Thursday, April 3rd, 2014
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
March Madness- Are College Athletes Being Shortchanged?
Millions of rabid college basketball fans have been glued to their TVs over the past month as March Madness reaches its crescendo. And the big bucks have been rolling in. With coaches getting bigger salaries, and colleges splitting huge TV and admission revenue — there are lots of winners. But one group is being exploited and shortchanged — the players themselves.
There’s certainly no shortage of income. This year in the NCAA tourney, television income is estimated to approach $2 billion with an additional $200 million from ticket sales and sponsorships. A thirty second spot for Monday night’s championship game will cost nearly $2 million. And college football is awash with a fabulously increasing income, as well.
The average compensation for these NCAA tourney coaches is at least twice that of the typical university president. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski will pocket some $7.5 million this year. In 40 states, the highest paid public employee is the football or basketball coach, which shows a perverted sense of priorities at these institutions of higher learning.
Fans pay through the nose to attend major college athletic events. As an LSU football season ticket holder, I personally pay $1025 just for the right to buy one seat. The seat ticket itself is $64 per game. So there are big bucks coming into major college programs all over the country. Continue Reading……………..