Paying college athletes

Had a Xavier senior interview me for a senior project the other day. The question was,"Should college athletes be paid?'' It's been a debate for 20 years, at least. I'm surprised nobody at the Final 4 has written about it. I refuse anymore to do columns on it, mainly because it's too easy a topic. Regardless, this is what I told the X student:

(1) No.

(2) It's like the talk about a college football playoff. Everybody wants one; nobody tells me how it would work.

(3) They're already being paid. If you don't buy that, talk to a kid who works 20-30 hours a week waiting tables or stocking groceries, then takes a full load. Talk to another kid who graduates thousands of dollars in debt.

(4) Who gets paid? How much? Where does the money come from? Is the swimmer who's up at 5 for practice worth any less than the basketball player who flies to games and stays in hotels?

(5) Big-time athletes use the school for the exposure, often with no intention of getting a degree. Where else could Greg Oden get a national forum for his skills? The exploitation cuts both ways.

(6) Suggesting athletes should be paid also suggests a free education is worthless.

And so on. College jocks are doing just fine. Live big, Augusta National.