NCAA Championship Game; 30 Second Ad Spot, 1.5 million.

by Staff April 2, 2013 1 Comment News Opinion Sports Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Athletes Just Get a Scholarship…

Those who oppose the idea of the NCAA sharing it’s billions with the families of student athletes tend to cite the scholarship as a fair and primary form of compensation. The problem for the NCAA is that it’s difficult to rake in more money than the NBA and NFL, yet give the families of your workers nothing to show for it.

Advertisers are paying big for the chance to showcase their brands during the big dance. The cost of a 30-second ad for the championship game is speculated to run about $1.5 million, according to TRA Inc, a media analysis company. The costs for ads during the opening rounds of the tournament were over $100,000 apiece, and clients will pay roughly $700,000 for 30-second ads during the national semi-finals.

So, if the average cost of a full-year scholarship is $50,000, the NCAA could pay for every single scholarship for both teams with the ad revenue from just one of the 20-plus ad slots that they plan to sell on the night of the big dance. This doesn’t include the money being made from ticket sales, t-shirts, video games, and all the other cash cows that the NCAA has in place to fill the coffers of it’s coaches and administrators.

To put things into context, all of the coaches appearing in the Final Four are set to receive several hundred thousand dollars in bonuses for their accomplishments. Simultaneously, I’m sure that the mother of Louisville’s Kevin Ware (who had a bone rip through his skin and may never play again) won’t receive anything for her family’s major financial and emotional loss. All of the millions that this family had hoped to earn from Kevin Ware’s professional basketball career may disappear in (a literal and figurative) snap, even though he has already earned millions for his university on the court.

If this sounds like an equitable system to you, then I feel sorry for your ignorance. The NCAA should be dismantled for violating both US anti-trust law and the labor rights of college athletes and their families. This system is disgusting.

Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.

1 Comment

Tim says:
April 2, 2013 at 10:48 pm
Whoa, where to begin. First off while I do agree some basketball players and football players in the NCAA deserve a stipend for their efforts, the argument for playing these players straight up is ridiculous. Lets begin with the fact that the NCAA was originally intended to be for amateur sports. Assuming a stipend (a small fee!!) could be evenly distributed among D-1 athletes (primarily in basketball and football), where would that leave all the other less revenue gaining athletes who compete at a high level similar to basketball and football. Surely the baseball, volleyball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and other sports would have to be evenly compensated for their efforts as well. Then, the whole premise for college athletics would be a sham for what has become big business in D-1 revenue-gaining college sports (particularly basketball and football!!). In addition, what about the other hundreds of D-1 basketball schools who don’t play at the high D-1 level, don’t they produce some players who are pros? Finally, a culture or higher institution that would put money in the hands of players for their athletic gifts would send quite a message to the general college population wouldn’t it. Athletic potential over higher education?? Surely, the NBA could improve their rules, but they are a business, and the NCAA, (at least at the MAJOR D-1 level) is surely flowing in that direction as well. The future trend and consolidation of the major D-1 schools with mid-major schools that have found success through basketball and football in major college sports will insure a future big collection of conferences that will focus on basketball and football at the highest level. Besides, TV producers, boosters, and agents, and a 24/7 sports organization, alongside a equally competitive high-school athletics frenzy at the highest levels have made the players who they are. Its exciting and sad to see the market that these sports have become. High rates of transfer are great indicators of this. All in the name of winning!!! While admirable, such a stance can leave a stain on the future of college athletics.
p.s. While I pray the Kevin Ware gets better, to assume he and is family is going to be making millions is quite a leap won’t you say!!! Good player yes, but time will tell. A many a good player has NBA dreams that did not pan out, and the list can go on for days!!!
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