes, probably made by an eight-year-old in Taiwan." Student athletes are not being compensated fairly?! This is ridiculous! This is where the opinions board needs to orient itself toward reality. Police officers train for years and risk their lives for the benefit of strangers: average salary, $45,000. Mailmen guarantee the safe and speedy delivery of important information across the country: average salary, $35,000. School bus drivers are entrusted with the lives of children on their way to get an education: average salary, $8 an hour. On what grounds is the opinions board fighting for the athlete? I wonder who is fighting for the eight-year-old child in Taiwan.
Andrew Shemin
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