John Oliver Shreds the NCAA Treatment of Players
Last night on Last Week Tonight John Oliver took a closer look at the madness that is March and shamed the NCAA treatment of its players in the billion dollar college basketball industry. There is something troubling, he said, about a billion dollar sports industry where the players do not get a penny, and have to comply with a 400 page manual of rules. Rules like the one that made it a violation when a coach took one of his players to lunch after one of his parents died.
Oliver questioned whether a four year education at the university you are playing for can really be considered appropriate compensation comparing it to compensating a full time nurse with mandatory free trumpet lessons.
Colleges aren’t really allowed to make big money off the game either, but they can take in the money as long as they create a bunch of expenses to soak up that extra cash. Oliver talked about some of the expenses schools come up with to spend all that money, like buying and expensive stadiums, locker rooms and other facilities, high salaries for the coaching staff, and even stallions and high priced marketing campaigns.
Colleges claim they can’t pay athletes as it would turn them into employees, and yet you can get a job at the college bookstore without anyone complaining.
If you already know all this, just tump ahead to 18:30 to see the Late Week Tonight Team’s new and improved, more honest ad for becoming a college player.
