One of the more interesting storylines to emerge from the early part of the college football season has been that of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was embroiled in some controversy surrounding some off-field decisions, making it seem as if he’s letting his “Johnny Football” moniker go to his head a bit.
The biggest part of the craziness was an allegation that Manziel received payments for autographed pictures and other memorabilia. Though the NCAA eventually found no concrete evidence of a violation, the redshirt sophomore was suspended for half his team’s opening game against Rice University for an “inadvertent violation.”
That term just smacks of the NCAA’s desperation to sweep this scandal under the rug. After all, he’s college football’s new “golden boy,” if you will — a game-breaking Southeastern Conference talent at the quarterback position we haven’t seen since Tim Tebow.
That this whole kerfuffle went as far as it did is the latest development in a debate that’s been on and off for several years now: compensation for amateur athletes.
NFL star Adrian Peterson told Time that it’s “crazy” how college athletes can’t be paid for selling merchandise. Professional athletes, actors — just about anyone who would have a sellable autograph — can and do sell merchandise.
One way to look at it is through the player’s eyes. They put their heart and soul into playing the game they love for the school that has given them the opportunity to do so. And what do they receive? Adulation and all that is great, but, other than the scholarship that pays for their tuition, they get nothing.
The ability to sell autographs is something that shouldn’t just be restricted to professionals. In a way, college athletes are more engaging than pros in that they live on campus and go to class with the same people who will be watching them take the field during the season.
Beyond that, the college football fan life is one driven by locality, alumni or family history. To fill a big stadium like A&M’s Kyle Field — with a capacity of around 83,000 — takes a lot of pride, and the Aggies fans certainly have that.
The fans give so much to the program. Often, they are the ones donating money to the program as boosters, which can help the team get better equipment, maintain the stadium and more. Shouldn’t they be able to purchase merchandise to really show their devotion?
More importantly, shouldn’t the student athletes be given the opportunity to sell their own merchandise? They know how much the fans mean to their program and want to reward them. The money they would receive from sales would be for nothing more than funding the average college-student life.
Whatever scholarships don’t cover, the students need to be able to get for themselves. By selling merchandise like autographs, they can better endear themselves to their loving supporters and expand their image before they go pro — if they do go pro — while financially supporting themselves.
