A PhD doesn't necessarily equate with common sense.

I think that paying college athletes is absolutely crazy. Like Josh said in his article, you cannot expect the students who play sports to get paid and still concentrate on their school work, especially if they are getting paid six digit salaries. Students who are good at sports should be by no means held back from playing sports but they also need to understand the importance of their schoolwork, which is why a lot of schools have academic requirements for student athletes. There truly is no reason for students athletes to receive compensation for their talent. They already receive free schooling and that is so much more than a lot of students could want or even dream of having.

As far as Dr. Boyce Watkins goes, I think this professor needs to get in touch with reality. Some people do not agree with professionals getting paid as much as they do and this professor wants to put college students in that same bracket? Dr. Watkins is putting the education of the athlete aside and concentrating on the talent the student has at his or her sport. The sad thing is that most of these students are not going to make it to the pros if they even want to go. A lot of the athletes are just playing the sport for fun and because they love playing, not because they want to make it to the NFL and make millions. Some athletes have dreams of landing a dream job outside of sports.

Paying student athletes would not be fair because not everyone is able to make it on the teams. I understand that for some people it is their choice but for others it is not. They may try out and just not be good enough but what kind of compensation should they get? What if they get straight A's, will they go to school for free while the athletes are getting paid and they may not even have high grades? I think Dr. Watkins needs to rethink his ideas and wait to say anything until he is sure his thoughts make sense.

I think the opinions in the article written by Dr. Boyce Watkins are completely insane. This Syracuse professor feels that the NCAA should pay the student athletes that participate in sports that pull in the majority of the revenue for the NCAA. He also believes that the NCAA is using the talent of these young athletes because he claims it's the NCAA's fault that the athletes must attend college before going to the NFL. I think his article is completely out of line.

I do not feel that the NCAA should pay its student athletes. The athletes are being paid by receiving a free education; something that they will need if they ever get injured and can't use their talent to make a living. By playing for a university the athlete is given the opportunity to grow physically and mentally as an individual and to be put on the market to be recruited as a professional athlete. I think Dr. Watkins needs to reread his own article and think about the points he made. I think if they pay "certain" student athletes, give them a free education, and free housing, it is only going to create even more problems. What about the other student athletes that don't get paid - particularly the female athletes?

Dr. Boyce Watkins feels that the NCAA should pay the student athletes that participate in sports that pull in the majority of the revenue for the NCAA. This statement that college student athletes should get paid said by Dr. Boyce Watkins, is one of the most stupid things I have ever heard. Think about the name STUDENT ATHLETES! Notice how student comes before athlete. Men and women who come to college are there to get an education before anything. Playing a sport is the second priority behind getting an education.

If students were to get paid in college for playing a sport they would certainly not worry about their school work which would cause their grades to drop tremendously. Besides if the student athlete is good enough to get paid in college, chances are that he has a scholarship to play a sport. If you think about it, he or she is already getting paid to go to school, so why pay them more. I would expect someone who knew nothing about college to make a statement like that not an actual college professor. I think he needs to sit down and think about what he said.

Paying college athletes is crazy. These athletes knew what they were getting into before they started going to school. The reason I love to watch college football and basketball is because these athletes are not paid a salary to play. They are given much more than that, room, board, tuition and books. At this level they are STUDENTS. I am 35 going back to school, I go to school full time work a full time job and still take care of my family. I also make decent grades. These athletes are out for the money not the grades or learning.

I'm a college volleyball player and even I don't agree that college athletes should get paid. I got a scholarship and that's enough for me, and it's not even full ride. The only payment I need is to be able to play. The athletes that want to get paid are the ones who think that they have a chance in playing pro, which should just stay a dream because I literally just read an article saying that for a college basketball player to play in the NBA, his chances are 6,000-1 and it's about the same for the NFL. That's not very high. So what happens when they don't get their education and they get out of college with no degree, no education and can't get a job because they didn't make it to the pros? They're screwed and sitting there thinking that maybe they should have actually used that learning thing. There is no reason that college athletes should get paid to play. Their-OUR- payment is getting an education. And if they get a scholarship, that is their payment. Your schooling is getting paid for and you're basically going to school for free and you get to play the sport you love. I do not believe under any circumstances that the NCAA exploits their players. Dr. Watkins should get his things straight and maybe look up some facts about the NCAA before he goes on his little rant about "exploitation." Excuse my language, but that was just a little too much of a fit for me.