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sports “Mayhem” can college Athletics: Be a Good Thing By charles E. Sutton backer as a sophomore and To pay or Not to pay WI Staff Writer was second on his team with 103 tackles. Also, that same story critical of some elements By Barrington M. Salmon On Saturday, December 10, year, he led Michigan State in of an article by noted author Tay- WI Staff Writer 2011, HBO’s World Champion- Big Ten Conference play with lor Branch, said that out of 332 10.6 tackles per game. Against schools currently competing in the ship Boxing will come to Wash- Ohio State he had a career-high There are some who say the is- NCAA’s Division I, fewer than a ington, D.C. The fight will take 17 tackles. His teammate, Jason sue of whether student-athletes get dozen have athletic departments place at the Walter E. Washing- paid is gaining momentum, while that are operating in the black. ton Convention Center. It will Teague gave him the nickname others like writer Seth Davis be- And that of the 120 programs that be televised live on HBO. In “Mayhem” because of the way lieve that any such momentum is comprise the Football Bowl Subdi- what promises to be an excit- Mitchell complicated matters for media-driven. vision, just 14 are profitable. “That ing evening of boxing, the co- the opposing quarterbacks, and My colleague, Charles Sutton, means some 88 percent of the top feature bouts will each have a wreaked havoc on Big Ten of- argued quite persuasively in these football programs lose money for fighter from the D.C. area. Su- fenses. In 2005, he was forced pages last week that student-ath- their universities -- and that doesn’t per Lightweight Champion Amir to give up football due to various letes should not be paid while in even include the reams of cash “King” Khan will face number knee injuries. Mitchell went on school. To his credit, he introduced the schools are spending on the one contender and Washing- to graduate from Michigan State the idea of the National Collegiate so-called non-revenue sports,” he ton’s own Lamont Peterson in with a Bachelor of Arts degree Athletic Association (NCAA) set- explained. the Unified Super Lightweight in criminal justice and security ting aside 15 percent of money That being said, it makes me World Championship bout. management. generated from Division 1 ath- wonder that if so many schools Also, undefeated heavyweight On June 10, 2006, an epiphany letic programs – $1.3 billion – for are losing revenue, why do coaches Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell, of occurred for Mitchell. He was at players to access upon graduation. continue to attract the types of Clinton, Maryland, will make his home watching a boxing match Barrington M. Salmon While this is a worthy concept, I stratospheric salaries they do? HBO debut against tough chal- involving Tom Zbikowski, a for- believe that student-athletes should An annual roundup of Divi- from the NCAA, which is dis- lenger Timur Ibragimov in the mer Notre Dame football player, be paid more than anything they sion 1 coaches’ salaries by USA turbing. The organization, which other co-featured bout. and Robert Bell of Akron, Ohio. receive now. Today shows that University of Branch described as a cartel, claims Over the past couple of years, The fight took place at the world To be clear, I’m not one of these South Carolina Coach Steve Spur- Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell has famous Madison Square Garden. people who think the free educa- rier makes a princely sum of $2.03 to have the best interests of the student-athletes at heart but at the received an increased amount It was Zbikowski’s professional tion offered to these athletes lacks million a year with a maximum bo- of public notoriety because if debut. Forty-nine seconds into worth. For all of us saddled with end of the day, what’s most im- nus of $1 million. The school also his tremendous success and his the bout, Zbikowski was de- tens of thousands of dollars in stu- portant is how much money the pays for Spurrier’s membership unorthodox introduction to the clared the winner via technical dent loans that we’ll be paying back fees, monthly dues and related as- NCAA can generate for its coffers. sport of boxing. As a pre-teen knockout. As the former Notre until we’re 85, we wish we had the sessments (excluding food, bever- If it was really so concerned about growing up in Virginia Beach, Dame football player stood over athletic ability that took us to the ages and related charges) for two the young people, it would do a lot Va., Mitchell often participated his fallen opponent, a light bulb promised land of a free education. country clubs and one dining club more to punish those schools with shined in the mind of Mitchell. In return for their services on the to allow Spurrier to “develop and abysmally low graduation rates. in sports with kids who were sig- He thought to himself, if Tom gridiron, basketball court and other promote interest in and support With some of these schools, nificantly older. When Mitchell fields of play, student-athletes re- and sponsorship of the football there is no student in this student- was 12 years old, Jeanette Mitch- Zbikowski can do this, maybe it’s ceive free tuition for at least four program and the University.” athlete equation. ell, Seth’s mother, decided to re- something worth exploring. Af- years, textbooks, a place to sleep, Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops For years, the University of locate her family to Brandywine, ter having just witnessed a for- food, and per diems for meals on laughs all the way to the bank Connecticut has been heavily criti- Md. Upon his arrival in Bran- mer college football player have the road. Some get stipends of a with an annual salary of $4.3 mil- cized for its poor graduate rates of dywine, Mitchell attended Gw- success in the ring, Mitchell was few thousand dollars a semester, lion, plus a $400,000 bonus. And its athletes. In the past, the gradu- ynn Park High School where he inspired to learn more about the but otherwise are prohibited from Alabama Head coach Nick Saban ate rate of its athletes hovered in was an outstanding athlete. He sport of boxing. Prior to that taking money from other sources. rakes in $4.9 million and a $700,000 the 25 percent range. was particularly passionate about night, he had never thought of In light of the fact that major bonus. None of these salaries in- In 2010-2011, a little less than football and basketball. At 6 a career in boxing, and had cer- college athletics programs generate clude non-university money for en- 50 percent of the school’s athletes feet tall, he felt that as a basket- tainly never stepped into a box- billions of dollars for colleges and dorsements, radio deals and other graduated after four years, and a ball player he might be vertically ing ring. After a few months of universities, and that this windfall lucrative business endeavors. mere 25 percent of black athletes challenged. As a result, he decid- soul searching, Mitchell realized comes compliments of the ath- These coaches are on the top tier did the same. Yet, UConn still re- ed to focus on football. During that given his strong set of ath- letes, I believe that student-athletes of the pay pyramid. ceived its $1.4 million share for his freshman season, Mitchell letic skills, tremendous focus, should be paid more than whatever CBS recently paid the NCAA reaching and competing in the was the starting middle lineback- and sound work ethic, he could they are offered now. $6 billion for the right to showcase NCAA tournament and has done er on the varsity football team. have real success as a boxer. In I am not a math whiz or financial the men’s basketball tourney for so despite this paltry record. The His overwhelming talent began the latter part of 2006, Mitchell guru so I would leave it to greater 11 years. Other TV outfits have situation prompted U.S. Secretary to draw attention from college embarked upon a 10-fight ama- minds to figure out how to fashion shelled out cash to do the same. of Education Arne Duncan, him- scouts all across America. As teur career. As an amateur, he a financial model of payments, but I would be naïve if I believed self a former basketball player, to Mitchell progressed through his accumulated an impressive re- it stands to reason that these ath- that paying athletes would elimi- criticize the school. junior and senior seasons, he had cord of nine wins (nine knock- letes should be paid according to nate the rash of scandals that rou- It’s not just UConn. Arizona over 200 tackles, 24 sacks, six in- outs) and one loss. their contributions to the financial graduated 20 percent of its athletes tinely roil college athletics, primar- terceptions, and led his team in Mitchell launched his profes- well-being of the institutions they and Syracuse and Kansas State did ily football. It seems silly to punish defensive statistics. sional boxing career in 2008. Just serve. I envision a broad-based pay slightly better. athletes for accepting cash from Mitchell chose to play col- two fights into his pro career, he structure that would include ath- So if these schools and the boosters or selling jerseys, rings and lege football at Michigan State signed with Golden Boy Promo- letes from track and field, soccer, other paraphernalia.

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