It’s time for the NCAA to move into the future. It is time for amateur athletes to get a piece of the pie. Athletic directors and higher-ups in the NCAA need to be called out. For too long, the people who are in charge (who are supposed to have the kids best interest in mind) have been stealing money that could benefit these student-athletes immensely. Student-athletes should be able to receive some type of payment for everything that they do.

I’m mainly wagging a disapproving finger at grown men taking advantage of poor kids. But there are examples of athletes from all economic backgrounds who could have and should have gotten more from their collegiate experience than a couple trophies. Take football into consideration. Look at Johnny Manziel. That man single handedly put Texas A&M football on the map. It was not his coach. It was not his athletic director. Nor was it NCAA president Mark Emmert. Manziel made the highlight reels. What do Robert Griffin III, Vince Young, Reggie Bush and Denard Robinson all have in common? They were all featured as cover athletes for EA Sports video games and did not see a dime of that money. Someone who has superior and extraordinary talent should be able to profit off of their own face.

Think of any other profession. Where else do you find these same limits and boundaries? You might say “Well Drew college kids are not professionals”. And you would be right. Kind of. I would argue that there are some athletes who are good enough to be professionals without spending any time in college. Not all student-athletes are made the same. Some are more talented than others. Also, schedules are such that trying to juggle practice and school work is like a full-time job. The demands of a major college season have become greater. I’ll spare you WHY I think the NCAA is corrupt and its roots to institutional racism for another post. I just think we need to make a few changes to the rules. First I’ll let you read what ESPN NCAA basketball analyst Jay Bilas thinks is a solution:

1) The “one and done” rule should be thrown away. While this is strictly an NBA rule, I believe it would positively affect the college game for the better. When the rule was put in place by former NBA commissioner David Stern in the early 2000s, it was because he believed that most high school athletes weren’t ready for the transition to the NBA. For every Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, there’s a Darius Miles and Kwame Brown. The game has evolved since then. Athletes today are ultra athletic AND big. YouTube sensation and future NBA lottery pick Zion Williamson does not need college. At 6-6 275 lbs, he’s a man right now. A player like him should have the right to jump to the league if he pleases. At the same time, if a high school kid decides to join a university they would need to stay in school a minimum of 2 years. College baseball and football make their student athletes stay a minimum of three years so I believe this is more than fair. The overall star power may not be as obvious, but I believe it will make the college game more pure. Kids who actually want to be in school will have a different kind of motivation than a kid who just wants to impress NBA scouts. It also helps that the NBA has developed the G-League now which back then they did not.

2) Let NCAA student athletes profit off their likeness. Like Jalen Rose said, there is way too much money changing hands and for the kids not to receive any of it is criminal.  Right now, Devonte’ Graham cannot gain any money from having sponsors or being in commercials. He cannot sign autographs and profit off of that. Devonte Graham is in the running for Player of the Year. He plays for the University of Kansas. Have you seen his hair? You can’t tell me that dude isn’t marketable. It would be in the best interest of the NCAA to allow their best players at these bigger schools to gain some exposure. Not only would the player benefit, but it might be bring more casual fans to the game of college basketball.

The main argument I always hear is that getting to attend college for free is a way of payment. But it is not. Don’t get it twisted. Yes free tuition for four years, if you choose, is an exceptional opportunity. Just ask my credit score. That is a great deal for the average student athlete. By now, we know that not everyone has the same destiny. I imagine Oklahoma point guard Trae Young’s summer will be vastly different than any of his teammates. So why limit his money making opportunity? He’s worked his whole life to be a great basketball player. For some it was their ticket out of poverty. It’s 2018. We need to start treating these kids as people instead of dollar signs. Everyone is getting paid except the people who are putting fans in the seats. There are hundreds of restrictions on the student athlete, but coaches and athletic directors have free reign to make millions of dollars off the backs of the young men they bring to their school.

NCAA president Mark Emmert did take a stand last Friday when he said, they will take “serious consideration” in the Olympic model. That way, student athletes would be able to profit off of endorsement deals. It’s a good start, but it sounds like lip service. It sounds good to the media during this firestorm that the NCAA created due to it’s shady culture. If a kid was able to have endorsement money from a company, it could change the outlook on a kids family. That’s what the NCAA should be about. Changing kids lives. Not stealing from them.