Sports Chat: Does College Athletes deserve a salary to play

It's time to end the charade of amateurism in college football and let the athletes share in the spoils of this multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. Sure, at one time college football was consistent with the mission of a university to educate and provide for the well-being of its student body. However, college football is no longer very different from the NFL. It's part of the entertainment industry. Yet one big difference between the two remains: College players don't get paid. It's time to change this.

Recent events clearly make it a farce for the NCAA officials to hide behind the shield of amateurism. Just consider the massive amount of money colleges are raking in and spending these days. While Vince Young led the Longhorns to a national championship,Texas earned a reported $42 million profit from football during the '05-'06 fiscal year. Michigan earned approximately $37 million, while Florida earned $32 million during that same period. Where does all the money come from? You already know. Just like in the NFL, it comes from television, marketing and media rights, tickets and luxury box/suite income. Further proof of the entertainment might of college football is the fact that we saw the BCS games spread out over a full week, which included four games shown in prime time, including three on non-holiday weekdays. more on http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?id=2733624