The NCAA rules are so binding, fairness is many years and many reforms down the road. By paying players, though, the NCAA could improve a flawed system. Many athletes come to college to study their sports, hoping to land a job in their chosen field.

Universities used to have athletics to provide recreational and social opportunities. Today college ball is just a stepping-stone to the professional leagues. Football and basketball do not have minor leagues like baseball. Universities, then, offer experience to athletes and a close-to-professional-level product to the public, and the public eats it up. In November of 1999, the NCAA signed a $6.2 billion contract with CBS Sports to televise the men's basketball tournament. This is commonly known as March Madness. They also have a contract with ABC Sports for the Bowl Championship Series for football. ESPN also pays to televise the women's basketball final four.

Athletic scholarships are for only one year. If the athlete does not play well enough, his/her scholarship may not be renewed. If while spending his/her time practicing and playing their chosen sport the grades could suffer and the athlete could become academically ineligible. This could cost the athlete their scholarship and often force them to leave school.

It is time for NCAA to pay for play. Stop the hypocrisy and do what is right. Give the college athletes their dues. Show them the money!

The coaches are also able to cash in on the college athletes. In 1997, Steve Spurrier, head football coach at Florida signed a six-year contract that pays him $2 million a year. In addition to this, he also gets two new cars a year, clothing allowance, 24 tickets for each home game, plus a house. Just this month, George O'Leary of Georgia Tech signed a new contract that pays him over a $1 million a year. The coaches, in addition to their salary, also get money for radio/T.V. shows, shoe contracts, and other endorsement revenues.

You can see that college athletics generate a great deal of money for the institutions. Now it is time the athletes were paid something for being the meal ticket. An athletic scholars

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