Georgians need to be worried when one of their state legislators believes California lawmakers have a good idea.
But that is exactly what State Representative Bill Mitchell, a Democrat from Stone Mountain, is doing.
Mitchell plans to introduce a bill in the state House modeled after California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act.” The law allows college athletes to be paid for the use of their name.
Mitchell says he doesn’t want Georgia to be at a “decisive disadvantage” when it comes to recruiting athletes. So he is saying athletes need to be paid before they turn pro.
News flash – they are. A full college athletic scholarship, based on in-state tuition, is worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000 over four years – about $105,000 at UGA and $115,000 at Georgia Tech – and that’s a pretty good neighborhood.
There are thousands of young people who deserve such an advantage, but since they can’t punt, pass, kick, run, hit, swim or throw, they never get the chance. And Mitchell wants to give those who can achieve physical feats even greater opportunities.
If Mitchell and other legislators are really interested in the future of Georgia, (and the NCAA is invited to listen) then let’s level the playing field.
Let’s do away with athletic scholarships altogether. No more free education, books, food, room and board, tutoring, and expenses, just because of physical prowess.
Let Nike, Adidas, Under Armor, Sketchers and whoever else wants to get in the game pay the athletes.
Then take the millions of dollars that had been awarded in athletic scholarships and give them to students who otherwise, despite their academic abilities, drive, book smarts and good old common sense, will be saying, “Would you like fries with that?,” just because they could not come up with the money for a college education. Maybe that student will be the one who cures cancer, not the one who catches the pass winning the Super Bowl.
The students with drive will work hard all their life, but think what they could have contributed with the right opportunity for education.
This system means the star athletes will still get their free rides. The quarterbacks, running backs and receivers won’t miss a meal or have to eat Ramen noodles.
The linemen and second and third stringers won’t be so lucky. They’ll have to work and borrow for their educations. They’ll be just like other students, their education will mean something to them.
But this is too radical for legislators. They’d be messing with too much big money at places like UGA and Tech.
But if the lawmakers are going to step out of bounds and do something for athletic programs, they need to step up to the plate and help education.
Here’s what would be a step in the right direction.
If a student athlete fails to graduate, say he or she turns pro after their junior year, they have to pay every dime of scholarship money they were given back into a fund to help disadvantaged students. The minute they get that big signing bonus, they must write a check back to the school for their tuition, books, meals, room and board and whatever other bill they didn’t have to pay. Maybe then they’ll know the value of an education.
Glenn Harbison is publisher/editor of The News Observer. He can be reached at 706-632-2019 or by email at glenn@thenewsobserver.com.