Looks like Fresno's season may be on a fast track downhill:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6949074/fresno-state-bulldogs-football-players-tied-welfare-fraud

It's interesting to note that this wouldn't be an NCAA violation, per se. Wonder what the school will do if any more arrests ensue?

Good God, half the team will be on suspension and they'll be out there with playing with the true freshmen.....good luck with that Pat Hill....

I'm thinking that if thieves got pocket money there would be less stealing.

FingeroftheBear;563560 said:

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I know this is a difficult one to separate from breaking the law and this is wrong but I'm thinking that if players got "pocket money" less of this would happen.

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Well teams like Fresno will never be able to give pocket money, because their football programs actually lose money and are subsidized to a much higher % than even money losing BCS departments like Cal. At a school like fresno, there is no way to get more benefits out of the time there... except by going to class, learning something and getting a better job.

Furthermore, There are NCAA emergency funds and also federal grants for students (players are students right) with need that would supplement scholarships for things like clothes and food and the like.

OaktownBear;563565 said:

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I'm thinking that if thieves got pocket money there would be less stealing.

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FingeroftheBear;563560 said:

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That's not NCAA junk...that's go to jail stuff.

That said, given NCAA rules that a player can't hold a PT job and gets little support outside of football and maybe training table, makes for a good argument that players at least get stipends.

I know this is a difficult one to separate from breaking the law and this is wrong but I'm thinking that if players got "pocket money" less of this would happen.

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First off, if these players were so hard up for money why didn't they apply for a Pell Grant. $5,500 dollars a year in straight up cash money that never has to be re-paid. The "Boo-hoo, I don't have money to grab a meal or fill up my car with gas, that's why they cheat" argument is bogus.

Second, there are several other ways for deserving athletes to obtain free money while on athletic scholarship. I wish I had it this good. Perhaps you should read this article: Football Players Receive $17,000 Annually in Cash, all within NCAA Rules.

I'm open for comments by the "We should pay the players" crowd.

93gobears;563595 said:

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Football Players Receive $17,000 Annually in Cash, all within NCAA Rules.

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I didn't know players could take scholarship benefits in the form of cash.

Wile E Goldenbear;563604 said:

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I didn't know players could take scholarship benefits in the form of cash.

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For room and board, apparently so.

FingeroftheBear;563635 said:

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I'm a bit skeptical about the $17k because if that were the case I think it would be widely known.

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If you read the article, you would obviously understand that it is taking benefit reception to the extreme. However, you cannot deny Pell Grants and up to several thousand other dollars that could easily flow into the pockets of deserving scholarship athletes.

Am I saying that a QB from San Ramon would qualify for all of these benefits? No. Abviously pocket change for such an athlete would be less of a problem, and therefore weaken the argument for the standardized paying of players.

But if there are student athletes for whom family financial support during a full ride scholarship is not available, legitimate and substantial ways of funding student requirements for clothing, travel, extra meals, entertainment are there for the taking.

FingeroftheBear;563581 said:

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There's talk about the real/total cost of a scholarship (for all sports). That really needs to be considered and calculated, especially for small market schools like FSU with fewer resources.

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The thing about full cost is that any student has access to 'full cost' financial aid based on their financial standing. If one's family makes less than a certain amount, the first $4-5k of aid is a Pell Grant. Never has to be paid back. So these players shouldn't be any more hard up than anyone from a lower income family attending Cal as a regular student.

If someone comes from a family with some money, why should a school even have to reimburse 'full cost'?

You don't have to even calculate it for a school like Fresno St - it's money they don't have. Why Barsky isn't protesting Fresno or San Jose athletics instead of Cal is beyond me.

Do they take food stamps at "The Stick"? Just wondering if they had an unusual amount cashed at the old ball park last Saturday, since it's just not players but also other Fresno citizens that are envolved in the scam?

ColoradoBear1;563647 said:

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Why Barsky isn't protesting Fresno or San Jose athletics instead of Cal is beyond me.

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The obvious answer is that Barsky is self serving, that he doesn't really care about higher education in California or the Cal State system, and is more concerned about the UC budget process which helps to line his own pockets as well as those professors much like him.

It is not called the Ivory Tower for nothing.

PS. Has anyone read anything in the WSJ about how much money is wasted on research professors who don't really teach but spend most of their time duplicating research papers that have already been written?

Perhaps for another thread, once my material comes into place.

bar20;563652 said:

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Do they take food stamps at "The Stick"? Just wondering if they had an unusual amount cashed at the old ball park last Saturday, since it's just not players but also other Fresno citizens that are envolved in the scam?

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No, they do not take food stamps (actually it's called an EBT, as in "It's Free Swipe Yo EBT." )