Dec. 2, 2015. Brian wakes from a restless sleep. Today is the championship game and as the quarterback, Brian knows a lot depends on him. He has played four years with these guys and they count on him. He looks over at his roommate, sound asleep, lightly snoring, his best friend and offensive lineman. Brian looks out the dorm window to check the weather then goes down the hall to shower. At breakfast later in the cafeteria, the mood is quiet. Almost all the players come from his state. Brian goes back to his room to study his play book, checks his banking account to see if he has enough to buy some new jeans. He looks forward to graduation in May. Later, the bus takes him and the rest of the team to the stadium.
Dec. 2, 2025. Carson wakes up in his condo. He’s also restless, although this is his sixth year as a top quarterback and Carson’s third team. The doorbell rings and Carson picks up his breakfast from DoorDash. He eats alone. Carson looks at his latest email, a Big 10 coach offering him $5 million to play at his school next season. Maybe he should switch schools. Carson has one season of eligibility left. Later, Carson gets in his sports car, drives to the stadium and parks in his private space.
Brian was the kind of guy I went to school with, playing at the same school for four years. He lived in the dorm, had a roommate and ate with the other athletes in the dining room. He received a full scholarship, room and board, but nothing else. But he did resent the amount of money swirling around him, coaches making millions a year, seemingly everyone making money off his blood and sweat. But he loved the game and loved the school. This was his team. Brian was a good student but school was tough. Coaches jobs are always on the line and they expect more and more, all of this exacting a great toll on body and mind.
I don’t know any Carsons, but I know that big time college sports are a long way from amateurism. It’s just a mini NFL, athletes waiting for the next stage although few make it. Money has always ruled but now it is worse. It seems like the world has turned upside down for big universities. I can’t imagine teaching at a big university with big time football. It took me 10 years of hard work to receive a PhD, and then you typically have to wait 12 more years to become a full professor. It will take a professor about 35-40 years to make what Carson, age 23, makes in one year as a quarterback. And it will take multiple lifetimes to make what a football coach makes in a year. The tail now wags the dog.
Universities now spend enormous amounts of money on facilities, travel, and direct funds to athletes. Athletic directors and school presidents want that money back. Ticket prices are not affordable for many, and don’t expect to find a deal when buying food at the stadium. But the real toll is on the athletes. Now that they are paying you, they want their money’s worth. Football used to be seasonal, but athletes now train 12 months. How about more games, ridiculous bowls, and the playoffs? There is already a push to increase the number of teams in the playoffs. Administrators drool.
Unlike the NFL, the mini NFL is out of control; no one is in charge. Coaches flip flop before the season ends, athletes jump from one school to another, some playing seven seasons. The NCAA used to laud graduation statistics of athletes but I suspect they’re not saying much now. Universities have prescribed programs of study. When athletes change schools, especially multiple times, progress is delayed.
There is still amateurism out there, but it’s not in football and basketball at big schools. D1 schools give athletic scholarships in many sports like volleyball, field hockey, and rowing, but don’t expect any spending money for these athletes. DIII athletes do not receive scholarships or any direct funding. Athletes at these schools do not play for financial gain, but for the joy of competition, for the camaraderie of teammates, to challenge themselves to achieve their potential. These athletes will never make the NFL, but they will know they played, that they played for the love of the game.
Jim Johnson is a retired professor of exercise and sport science after teaching 52 years at Smith College and Washington University in St. Louis. He comments about sport, exercise, and sports medicine. He can be reached at jjohnson@smith.edu.