AP: Could college basketball players make $1 million? Economist suggests maybe

per the Associated Press:

Football players at big schools could make several hundred thousand dollars in their college careers if they were paid a portion of the broadcast rights to games similar to what NFL players now get, under a model suggested by a sports economist.

Basketball players would do even better, with some earning more than $1 million over four years if schools split their broadcast revenues equally with athletes. That figure could rise even higher as billions of dollars in new television contracts for the rights to games are negotiated.

University of San Francisco economist Daniel Rascher testified Friday that the figures are at the high end of his model because they come close to the 55 percent of broadcast revenue the NFL shares with its players. He pointed out on the witness stand that he did other models that would give players as little as 10 percent of revenues if they were allowed to share in broadcast rights.

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/celebrities/263096571.html

Go Gophers!!

It might work if the colleges follow the NFL model------32 teams and share national broadcast rights.

This is probably the only situation of paying players I've heard of that I would be on board with.

Players getting a cut of the broadcasting revenues and not a direct stipend from the university makes too much sense.

The question I've always had is: What are the players willing to give up then if they do get paid? It's not like this money is just floating around not being used. This money is being used in the athletic department so something has to be taken away.

GophersInIowa said:

The question I've always had is: What are the players willing to give up then if they do get paid? It's not like this money is just floating around not being used. This money is being used in the athletic department so something has to be taken away.

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Cut coaches salaries. Cut the athletic facilities arms race. It's easy to find money without gutting the athletic departments.

GophersInIowa said:

The question I've always had is: What are the players willing to give up then if they do get paid? It's not like this money is just floating around not being used. This money is being used in the athletic department so something has to be taken away.

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I think each D-1 player would gladly have the cost of their tuition and books subtracted from their paycheck to get that cool hard cash. Isn't that the argument...they get a free education so they don't deserve a cut of the profits? Well, keep your tuition and I'll take the cash. Deal?