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AND I SAT DOWN WITH AUTHOR, JEFF BENEDICT, IN OUR HORIZON STUDIO.
ROB: ARE TODAY'S COACHES LITERALLY CEOS OF MILLION DOLLAR OPERATIONS THAT AT
THE SAME TIME HAVE TO MANAGE STUDENTS, OR YOUNG PEOPLE, THAT ARE BETWEEN
18 AND 23 MAYBE?
BENEDICT: WELL, COACHES TODAY ARE MAKING SALARIES THAT ARE CERTAINLY
COMPARABLE TO CEOS.
THEY'RE MAKING ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR WHICH IS A
PRETTY STUNNING NUMBER WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THEY ARE, IN MOST
CASES, THESE ARE STATE EMPLOYEES, AND SO THEY ARE THE HIGHEST PAID STATE
EMPLOYEES IN THEIR STATES.
MIKE LEACH IS THE HIGHEST PAID STATE EMPLOYEE IN WASHINGTON.
NICK SABAN AT ALABAMA.
I MEAN YOU GO AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU HAVE.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT REVENUE STREAM IS SUPPORTED BY A GROUP,
BETWEEN 80 AND 100 YOUNG MEN, MANY OF WHOM ARE STILL JUVENILES WHEN THEY
SHOW UP ON CAMPUS, WHO DON'T MAKE A DIME.
AND YET THEY ARE THE BULWARK OF THE MONEY THAT FLOWS NOT ONLY TO THE
COACH, AND ALL OF HIS ASSISTANTS WHO ARE MAKING FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS A YEAR, OR WHATEVER THEY'RE MAKING.
BUT THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SYSTEM, ESPN, NIKE
APPAREL, UNDER ARMOR, ALL THESE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS AND
CORPORATIONS ARE MAKING MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AND THE GUYS WHO
ARE MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT MONEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EVEN TAKE TEN DOLLARS
FOR AN AUTOGRAPH AND SO IT'S, IT'S A REALLY UNUSUAL SYSTEM THAT'S
UNLIKE ANY OTHER BUSINESS MODEL IN AMERICA.
ROB: HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT A STUDENT ATHLETE'S DAY IS LIKE.
BENEDICT: A STUDENT ATHLETE'S DAY IS FAR MORE DEMANDING THAN THE DAY OF
A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE NFL, OR A BASKETBALL PLAYER IN THE
NBA, OR A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER THESE KIDS, THEY GET UP VERY
EARLY.
PEOPLE HAVE THE VISION OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS LYING AROUND IN BED UNTIL TEN
O'CLOCK AND SKIPPING CLASSES AND ALL THIS STUFF.
IT'S NOT LIKE THAT TODAY.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE GIVEN VERY REGIMENTED SCHEDULES, DOWN TO THE
MINUTE.
IF IT'S A SCHOOL DAY, MEANING THEY HAVE CLASSES, THEN THEY GET UP EARLY AND
THEY HAVE MEALS.
THEY HAVE CLASSES THAT ARE TIGHTLY STRUCTURED.
THEY HAVE STUDY PERIOD WHERE THEY MEET WITH TUTORS.
ALL OF THIS IS SCHEDULED IN.
THEY MEET WITH A TRAINER.
THEY MEET WITH A CONDITIONER.
SOMETIMES THEY MEET WITH A THERAPIST FOR STRETCHING, AND MANIPULATING THE
MUSCLES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY MAY HAVE SOME SLIGHT INJURIES WITH.
THEY HAVE TEAM MEETINGS THAT THEY GO TO, TEAM LUNCH IS IN THERE
SOMEWHERE; BUT TEAM MEEETINGS IN THE AFTERNOON AND THE MEETINGS ARE
USUALLY A PREDICATE TO PRACTICE.
THEN PRACTICE, AND THEN NIGHT MEAL, I MEAN BY THE TIME THESE GUYS GET TO THE
EVENING HOURS WHEN THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO STUDY, THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH EXHAUSTED.
NOW THIS IS ON A SCHOOL DAY.
IF IT'S A DAY WHEN IT'S NOT CLASSES AND IT'S JUST FOOTBALL PREP DAY, LIKE
THEY'RE TRAVELING OR IT'S A GAMDAY, THE THINGS THAT, I MEAN THEY'RE LITERALLY
GIVEN A SCHEDULE THAT IS LIKE 6:32 BE HERE, 6:37 HERE.
IT'S SO REGIMENTED AND SO MINUTE-TO-MINUTE, THEIR TIME IS NOT THEIR OWN.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE ABOUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS
IS WHEN THE SEASON ENDS, PEOPLE THINK OKAY THE SEASON'S OVER NOW, THE
BOWL GAME IS PLAYED, NOW IT'S JANUARY, WELL NOW THEY HAVE SOME DOWNTIME
BECAUSE FOOTBALL SEASON DOESN'T START AGAIN UNTIL AUGUST.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS FOOTBALL SEASON NEVER ENDS.
WE FOLLOWED SOME KIDS FOR OUR BOOK THROUGH THE YEAR, AND ONE OF THE PLAYERS WE
FOLLOWED, A LINEBACKER AT BRIGHAM-YOUNG UNIVERSITY WHO WAS AN ALL-AMERICAN
THIS YEAR WENT HOME FOUR DAYS OUT OF 365 DAYS THE YEAR WE FOLLOWED HIM.
AND THOSE FOUR DAYS WERE AROUND CHRISTMAS TIME.
AND HE ONLY LIVES IN RENO; HE GOES TO SCHOOL IN PROVO, UTAH.
THAT'S NOT LIKE HE'S GOING, BECAUSE HE'S GOT A LONG WAY TO GO, IT'S
BECAUSE HIS TIME IS NOT HIS OWN.
NOW IF HE WAS IN THE NFL, HE'D HAVE WAY MORE TIME TO TRAVEL HIMSELF, AND TO NOT
BE IN THE WEIGHT ROOM, OR TO YOU KNOW NOT BE ON THE FIELD HITTING PEOPLE.
THEY ARE CONTROLLED.
FROM THE MINUTE THEY SIGN THEIR LETTER OF INTENT TO COME TO SCHOOL, TIL THEY
LEAVE AFTER FOUR YEARS, THEY'RE OWNED, AND THEIR TIME IS NOT THEIR'S AND A
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER, WILL TAKE, HIS BODY WILL TAKE MORE OF A BEATING IN
A YEAR THAN AN NFL PLAYER TAKES IN A YEAR NOW, THE NFL PLAYERS, WHEN THEY
HIT, IT'S, YOU KNOW BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER GUYS, NO QUESTION ABOUT
IT.
BUT THEY'RE NOT HAVING AS MUCH PHYSICAL CONTACT ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS AS A
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER.
ROB: AND FOR THIS, THERE IS LITTLE COMPENSATION.
I MEAN BACK IN MY DAY THERE WAS SOMETHING CALLED LAUNDRY MONEY.
WHAT ARE THEY COMPENSATED LIKE NOW?
BENEDICT: WELL THEY GET, ESSENTIALLY THEY GET, THEY GET AN EDUCATION WHICH IS
SOMETHING, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL, THAT HAS A VALUE THAT
RANGES BETWEEN 15 AND 40 THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR FOR A DEGREE, TOWARD A
DEGREE.
AND THEY GET ROOM AND THEY GET BOARD.
YOU KNOW, SO THEY GET THEIR MEALS AND A PLACE TO LIVE THAT'S WHAT THEY GET.
AND SOME PEOPLE WILL ARGUE THAT, THAT'S FAIR AND APPROPRIATE BECAUSE
THEY'RE AMATEURS AND THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD TRADE-OFF.
AND THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO EITHER DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM, OR
THEY ARE, OR THEY'RE JUST NOT REALLY, I THINK LOOKING AT ALL OF THE
OTHER RAMIFICATIONS THAT GO INTO BEING A, THESE RULES WERE SET UP WHEN THE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME WAS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN IT IS TODAY.
I MEAN, WHEN THESE RULES WERE ESTABLISHED, COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS, IT
WASN'T A CAREER, IT WASN'T A BUSINESS, IT WASN'T A YEAR-ROUND PROPOSITION.
IT WASN'T NEARLY AS PHYSICALLY DEMANDING AS IT IS TODAY.
AND SO, I THINK THE RULES ARE ANTIQUATED.
THE TRADE-OFF IS NO LONGER FAIR AND APPROPRIATE, AND THERE'S GOT TO BE CHANGES
TO THE WAY WE COMPENSATE PLAYERS WHO MAKE THIS COMMITMENT.
THERE'S NO OTHER SPORT IN COLLEGE THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO WHAT A COLLEGE FOOTBALL
PLAYER IS EXPECTED TO DO, NOT THE GOLF TEAM, NOT THE TENNIS TEAM, NOT THE
BASEBALL TEAM, NOT THE BASKETBALL TEAM.
NOT SAYING THOSE KIDS DON'T WORK HARD, I'M NOT SAYING THERE AREN'T
DEMANDS ON THOSE PLAYERS, BUT FOR ONE THING, NO ONE CAN ARGUE WITH THE FACT
THAT THE INJURY RATE AND THE WRECKAGE TO THE BODY IS OFF THE CHARTS FOR
FOOTBALL PLAYERS COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER SPORTS.
THERE'S NO, I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO WILL ARGUE THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS OVERLOOKED IN THIS
COMPENSATION DEBATE.
EVERYBODY JUST TALKS ABOUT WELL SHOULD WE PAY PLAYERS?
YOU KNOW WHAT?
YOU CAN ARGUE ABOUT THAT ALL DAY LONG.
I THINK WHAT SHOULDN'T BE ARGUED ABOUT IS WHEN THESE PLAYERS LEAVE THE
UNIVERSITY, AFTER FOUR YEARS, OVER 99 PERCENT OF THEM WILL NEVER EARN A
DIME EMPLOYED AS PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS.
SO WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING AT THE UNIVERSITY FOR FOUR YEARS IS NOT GOING TO
TRANSLATE INTO A JOB FOR THEM IN THAT SECTOR.
THERE'S JUST A FRACTION, LESS THAN ONE PERCENT THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO EARN
MONEY AS FOOTBALL PLAYERS.
BUT EVERYBODY WHO'S PLAYED COLLEGE FOOTBALL, ALL 100 PERCENT OF THEM, WILL HAVE
PHYSICAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR WHAT THEY DID FOR FOUR YEARS.
AND IN FACT, IT'S THE PRACTICE PLAYERS AND THE PLAYERS WHO SEE THE FIELD
THE LEAST WHO HAVE THE MOST DAMAGE TO THEIR BODIES WHEN THEY LEAVE
HERE, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE MEDICATION, THERAPY, THE TREATMENT.
AND THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE THAT'S CAUSED BY THIS GAME IS ON THEM WHEN THEY
LEAVE.
AND THERE'S REALLY DOLLAR SIGNS ATTACHED TO THAT.
AND SO IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO SAY WELL WE SHOULDN'T PAY PLAYERS
WHILE THEY'RE HERE, OKAY FINE.
DON'T DO THAT.
BUT WHEN THEY LEAVE, YOU OUGHT TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE MEDICAL COSTS THAT ARE
GOING TO RIDE WITH THESE GUYS FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG.
THEY SHOUDN'T HAVE TO FOOT THAT BILL BECAUSE THEY CAN'T.
A LOT OF THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE A VERY LOW CHANCE OF GETTING THE KIND
OF JOB THAT'S GOING TO AFFORD THEM THE KIND OF HEALTHCARE COVERAGE THAT
THEY NEED.
AND ALL OF THAT DAMAGE IS CAUSED BY WHAT GOES ON, ON THE PRACTICE FIELD AND ON
THE GAMEDAY HERE.
AND SO, I THINK YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THOSE THINGS AND STOP JUST LIMITING THE
DEBATE TO SHOULD WE PAY THESE PLAYERS.
ROB: SO, WHEN WE RETURN, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT BOTH MONEY AND ACADEMICS IN THE
SYSTEM.