They suit up at least 40 hours a week to give us a Saturday in Athens. Is our amusement worth their risks?
We count down the months, days, hours until the Georgia Bulldogs play Between the Hedges, starting as soon as the last game of the prior season is over. We tailgate in their honor, buy merchandise with their numbers, celebrate their successes and at the end of the day, call them "our team".
Student-Athletes are technically labeled as employees of the university that they play for. However, this goes against the 'amatuer' title they receive as student-athletes- under this term they play for fun, not monetary gain. While every players dream as a kid is to be that athletic star, these aspirations are tainted when they come to realize their livelihoods are not at all what is portrayed in hype videos.
Their scholarships and education are payment enough. "The NCAA admits that its scholarship limit leaves 'full' scholarship athletes with $3,000-$5,000 in out-of-pocket expenses each year," as reported in an article on usnews.com. Multiply those numbers by 4 years, and you've got a minimum of $12,000 to pay after your student title is stripped. We all know that a portion of student-athletes are not always from wealthy backgrounds, and often find that athletic scholarships are the only way to get a college degree. That being true, how dedicated of a student can an athlete be with 40 hours of practice time alone? That doesn't take into account missed classes. Whether they're excused absences or not, they're still absent from class. The lack of academic focus throughout NCAA bearing universities is left to the individual athletic departments and coaching staff. Consequently, the lack of scholastic dedication can determine the rest of their lives beyond the four years they're in school since the pull of being an athlete is no longer relevant while attempting to establish a life long career path.
Luckily for the football players here at UGA, Coach Richt has been a component in installing The Paul Oliver Network. That with the dedication of unnamed men, have found passion in helping players find purpose after football. Those that go on to the NFL (UGA with 45 in the league), are not immune to lack of purpose when the dream is over. The spread of depression and unfortunate suicides throughout the league have brought attention to the sport's amount of contact in the game, but in Oliver's case, it wasn't an injury that set him into depression. As quoted in an article from The Telegraph, Des Williams stated that, "I feel like if he had known all the people in his corner, even with all the other stuff going on, it never would have happened.”
Even with the help of this network, athletes still struggle on a daily bases during their time at the Universities. Quoted from The New York Times, "The U-Conn. Huskies’ star guard, Shabazz Napier, told reporters that sometimes he goes to bed 'starving' because he can’t afford food, reports The Washington Post’s Soraya Nadia McDonald." Whether this statement is one made in regards to meals after on-campus food services are closed, it was still made. I have seen first-hand senior players struggling to meet their caloric intake requirements because they can't afford to buy adequate amounts of groceries, and the food that they do purchase is not of enough nutritional value because of the price tag that comes with healthier options.
Since the scandal of being paid under the table with the Fab Five from Michigan, monetary gains by student-athletes are closely monitored. Even with gifts they receive from Bowl appearances, iPads and watches, these don't cover the left over costs of living and medical expenses that are left on the players shoulders.
Reform to better support student-athletes of all sports needs to be considered. In 1973, the NCAA restricted scholarships to be granted on yearly bases- which gives coaches total freedom to determine the support their players can receive based on performance, injuries and academics. Just recently in 2012, Universities were granted the ability to give multi-year scholarships to recruits. The promises of being taken care for the next four years are empty when student-athletes realize the amount of free will their coaches have to exercise over their fate for the next four-five years.
In that time they dedicate to the athletic programs, the amount of revenue received from exploiting their names, numbers, autographs and time are in no way directed towards their bank accounts because under NCAA regulations, that is illegal. Trust funds for after college with a percentage of gains made on using a player's prestige is one way of bringing reform, others include readjusting where the money from the entertainment they provide is funneled.
Being a Student-Athlete is bringing glory to Ole' Georgia in the fans eyes, but from the player's perspective it may not be all that it's cracked up to be. So while you're tailgating out around campus in your red out attire, be in tune with the reason for the season: our boys on the field.
