For all you amateurism romantics who believe nothing’s changed in the wide, wide world of college sports that justifies any demand that student-athletes deserve something more than the traditional scholarship, room and board arrangement, allow Jeremy Foley, of all people, to retort.
Jeremy Foley, who is retiring as Florida athletic director on Oct. 1, notes how much longer the seasons are then when he first got to the school in 1976. Back then, he said, there were 10 football games and now there are 12 with as many as 15 now for those who advance in the postseason. Basketball has gone from 27 games to 31 regular season games and the NCAA tournament has expanded.
It’s not just that, of course, and the linked article touches on many other time demands that have cropped up as the money being paid to schools has ratched up: mandatory summer practice hours, weird TV times, to name just a couple.
The point is that the world has changed and the way these kids are being compensated for their time and effort needs to change, as well.