MARCH MADNESS

Now that we are at the end of a great NCAA Basketball tournament for the men and women, the players are on my mind. This year’s tournament (2013) was some of the finest college basketball play I have seen in some time. The seeds meant nothing; this is elite competition.

I watched as many men’s games as was humanly possible. I only managed to see the women play when UCONN was on the court. I have to support Connecticut’s only "professional” team. WE WON! Now coach, Geno Auriemma has 8 championships with UCONN, tied for second total wins.

While I watched the celebration, I thought about how much money UCONN is going to make for this championship win; and how much coach Geno makes. The Hartford Courant reported that his salary was about $8 million over the last 5-year contract. In addition, it is reported that he receives bonuses for making it to the tournament, the final four, and the championship.

More Money, More Money, More Money.

I can only imagine the multiple millions UCONN earns for being the top team in the nation.

That just leaves the most important people, the student athletes. What do they get? I have to acknowledge that that top high school players get recruited and receive a full scholarship for their education; and if they continue to perform at a high level they, MAY get a contract in the NBA/WNBA.

However, the percentage of NCAA basketball players that go on and play in the NBA is about 1%. According to the NCAA “about one in 75, or approximately 1.3 percent, of NCAA male senior basketball players will get drafted by a National Basketball Association (NBA) team” and that “Less than one in 100, or approximately 0.9 percent, of NCAA female senior basketball players will get drafted by a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team” (Research, 2012, p. 2).    This leaves 99% of the student athletes without a windfall after their 4 years of hard work and dedication.

The juxtaposition between what the players receive in comparison to the NCAA, the colleges and the coaches is a joke. This was especially highlighted in the ESPN documentary “Fab Five” of the University of Michigan. The film is about the best freshman basketball team to ever play.  One of the players recounts that during the season, the boys decided to go to the mall. While there, they were asked to sign autographs for the jerseys being sold at a sporting goods store,. As they signed and gave high-fives, they realized that they couldn’t afford to buy the very jersey with their name and number. Something is wrong with that reality.

The film did point out that there were alleged financial scandals that followed the freshman. But after all that you saw, could you blame them for trying to get a piece of the pie, if they did do it? The gross negligence by the authorities to ensure that their student athletes want for nothing is disturbing.

History tells us that those at the top continue to line their pockets, selling the pipe dream about these students’ futures, and them send them off their way to face the hard world. This should be a crime!

During one of this year’s semi-finals on the men’s side, a Louisville player, Kevin Ware suffered one of the worst injuries ever witnessed on the court in front of a national television audience. Luckily, for him it was not a career ending injury; but it could have been. What would happen to Kevin Ware, a sophomore? What if it ended the way it had for Hank Gathers? There would be no life following his last play. FLASHBACK: Basketball Player Hank Gathers Dies on Court

I think it is time to acknowledge that student athletes give their all for their team, and in the end, they should get cash in return. Perhaps, a one-time lump sum at the end of their collegiate career, based on a similar bonus structure the coaches receive. At least they would get something, even if they failed to make it professionally.

What do you think should happen?

For the full article about Geno Auriemmas contract, click the following link: http://courantblogs.com/uconn-women/geno-auriemmas-new-deal-will-give-him-time-to-make-more-history/

NCAA Research. (2012). Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics

Beyond the High School Interscholastic Level. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org/