Of course, it is against NCAA sanctions and regulations to accept gifts with eligibility remaining. Bey broke these sanctions by giving some of the Seminole football players free airplane tickets, hotel accomodations, and clothing to endorse his products (Steptoe and Swift 20). So, even though a school may earn millions of dollars a year from their athletic teams, the athletes cannot capitalize on the use of their names. Again, Dick DeVenzio, in Rip-Off U., says, .
? we live in a capitalistic society. We believe, as a nation, that people should benefit from the fruits of their labors. There is nothing so dramatically different about college sports or college athletes that should cause this basic national belief to be suspended. Big time college athletes should get some of that money. (23) .
Mel Levine, a sports agent from Miami, also believes that, "College football players, bred and nutured in the principles of capitalism and the spirit of equality for all, want their piece of the euphemistic pie." (118). .
Another reason that NCAA college athletes should be compensated is because it may deter them from entering the draft before their eligibility is up. Some of today's college athletes are forced to enter the draft early because, even though they are on full-scholarship, their families still can't afford spending money. For example, former Miami Hurricanes? defensive back, Charles Pharms, said that, "A Hurricane swearshirt is $30 or $40. I helped make that shirt popular, but I can't even afford it." (Wolff, "Honest"). In fact, Senator J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana is so against college athletes leaving for the big money, that he is considering legislation to prevent it (Shropshire 81). One athlete who decided to become an instant millionare, Kevin Garnett, was just out of high school when he skipped college, entered the NBA draft, and signed his name to an eight-digit contract. Many people felt that if Garnett had gone to college and played for even two years, he would have been a much more mature person as well as a more developed basketball player.