Athletes receive a better deal than people think

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Arlie Rahn

Major sport athletes fall into one of three categories: the "superstar" who makes it to the NBA or NFL (Mike Bibby), the "starter" who has an opportunity to play professionally on a lower level (Corey Williams) and the "role player" who doesn't have much of a career in that sport. When each situation is carefully investigated, it becomes obvious that none of the athletes in any of these categories are victims of exploitation.

The obvious compensations these athletes receive are free tuition, books and lodging (amounting to over $60,000 in many cases), a small stipend for other essentials and free top-of-the-line athletic equipment for their own leisure use.

Many people don't realize that the Nike equipment the basketball players receive is the exact same equipment that these players spend $100 to $200 on in high school. It's doubtful that the university is going to purchase bogus equipment for their athletes just because they are given more money to use it. In fact, one of the reasons UA athletic director Jim Livengood pursued a deal with Nike was because its equipment was rated high in nearly every sport.

And the one team that did not think Nike was the best, the golf team, was allowed to continue using Ping equipment.

Now, the "superstar" and "starter" level athletes essentially use the college ranks as a minor league stage to showcase their talents. Therefore, the free tuition is not that great of a deal for these guys because they probably won't use their degree, if they get one at all. So here are some benefits that don't get as much publicity. First, they receive the 25 years of expertise from Lute Olson or the 21 years of knowledge from Dick Tomey, all free of charge. It is basically a guarantee that any basketball or football player will be heads and shoulders better when they leave because of the efforts of these coaches.

In some cases for the better athletes, this amounts to millions of extra dollars they receive when they enter the pros. For the "starter" athletes, this gives them a chance to pursue a career in a sport they would have had no opportunity in without college. They also get a free national arena to show pro scouts their skills. In many entertainment vocations, this opportunity in itself is worth millions.

For the "role players," the benefits are much more apparent. They get a chance to go through school and get a degree with virtually no debt or pressure to get good grades. Still, these players do have to take some responsibility. Just as you can't blame the teacher for failing the student that sleeps in during the final exam, it's hard to blame the university for a student not taking advantage of his educational opportunities.

Now, in major universities, some form of exploitation of students can be found everywhere. If an undergraduate or graduate researcher working for a professor helps him get a large grant, he might get some of the glory but the professor and the department will get all the money. Is this fair? Probably not, but no one complains because the knowledge gained through those findings and the public recognition could help get that student a more lucrative position after graduation.

That sounds a great deal, like the benefits a Mike Bibby or a Michael Dickerson gets after playing basketball for Arizona. So why are the student athletes considered exploited when the student researchers are not?

The answer is that people pay more attention to changes in athletics than academics because they are more interesting and affect us all. How many of you know about some of the new computer labs or recently remodeled classrooms? Not many. Definitely not as many that know McKale Center just received a new basketball court floor.

The reality is that every student athlete gets a great deal. They are assured a four- or five- year scholarship, regardless of their athletic performance. If an athlete breaks his leg or doesn't perform well, they still keep their scholarship. Regular students aren't that lucky. If a student on an academic scholarship gets straight Cs one semester, that person loses his or her funding. The talented athletes also get a great deal. They not only receive free room and board but also get to showcase their skills on a national level and receive expert guidance in their sport for no charge. They even get a stipend for monthly essentials. If this is exploitation, sign me up.

Arlie Rahn is a senior majoring in systems engineering. He can be reached at Arlie.Rahn@wildcat.arizona.edu.