Many stakeholders in the future of college football believe athletes will start being paid by their schools sooner rather than later, according to a recent ESPN survey of more than 200 players, coaches and administrators.
More than 8 in 10 respondents predicted that such payments will start being made within the next 10 years.
“More than half of respondents (54%) said they believe schools would begin paying athletes directly within the next five years, while another 28% said it would happen within 10 years,” ESPN reported.
The survey was conducted from February to June, mostly before the most recent ongoing shakeup of major athletic conferences.
Aren’t college athletes getting paid already?
College football players and other athletes can already earn some money during their time in college, thanks to the NCAA’s 2021 decision to allow NIL compensation.
Under the current scheme, student-athletes can monetize their fame by allowing the use of “their name, their image or a likeness of who they are” in advertisements or by providing autographs, according to an explainer on NIL compensation from The Associated Press.
“A business can strike a deal with an athlete and pay them to tout their services or product. Athletes are required to notify their schools of NIL arrangements,” the article noted.
However, college athletes today do not earn a salary from their schools (unless you count academic scholarships), and they also don’t take part in a revenue sharing agreement. Those types of potential arrangements are what ESPN was pointing to in its survey.
“It’s a reasonable demand for the athletes. We bring crowds, we bring the fans, we produce revenue,” said Avery Young, a safety for Rutgers, to ESPN.