Michigan DB Jabrill Peppers says he can't 'eat right' on NCAA checks

[GopherinPhilly]

I'm definitely in camp that believes we don't need to be playing players and that the value of a free education is reward enough, but it's not like grad assistants aren't paid for the work on grants (less so for undergrads). I can't say this happens in every instance, but my while my wife was obtaining her PHD from Minnesota her grad school was completely paid for and she received a stipend (roughly 20k/year if I remember correctly) for her work on grants. I should point out though, that the money came from the grant itself (a significant portion of the grant money is meant for paying grad students to work on it).

This post/thread brought up an interesting thought: If we were to take this model and compare it to the athletes, it would not be the sole responsibility of the athletics department or school to pay these athletes - we would include the corporations that are creating the wealth in the college football system. In this scenario the National Institute of Health would be analogous to Budweiser or Directv. People seem to love to criticize the universities for exploiting these athletes, but aren't corporations doing the same thing. Maybe we should ask the sponsors for more money, which is specifically dedicated to create stipends for the players that are helping sell beer, chips and credit cards. Just a thought...

This is been a huge part of my reasoning that student athletes should have the ability to negotiate more. The schools make money on their coke or pepsi deal, their beer deal, their uniform deal, video game deal, their shoe deal, their radio deal, and so on. But a student athlete can't make one penny from any deal they get on their own and weren't getting anything from their likeness being used that generated revenue.

I don't see how those of you that are "scholarship that doesn't pay full cost" or "full cost scholarship" is all these kids are entitled to and that they have no rights to negotiate simply because it is a monopoly. The fact that it is a monopoly is exactly the reason their needs to be regulation and the fact that these kids are making schools money in so many ways is exactly the reason there has to be a negotiation.

Again, just because the schools decided that the best way to finance sports programs that don't make money is through the ones that do is not the problem of the athletes, its the problem of the schools. If field hockey and golf are important sports at the D-1 level then let them get sponsors or fans to pay the bill or the schools can pay the bill...but expecting the cost for those sports to rest solely on the backs of the 2 or 3 profitable sports is just unfair, unreasonable and in my opinion wrong.

 

[Gopherocious]

There are tens of thousands of interns across this country working a job for FREE knowing that the experience they gain will likely benefit them in the future. No room, board, free tuition. Some get no pay and no chance for a raise when they perform well.

My wife works at a high school. No matter how hard she works, no matter how well she does, there will be no bonus. Her raise, if she gets one will be less than cost of living expenses and will be the same as the worst employee in her pay lane. It's the job she signed up for.

Football players signed up for a job like these. They are compensated much better than an intern. The best players are (or should be) compensated as much as the non-star players, like my wife in her Union job.

Mr Peppers signed up for this. If his family is not well off enough to supplement his food stipend then I suggest he live in the dorms, for free and eat free food. Not ideal, but still a decent option. Jabrill doesn't have to eat ramen for breakfast and he knows it. I'm the end, he can use his free top notch education to land a high paying job or he can play pro football. Not a bad out. Better than most interns out there. Time to grow up whiny p***.

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[bleedsmaroonandgold]

This is been a huge part of my reasoning that student athletes should have the ability to negotiate more. The schools make money on their coke or pepsi deal, their beer deal, their uniform deal, video game deal, their shoe deal, their radio deal, and so on. But a student athlete can't make one penny from any deal they get on their own and weren't getting anything from their likeness being used that generated revenue.

I don't see how those of you that are "scholarship that doesn't pay full cost" or "full cost scholarship" is all these kids are entitled to and that they have no rights to negotiate simply because it is a monopoly. The fact that it is a monopoly is exactly the reason their needs to be regulation and the fact that these kids are making schools money in so many ways is exactly the reason there has to be a negotiation.

Again, just because the schools decided that the best way to finance sports programs that don't make money is through the ones that do is not the problem of the athletes, its the problem of the schools. If field hockey and golf are important sports at the D-1 level then let them get sponsors or fans to pay the bill or the schools can pay the bill...but expecting the cost for those sports to rest solely on the backs of the 2 or 3 profitable sports is just unfair, unreasonable and in my opinion wrong.

They have every right to negotiate, just like the NCAA has every right to hold firm on its position. They also have every right to whine about it on their Twitter accounts. I also have my right to whine about their whining, and you have your right to whine about my whining about their whining. It seems like we are all taking advantage of those rights and freely exercising them.

If you feel they cannot negotiate simply because the NCAA has no major competition for minor league football, that almost proves my point. The NCAA has no major competition because there is no profitable market for second tier football players to play lower quality football than what the NFL offers. The NCAA survives, because people are willing to pay big money to watch amateur athletes represent their school which they have an attachment to. The players are the beneficiaries of that existing structure. If watching second tier football players play was a profitable endeavor without the school loyalty that supports NCAA football, then minor leagues would be attracting all of the talent away from college football to come earn those big salaries (unless you think some of the players would choose the scholarship over the salary, which would also prove my point that the players feel the scholarship is better compensation than a salary).

 

[dpodoll68]

If you feel they cannot negotiate simply because the NCAA has no major competition for minor league football, that almost proves my point. The NCAA has no major competition because there is no profitable market for second tier football players to play lower quality football than what the NFL offers. The NCAA survives, because people are willing to pay big money to watch amateur athletes represent their school which they have an attachment to. The players are the beneficiaries of that existing structure. If watching second tier football players play was a profitable endeavor without the school loyalty that supports NCAA football, then minor leagues would be attracting all of the talent away from college football to come earn those big salaries (unless you think some of the players would choose the scholarship over the salary, which would also prove my point that the players feel the scholarship is better compensation than a salary).

No one has a reasonable argument against either of these points. And, to build on your second point (about the existing structure) - Michigan football has, does, and will continue to exist long into the future without Jabrill Peppers. Jabrill Peppers is a nobody without Michigan (or one of their peer schools). Michigan and its peer institutions take all of the risk, and that is why they deserve all of the rewards. And, to build on it even further - people only look at the revenue side of the ledger without bothering to look at the expenses as well. It takes an unbelievably large sum of money to finance a major college athletic department. But they're all just raking it in hand over fist, right?

 

[Ski U Master]

Again, just because the schools decided that the best way to finance sports programs that don't make money is through the ones that do is not the problem of the athletes, its the problem of the schools. If field hockey and golf are important sports at the D-1 level then let them get sponsors or fans to pay the bill or the schools can pay the bill...but expecting the cost for those sports to rest solely on the backs of the 2 or 3 profitable sports is just unfair, unreasonable and in my opinion wrong.

This statement tells me you don't understand the mission of the athletic department. It is not a for-profit enterprise, it is an organization that provides a means for talented athletes of all kinds access to a world class education based on the merits of their athletic ability.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

There are tens of thousands of interns across this country working a job for FREE knowing that the experience they gain will likely benefit them in the future. No room, board, free tuition. Some get no pay and no chance for a raise when they perform well.

My wife works at a high school. No matter how hard she works, no matter how well she does, there will be no bonus. Her raise, if she gets one will be less than cost of living expenses and will be the same as the worst employee in her pay lane. It's the job she signed up for.

Football players signed up for a job like these. They are compensated much better than an intern. The best players are (or should be) compensated as much as the non-star players, like my wife in her Union job.

Mr Peppers signed up for this. If his family is not well off enough to supplement his food stipend then I suggest he live in the dorms, for free and eat free food. Not ideal, but still a decent option. Jabrill doesn't have to eat ramen for breakfast and he knows it. I'm the end, he can use his free top notch education to land a high paying job or he can play pro football. Not a bad out. Better than most interns out there. Time to grow up whiny p***.

Whether interns are to be paid or not is a legal question. There are specific tests that must be passed by the preceptor to avoid claims of employment and all that goes with it.

In practice this is probably abused by some but lawsuits rarely brought because its a tough case to make with little reward, and most of these kids are probably ignorant.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Whether or not the students study more than they play football is up to the students. I definitely knew some guys who spent more time at fraternity events than they did studying, didn't make them professional frat boys or University employees just because they dedicated a lot of time to their extra-curricular activity of choice.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I'm relaying the arguments that are put forward. In the Northwestern unionization case the judgment was that during the season they had more time demands from football than academics.

What makes sense to us and what makes sense to someone interpreting the law are different things.

 

[fraternity2017]

Don't these guys get the unlimited meal plan in the dining hall as a part of the scholarship they get? I used to see players from almost every sport in the new 17th Avenue Dining Hall all the time last year.

The meal plan they get also comes with at least $300 dollars in flexdine money that can be used at on campus restaurants.

I assume this guy has an unlimited meal plan because he is on scholarship, but if he isn't, why doesn't he get one? They are relatively inexpensive on a per meal basis and he would literally have unlimited food. They have flexible hours and are very convenient. Here is the link to UMich's dining hall's http://www.housing.umich.edu/dining/menus/hours

 

[hungan1]

Is he running a den of inequity off campus like Jewhan Edwards & his crew? If he does, he needs more than money for Ramen noodles.

You know how Jerry Kill handled that? He yanked 'Shede back to the dorm and booted pretty much the rest of the crew off the team.

 

[STPGopher]

"Essentially free"? Give me a break. I guess the six figures (easily) in student loan debt that my wife and I have is "essentially" nothing? The government won't care if I just stop making the payments?

How much did you bring into the athletic department?

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

How much did you bring into the athletic department?

How much less money do you think Michigan would bring in if Jabrill Peppers quit the team and dropped out of school? I'd venture it wouldn't dent the bottom line.