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I am looking for some answers. I hope, I pray that I am not the only one looking for these answers. Before I start with my questions, I want to state the following. For years I have been hearing that college athletes have been exploited and should receive compensation for their athletic abilities. These are the folks that commit to an “educational” institution before they even take their PSAT’s or applied to seek admittance.
Once there, they will have their tuition and room and board waived along with their books and other educational equipment. At some universities this could total between 50 and 100 thousand dollars. That’s more than most folks make in a year. Recently, they’ve been able to cash in on their name, image, likeness, the NIL. Even high school athletes can do the same as in Pennsylvania among other states.
Now my questions. Watching the Peach Bowl, I noticed that some players, who opted out of the game for fear of lowering their NFL draft status, were on the sidelines, in uniform. Why? They weren’t going to play. The real question however is who paid for them to be “standing” on the sidelines? Who paid for them to fly to Atlanta? Who paid for their room and meals while they “were not going to play”?
My guess is that the flight, tickets to the game, a few nights stay along with meals ran into the thousands of dollars. My guess, also, is that the “opters out” had everything paid for by their respective institutions so they could show “solidarity” with their teammates.
I’m also guessing that these few who refused to play, will still be able to take classes and use the college’s facilities at no charge this upcoming semester because they can play a kids game at a higher level.
The stupidity in this country is running rampant and it’s starting at the top with citadels of higher education. Final Question: Where is the academic leadership of these bastions of higher education?
Emory Guffrovich
Pittston