[Farm93]

Worked for DAPER and Office of Development at different times.  I even did game day stuff a few times and that operations group really could unionize.

I agree the NCAA rules are a barrier, but my guess is the NCAA will need to change soon or face more government oversight.  In any event, Mick's original post implied that payment and compensation would change the way students see student-athletes.  And my point was a little compensation is unlikely to change much at all because Stanford already has student-employees.  Perhaps more importantly, Stanford already has wealthy students and they are not idolized in a way that would make me think a few student-athletes getting paid by the university would create some new social class that would be isolated from the others on campus.

In the end, I think Stanford would survive if the athletes were paid $20 per hour and got lifetime health care.  Just a hunch obviously, though I suspect we will see something like it in the next 10 years.

I think some other private schools would not be able to absorb that impact of a few benefits as easily, so that should be a positive for Stanford.  On the public university front many states have unions that demand, and get, whatever is the best benefit package available to any employee group in the state.  My guess is many states would not be able to provide what the Northwestern players are demanding because it could impact state and municipal budgets.

Certainly it is all just a set of hypotheticals.  Still I doubt Stanford drops D1 if athletes get an annual stipend or lifetime health care and I doubt the athletes would be stigmatized in such a way that they could no longer develop the same type of friendships with non-athletes they enjoy today. 

[Farm93]

Worked for DAPER and Office of Development at different times.  I even did game day stuff a few times and that operations group really could unionize.

I agree the NCAA rules are a barrier, but my guess is the NCAA will need to change soon or face more government oversight.  In any event, Mick's original post implied that payment and compensation would change the way students see student-athletes.  And my point was a little compensation is unlikely to change much at all because Stanford already has student-employees.  Perhaps more importantly, Stanford already has wealthy students and they are not idolized in a way that would make me think a few student-athletes getting paid by the university would create some new social class that would be isolated from the others on campus.

In the end, I think Stanford would survive if the athletes were paid $20 per hour and got lifetime health care.  Just a hunch obviously, though I suspect we will see something like it in the next 10 years.

I think some other private schools would not be able to absorb that impact of a few benefits as easily, so that should be a positive for Stanford.  On the public university front many states have unions that demand, and get, whatever is the best benefit package available to any employee group in the state.  My guess is many states would not be able to provide what the Northwestern players are demanding because it could impact state and municipal budgets.

Certainly it is all just a set of hypotheticals.  Still I doubt Stanford drops D1 if athletes get an annual stipend or lifetime health care and I doubt the athletes would be stigmatized in such a way that they could no longer develop the same type of friendships with non-athletes they enjoy today.