The Big Ten on Thursday announced Cal State Fullerton Titans Jerseys the most lucrative media rights deal in the history of college sports, which features agreements with NBC, CBS and Fox that will pay the conference $1 billion, annually, from 2023 through 2030.
Ohio State quarter Chestnut Hill Griffins shirt back C.J. Stroud feels it's only right the conference share some of that revenue with the people who made the deal possible in the first place: the players.
“I definitely think it should be shared,” Stroud said Th Arkansas Little Rock Trojans shirt ursday (via The Columbus Dispatch), “but if not, at the end of the day, we have the NIL space. We can do it that way. The new college world is turning around, and I’m here for it.”
Of course, this is not the first time that the idea of paying players for their role in college athletics has been discussed. The practice, derisively termed "pay-for-play" by opponents, will only be further discussed in the era of NIL deals, player transfers and mega-sized media deals. NCAA Spirit shirt
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Stroud is ranked as the fifth-most profitable NIL athlete in the country at $2.5 million, per On3 Sports. The junior quarterback said he liked the amateurism of college football, but feels players should nevertheless have access to the money they generate for their conferences and schools.
“This game is amazing, especially the college atmosphere, because it does have amateurism to it,” Stroud told the Dispatch. “That’s definitely a plus."
"But at the same time, I’m not 100 percent sure what our tuition is, but I’m sure it’s not the worth of what we’re actually worth. My mom has always told me to know my worth.”
Big Ten commissi CMU Mavericks shirt oner Kevin Warren, speaking t UNC vs. Duke Rivalry Jerseys o HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," said he sees a future where his conference features 20 teams — four more than its current number, including USC and UCLA — with players getting paid in some capacity.
Here is the exchange between Bryant Gumbel and Kevin Warren during the @RealSportsHBO interview. Full episode airs Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/NAWLvkAfTL
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 19, 2022
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That's not necessarily an opinion that presidents and athletic directors share with Warren, even in his own conference. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, for example, says players do see media r Cheyney Wolves shirt evenue — in the form of improved facilities and coaching hires.
“That's how we fund those positions,” Smith told the Dispatch on Thursday. “That's how we fund this building (the Woody Hayes Athletic Center). That's how we fund the new field in the stadium. That's how we fund security we need for 103,000 people in the stadium, and maybe 30,000 outside for the tailgate while the game is going on.
“So they (the players) actually already get a piece. It might not be directly in their pocket, but it's an investment in them.”
Smith also indicated he was open to more avenues for players to make money. However, he balked at the notion they should be paid directly for their play.
“Do we do more down the road? Possibly,” Smith said. “And that will be discussed, but not in the form of pay-for-play. Otherwise, I'm out.”
