TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 30: Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) reaches for a first down before being forced out of bounds by Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) in the 4th quarter of the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 30, 2020 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire)
One of the hot button topics surrounding college football these is whether or not the players should be paid. As we all know, many college players receive things like free tuition and boarding but are not paid actual wages. Meanwhile, the NCAA and many of the big colleges pull in millions and millions of dollars because of those kids.
This leads many to believe that the college football system is flawed and something needs to be done to better compensate those who attract the masses: The players. Among those who believe the players should be paid is Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
@DCarr8 free education yes. Awesome. Free food yes. Awesome. But the school shouldn’t make millions off these kids and the kids see nothing.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 11, 2021
As Carr points out, it’s not that anyone thinks a free education is valueless, it’s that there is a clear inequity between what the college receive and what the players receive. Considering there would be no college football without the players there is something patently unfair about how money obtained thanks to those players is dispersed.
Carr went on to explain that he understands that this is a sticky situation without a clear or obvious solution, but that doesn’t mean you just ignore it:
@DCarr75 @DCarr8 how do we pay them? I don’t know? But we need to figure it out…
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 11, 2021
We can argue all day long over the value of a college education, but doing so takes the focus away from the reality of the situation. Sure, they get a free education but the schools get a return on that investment that is more valuable by a thousand fold. Colleges sell jerseys with the kids numbers and video games are made in their likeness. Money comes in hand over fist based solely on college players who do not earn a wage. (College tuition is a benefit, not a wage, they are different.)
Regardless of what the right solution is, the answer cannot simply be that schools continue to make millions and millions of dollars on the backs of young kids while those kids receive a benefit that is substantially less valuable. There has to be a way to find a more equitable solution.
