Johnny.... (Page 2)

If it is proven he did indeed take the money then he has screwed up and should accept the punishment like a man. However one can't help but choke on the irony that this article spells out.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/johnny-manziel-t-pr...

Consider me the second one, then.
When JFF whined about the ticket he got for parking the wrong way and blamed the Aggie community, I had my fill of this guy.

I'm tired of the "he's a young college student" excuse. I have not heard of any of the gold medal winning gymnasts who are even younger loading up on stupid activities. LeBron James was 19 when he hit the NBA. He did not make headlines with stupid behaviors.

JFF, welcome to a short lived career in Arena Football.

Whether the rule/policy is crap or not.....it's still a rule.

I don't like the seat belt law, but if I get pulled over breaking a law, then I pay the consequence.

My HOA has a policy that I can't keep my trash cans outside and if I want to build a deck, I have to get approval. Both are dumb but I risk consequences by not following policy.

Regardless of what the rules state....it's a rule. It's been that way forever.

Johnny Football. The New Rosa Parks:

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/johnny-manziel-case-...

I don't really even know what to say. Comparing Johnny Manziel to Rosa Parks is ... well it's stunning, to say the least.

Quite possibly the worst article I've ever read.....and I read all of Tony's releases he does.

Let's take everything that everyone's been saying over the past week, condense it down into a few paragraphs, toss in some racism, and get it published.

Bingo. It's not like they're getting nothing to play ball. They're getting a free college education, in many cases. At some schools, that's worth a TON of money. And think about what it does for future earning potential. We already have a professional football league, why do we need another one?

They aren't getting a damn thing for free.  They make the universities they attend exponentially more money then their education costs.  If they didn't, there would be no scholarships. Maybe an education was enough 20 years ago.....but their jersey's, etc. are worth millions today....and colleges are raking in money from their talents.  It's garbage.  Pay them.

Exactly, once you start paying them then it just becomes like minor league baseball.

"Pay them and be done with this stupidity."

I was thinking about that line, and ya know what? I don't think paying them alone would solve the problem.

I'll get back to that in a little bit.
Just now I was thinking about how funny it is that there seem to be a lot of folks trying to make this Manziel thing the turning point in the decades-old controversy over whether to pay college athletes or not.
This kid was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
He was court side for Game 1 of the NBA Finals...those tickets went for $15,000 each.
Fact of the matter, he didn't even need the money.
All those other kids in years past from less than cushy backgrounds were getting busted and for some reason the advocates for paying college athletes weren't quite as vocal then. I just find that interesting.

So, back to why I don't think paying college athletes solves any problem.
How much are you going to pay them?
Will there be profit-sharing between big schools and small schools?
Money that would have otherwise gone toward the schools themselves would be going to players.
How would that be received by college football fans? By students and professors?
How would this impact tuition? I have to believe tuition rates would rise.
Would scholarships then be eliminated since the athletes could then pay their way?
Would colleges literally outbid each other to secure the rights to the players? Do you see any ethical problems there?
Would the college athletes be required to take classes anymore?
Does the school itself have the right to sell merchandise with the players' names? If not, don't ya think the school would lose a lot of revenue?
How 'bout college athletes in sports that don't generate a profit for the school? Are they getting paid?

I used to believe paying players was the way to go, but when I really think about it, it seems like a bum deal for the majority of college students who would be getting the shaft.
College athletes at big schools have it pretty good.
The best facilities, the best women, the best tutors, tuition is free...not a bad deal.
It's a complex issue that just doesn't have an easy answer one way or the other.