Yes Athletes should be paid...

[AUgrad00 7]

Someone explain to me where this money goes? How do bowl coffers deserve this but

players dont?

I mean Alabama spent 1.3 million dollars on meals and lodging. They cant shop for the best deal

they are contractually obligated where to stay.

There should be an investigation into the tax exempt status of this bowl game.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/05/alabamas_priciest_bcs_trip_yet.html

[AUEngineer2016 407]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

[JMassie11 1,717]

I'm kinda yes and no on this topic...I don't think they should be paid bc it is a free education however I think its wrong how schools market the jersey sales and such....that being said players receive portions of merchandise sales and that's it

[Rednilla 5,449]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

[gAUlf 1]

Roughly $5000 worth of tuition a semester. Meals paid for. Free health care. Free clothing. In some cases free room and board. A monthly check, plus money paid on road trips. Free tickets for the games etc, etc....

How are they not getting paid?

[mustache eagle 2,454]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

irrelevant. The day they sign their scholarship papers they agree to the "exploitation" ... Quite frankly they HOPE to be exploited because that means they made a name for themselves.

Actually my biggest issue with payments, beyond the simple fact that this is amateur athletics and amateur athletes should not be paid, is how much do you pay them? $1 a week? $1,000,000 a week? Because one dollar amount/opinion is just as good as the next guys.

I vehemently despise the money made off amateur athletes. I think money has crumbled what amateur athletics should be about. It wasn't that long ago these guys were playing 10 or 11 games and a bowl.

They should REDUCE the number of games played across the board at all d1 levels. These guys should have at least 2 bye weeks during the season.

[Newbomb 194]

Roughly $5000 worth of tuition a semester. Meals paid for. Free health care. Free clothing. In some cases free room and board. A monthly check, plus money paid on road trips. Free tickets for the games etc, etc....

How are they not getting paid?

Not just meals nutritionists, trainers, tutors etc.... And if you include out of state tuition your looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 250,000$. They have a job and are getting well paid to do it...

[mustache eagle 2,454]

By the way, all kids who are sooooo poor are eligible for pell grants if I'm not mistaken - or at least they used to be.

[AUEngineer2016 407]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

My counter argument to that is that everyday students are bringing in a lot of money for the university as well (arguably even more), just not as visually. Better students (and more out of state students) are more likely to go to a school that produces more successful students that get better, higher paying jobs in the workforce. Therefore, if I (as a student) do well, I am encouraging other students to come to AU because it has a good engineering program. Students also bring in grant money via projects and research.

As to the time commitment, I would challenge you to take an engineering class load and show me how much free time I have. I'll give you a hint- it's not much. Next semester, I will be in class from 8 AM to 8 PM for two days a week even though I only have 4 classes (Linear Differential Equations, Calculus III, Statics and Dynamics, and Engineering Physics II), on top of being treated for Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. AND I have to pay to do all of this because I am an out of state student.

So, in conclusion, I think that these athletes are getting enough compensation.

[mustache eagle 2,454]

2016 - for the most part I agree with you. I am an AU engineer grad and understand the time commitment but as I said about the football players' scholly commitment, you and I also volunteered to pay our tuition and take on that course load knowing what was coming. You will have a fantastic career once you have that auburn engineering degree to show folks. It means something, particularly in the south.

[AUEngineer2016 407]

2016 - for the most part I agree with you. I am an AU engineer grad and understand the time commitment but as I said about the football players' scholly commitment, you and I also volunteered to pay our tuition and take on that course load knowing what was coming. You will have a fantastic career once you have that auburn engineering degree to show folks. It means something, particularly in the south.

I have actually found that already. I started an internship yesterday and am already seeing my class work apply to work in a real world business.

[AURaptor 1,137]

They already are 'paid'.

Unless Title IV gets reworked / done away with, they 'pay 'em ' crowd is just wasting everyone's time.

[DoctorBarnaby 5]

" Yes Athletes should be paid."

Wrong .

[WarEagle10 77]

I hope they do find a way to get them a little money. Most sports have become 12 month committments with season and off-season training. Those kids are getting their tuition paid for (most football players anyway) but that doesn't put some going on a date money in their pocket. All the free things they get doesn't buy them a ticket to the movies or a happy meal or three. Some of these kids parents just can't afford to give them money. Again, hopefully, sometime soon, the NCAA can figure something out for them.

[Auctoritas 2,914]

Title IX, in a nutshell, says that everything that is given to male athletes must be given to female athletes. There is no way that any institution could afford it.

[Rednilla 5,449]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

My counter argument to that is that everyday students are bringing in a lot of money for the university as well (arguably even more), just not as visually. Better students (and more out of state students) are more likely to go to a school that produces more successful students that get better, higher paying jobs in the workforce. Therefore, if I (as a student) do well, I am encouraging other students to come to AU because it has a good engineering program. Students also bring in grant money via projects and research.

As to the time commitment, I would challenge you to take an engineering class load and show me how much free time I have. I'll give you a hint- it's not much. Next semester, I will be in class from 8 AM to 8 PM for two days a week even though I only have 4 classes (Linear Differential Equations, Calculus III, Statics and Dynamics, and Engineering Physics II), on top of being treated for Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. AND I have to pay to do all of this because I am an out of state student.

So, in conclusion, I think that these athletes are getting enough compensation.

First off, I studied applied discrete mathematics when I was at Auburn. I know exactly what it is to go through those classes (everyone seems to hate diff eq, but I rather enjoyed it, to be honest...it was Cal II that kicked my rear end). And it isn't as if the players do nothing but train for their sport; they have to maintain a full load of classes as well, and they have to do well enough in them to maintain eligibility.

As far as how much the good students are bringing in, that's not quite the same thing. There are around 20,000 students who attend Auburn full time, and the number of kids with very good resumes who are denied enrollment is such that Auburn doesn't even have to give out academic scholarships in order to remain competitive with regard to the level of students attending, which is why there are so few given by the university. With about half of the enrollment listed as coming from in state, you're talking about around 350 million dollars. Yeah, that's a ton of money, no doubt.

But then again, stadium capacity is 87,451. Round down to 75,000 to account for students (who rightfully pay far less to get tickets loaded onto their Ignited card), at $85 a pop, then if you figure a coke and snack in the stadium, you're talking about $100 per fan (just to keep the numbers pretty even), which comes out to $7.5 million a game...and that's not even factoring in the luxury boxes, which is where the real money is made (any future expansion of JHS will include more luxury boxes specifically because that's what will make it worthwhile money wise) OR the orange seats, which also go for a good bit more (although they do come complete with a program and food). Now, I don't know how much it would cost to buy a luxury box for a season, but there are 79 of them at the stadium, and I would figure getting one is probably at least in the million dollar range. If we presume that amount and add up the revenue from general ticket sales, we're talking about nearly $150 million...and that's without the amount made on every hat, shirt, pair of pants, keychain, or anything else with an Auburn insignia on it, endorsement deals, booster donations, etc.

Ergo, I would say it is pretty likely that football, by itself, brings in at least as much as tuition, quite probably more. That's not even to mention the effect that going to football games has on students' desire to come to the Plains for their college experience. And, again, the quality of Auburn's academics is a primary factor in bringing kids here. It also brings recruiters here, because they know how good Ginn is, how good COSAM is, etc, which plays a pretty big role in students getting themselves on the right path toward making lots of money.

However, all of that having been said, I'm not suggesting that they should get any more than they do, I'm just trying to give the other side of the matter.

[Rednilla 5,449]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

irrelevant. The day they sign their scholarship papers they agree to the "exploitation" ... Quite frankly they HOPE to be exploited because that means they made a name for themselves.

Actually my biggest issue with payments, beyond the simple fact that this is amateur athletics and amateur athletes should not be paid, is how much do you pay them? $1 a week? $1,000,000 a week? Because one dollar amount/opinion is just as good as the next guys.

I vehemently despise the money made off amateur athletes. I think money has crumbled what amateur athletics should be about. It wasn't that long ago these guys were playing 10 or 11 games and a bowl.

They should REDUCE the number of games played across the board at all d1 levels. These guys should have at least 2 bye weeks during the season.

I wasn't suggesting that the players have any right to complain or that they aren't getting anything out of the deal, I'm just giving the other side of it.

Also, I fully agree with the assertion of how much an Auburn degree is worth, particularly engineering and veterinary medicine. And I don't mean just financially, either; with the state of education in this country, and the number of crappy little colleges, there aren't a whole lot of places where I think a degree is worth any more than the paper it's printed on.

[Rednilla 5,449]

Does anyone know how much of a monthly stipend athletic scholarships come with? I don't think there is any reason for players to make $100,000 a year or anything, but I wouldn't think a couple hundred bucks a month would be such a big deal. And I'm completely for the Title IX stipulation that female athletes get whatever male athletes get, too.

[AUEngineer2016 407]

Does anyone know how much of a monthly stipend athletic scholarships come with? I don't think there is any reason for players to make $100,000 a year or anything, but I wouldn't think a couple hundred bucks a month would be such a big deal. And I'm completely for the Title IX stipulation that female athletes get whatever male athletes get, too.

I don't know any football players, but do know an AU athelete (name and sport kept secret for privacy sake) and I know the stipen they were given over Christmas was much more than I expected. I can't remember the actual amount ATM.

[AUEngineer2016 407]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

My counter argument to that is that everyday students are bringing in a lot of money for the university as well (arguably even more), just not as visually. Better students (and more out of state students) are more likely to go to a school that produces more successful students that get better, higher paying jobs in the workforce. Therefore, if I (as a student) do well, I am encouraging other students to come to AU because it has a good engineering program. Students also bring in grant money via projects and research.

As to the time commitment, I would challenge you to take an engineering class load and show me how much free time I have. I'll give you a hint- it's not much. Next semester, I will be in class from 8 AM to 8 PM for two days a week even though I only have 4 classes (Linear Differential Equations, Calculus III, Statics and Dynamics, and Engineering Physics II), on top of being treated for Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. AND I have to pay to do all of this because I am an out of state student.

So, in conclusion, I think that these athletes are getting enough compensation.

First off, I studied applied discrete mathematics when I was at Auburn. I know exactly what it is to go through those classes (everyone seems to hate diff eq, but I rather enjoyed it, to be honest...it was Cal II that kicked my rear end). And it isn't as if the players do nothing but train for their sport; they have to maintain a full load of classes as well, and they have to do well enough in them to maintain eligibility.

As far as how much the good students are bringing in, that's not quite the same thing. There are around 20,000 students who attend Auburn full time, and the number of kids with very good resumes who are denied enrollment is such that Auburn doesn't even have to give out academic scholarships in order to remain competitive with regard to the level of students attending, which is why there are so few given by the university. With about half of the enrollment listed as coming from in state, you're talking about around 350 million dollars. Yeah, that's a ton of money, no doubt.

But then again, stadium capacity is 87,451. Round down to 75,000 to account for students (who rightfully pay far less to get tickets loaded onto their Ignited card), at $85 a pop, then if you figure a coke and snack in the stadium, you're talking about $100 per fan (just to keep the numbers pretty even), which comes out to $7.5 million a game...and that's not even factoring in the luxury boxes, which is where the real money is made (any future expansion of JHS will include more luxury boxes specifically because that's what will make it worthwhile money wise) OR the orange seats, which also go for a good bit more (although they do come complete with a program and food). Now, I don't know how much it would cost to buy a luxury box for a season, but there are 79 of them at the stadium, and I would figure getting one is probably at least in the million dollar range. If we presume that amount and add up the revenue from general ticket sales, we're talking about nearly $150 million...and that's without the amount made on every hat, shirt, pair of pants, keychain, or anything else with an Auburn insignia on it, endorsement deals, booster donations, etc.

Ergo, I would say it is pretty likely that football, by itself, brings in at least as much as tuition, quite probably more. That's not even to mention the effect that going to football games has on students' desire to come to the Plains for their college experience. And, again, the quality of Auburn's academics is a primary factor in bringing kids here. It also brings recruiters here, because they know how good Ginn is, how good COSAM is, etc, which plays a pretty big role in students getting themselves on the right path toward making lots of money.

However, all of that having been said, I'm not suggesting that they should get any more than they do, I'm just trying to give the other side of the matter.

I know you're just playing Devil's Advocate, I wasn't getting mad or anything I have just been on the end where athletes are given special consideration (I.e. scheduling of exams) in classes and I have had teachers try and deny my medical need to move an exam because I have to make a 5 hour trip 1-way to get chemotherapy once every 3 months or may miss the beginning of one of their classes because I was getting chemo at East Alabama Medical (different kind that I can get here per doctors orders) and was running a little late, and that kind of thing was more than a little frustrating.

I know our guys put tons of hard work in, and I think they should be compensated for that, my argument however is that their compensation is the education, room, and board they are already receiving.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

When I was at Auburn, I made money for the school and never saw a dime. My department did Industry supported projects, where businesses would pay the university for the work of the students. Not only did we not get paid, or any kind of benefits at all, it actually cost us money, because we had to buy our own materials. Was there a benefit? Sure... Nothing beats real world experience.

So... if an athlete is going to cry about not getting their fair share, then I call BS. The athletes get A LOT more than any other student on campus and the extra money they bring in means they get better equipment, better housing, etc. Not only that, but they get the opportunity to make millions if they do well, and unlike the rest of the people with high paying jobs, don't have to spend the first 10 years paying off student loans.

[mustache eagle 2,454]

This really is easy ... If athletes don't like the way it is then they can NOT play football and they CAN get accepted and pay their way like all us other schmucks did.

Fwiw, I had the opportunity to play college football (one offer was one of the better academic schools -small/bad football) and I took all of the factors into account and made the choice to work/pay my way through auburn. My choice and I was poor.

[AU_Tiger_88 417]

I vote no pay. For those of you advocating that we should pay a student who "works for the university" by training but has access to tutors, nutrition counseling, food, housing, clothing and other benefits plus tuition costs, now they can decide to live off campus pool their money that is given to them by their scholarship for housing and go in with a couple of guys and get an apartment. What is left over is theirs (as much as a couple of hundred a month), they can get the pell grant (dependent upon income of family, which a lot of poor athletes qualify for so that is a couple of grand a semester). And last but not least, parents can give them a couple of bills if needed. Now if you add up all of the costs to have a typical football player on scholarship you might be surprised at the cost of what they get compared to a typical student on an academic sholly. If you pay one you have to pay all equally. That would shut down many programs in this country. Would you like to see that? Anyone operating at or near the red wouldn't survive. Think about it this way 85 scholly football, 11.5 baseball, 12 basketball, 12 w basketball, 12 softball, say 15 m&w swimming, say 10 soccer, say 5 gymnastics, say 10 M&w tennis (all these are guesses to show how much a year it would cost) roughly 172.5 x 200 x 12 = 414,000 a year in outlay of payments. and that is just a couple hundred a month per sholly....kind of adds up...

Good luck in Diff E Q...always enjoyed that class came natural for some reason...sorry that you are suffering from Leukemia hope that you beat the crap out of it.

[AU_Tiger_88 417]

This really is easy ... If athletes don't like the way it is then they can NOT play football and they CAN get accepted and pay their way like all us other schmucks did.

Fwiw, I had the opportunity to play college football (one offer was one of the better academic schools -small/bad football) and I took all of the factors into account and made the choice to work/pay my way through auburn. My choice and I was poor.

I agree with you make a choice play or not play...also I think it is sad that so many opportunities are wasted by some athletes when it comes to education opportunity. I was lucky and had a scholly but worked my but off to pay room and board. I was on my own and grew up dirt poor.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

I disagree that the players deserve the money. IMO they already are getting a free education as well as sweatpants, jackets, backpacks, meals, lodging, etc. If they got paid on top of that, you'd see a rise in institutions lowering the number of general scholarships they give out to pay athletes who already get many more benefits than a normal student. I am out of state at AU and have a 3.9 GPA after freshman year (4.0 in my major) and I still pay 5 figures to go to school there, yet players who don't even start are given full rides. They're student-athletes- note that STUDENT comes first. Auburn is first and foremost an academic institution.

The counterargument to that, at least in football and basketball, is the amount of money the athletics programs bring in for the institution. Is it really right for the university to exploit the young men whose performance makes millions of dollars for the school every year while giving them essentially room, board, and tuition? The amount of time they have to put in working out and practicing, even in the offseason, prohibits them from being able to get a job, too, so even with the minimal stipend that I believe it is legal for them to receive, they might be able to get a pizza and rent a movie once every couple of weeks. Is that right?

My counter argument to that is that everyday students are bringing in a lot of money for the university as well (arguably even more), just not as visually. Better students (and more out of state students) are more likely to go to a school that produces more successful students that get better, higher paying jobs in the workforce. Therefore, if I (as a student) do well, I am encouraging other students to come to AU because it has a good engineering program. Students also bring in grant money via projects and research.

As to the time commitment, I would challenge you to take an engineering class load and show me how much free time I have. I'll give you a hint- it's not much. Next semester, I will be in class from 8 AM to 8 PM for two days a week even though I only have 4 classes (Linear Differential Equations, Calculus III, Statics and Dynamics, and Engineering Physics II), on top of being treated for Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. AND I have to pay to do all of this because I am an out of state student.

So, in conclusion, I think that these athletes are getting enough compensation.

First off, I studied applied discrete mathematics when I was at Auburn. I know exactly what it is to go through those classes (everyone seems to hate diff eq, but I rather enjoyed it, to be honest...it was Cal II that kicked my rear end). And it isn't as if the players do nothing but train for their sport; they have to maintain a full load of classes as well, and they have to do well enough in them to maintain eligibility.

As far as how much the good students are bringing in, that's not quite the same thing. There are around 20,000 students who attend Auburn full time, and the number of kids with very good resumes who are denied enrollment is such that Auburn doesn't even have to give out academic scholarships in order to remain competitive with regard to the level of students attending, which is why there are so few given by the university. With about half of the enrollment listed as coming from in state, you're talking about around 350 million dollars. Yeah, that's a ton of money, no doubt.

But then again, stadium capacity is 87,451. Round down to 75,000 to account for students (who rightfully pay far less to get tickets loaded onto their Ignited card), at $85 a pop, then if you figure a coke and snack in the stadium, you're talking about $100 per fan (just to keep the numbers pretty even), which comes out to $7.5 million a game...and that's not even factoring in the luxury boxes, which is where the real money is made (any future expansion of JHS will include more luxury boxes specifically because that's what will make it worthwhile money wise) OR the orange seats, which also go for a good bit more (although they do come complete with a program and food). Now, I don't know how much it would cost to buy a luxury box for a season, but there are 79 of them at the stadium, and I would figure getting one is probably at least in the million dollar range. If we presume that amount and add up the revenue from general ticket sales, we're talking about nearly $150 million...and that's without the amount made on every hat, shirt, pair of pants, keychain, or anything else with an Auburn insignia on it, endorsement deals, booster donations, etc.

Ergo, I would say it is pretty likely that football, by itself, brings in at least as much as tuition, quite probably more. That's not even to mention the effect that going to football games has on students' desire to come to the Plains for their college experience. And, again, the quality of Auburn's academics is a primary factor in bringing kids here. It also brings recruiters here, because they know how good Ginn is, how good COSAM is, etc, which plays a pretty big role in students getting themselves on the right path toward making lots of money.

However, all of that having been said, I'm not suggesting that they should get any more than they do, I'm just trying to give the other side of the matter.

Another potential weak spot in the "profit sharing" argument is the large number of money-losing sports.

If some deserve to share in the proceeds from their exploitation, should others be charged a share of program expenses to compete?

Not just a Title IX thing.