Athletes getting money is fairytale

by Bill Bender
Staff Writer

Shrek it out - what do a misunderstood ogre and a college athlete have in common?

Shrek, the star of the upcoming movie that hits theaters May 18, is the unlikely hero of the summer. While he might rescue the princess and defeat the sinister king, the voices of Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers are sure to take the cash.

But Shrek's story is not the greatest fairy tale ever told. The idea of college athletes getting paid seems to be pure fantasyland. Like the lovable Shrek, college athletes always save the day without seeing any green, but the athletics departments rake in the revenue for every bowl game or National Championship.

The only difference between Shrek and Shane Battier is computer animation. While Shrek is real only in my mind, the plight of college athletes is much more life-like. Unfortunately, there is no way the NCAA, the most ruthless ruler of all time, ever will let college players get paid because of their amateur status.

While college athletes are indeed amateurs, being a college athlete is no different from any other job. A cook at Shively Hall gets paid for serving grilled cheese every day as a university job. But that same cook cannot bring droves of students into The Convo to see an athlete like Brandon Hunter throw down a one-handed slam.

The solution seems simple - start paying college players for their services, right? Players like Hunter work year-round, leaving little time to work at a job on the side. Throw in a full load of classes and even Shrek would try to jump to the NBA out of high school.

The NCAA could loosen its purse strings a little. If college athletes were paid a set rate, such as the $12 a week earned by the dedicated reporters at The Post, it would give them the extra money they need to get through the daily grind.

But as any true college fan knows, Shrek happens. Athletes and recruiters ultimately would start abusing their powers. Players for the Miami Hurricanes driving to practice in Cadillacs and high school athletes holding out for extra perks are some of the horrific images that come to mind.

Enough shady recruiting already has taken place at the college level. Agents would continue to hound college athletes with illegal gifts (not including Shrek toys from Burger King), and teams would go on strike trying to reach a collective bargaining agreement. As a result, college athletics could become something it was never intended to be - professional.

Besides, college athletes already are given the greatest gift of all - a free education. While thousands of college students toil endlessly in the classroom, the man with the scholarship is the one catching the football. Too many college players have abused the privilege of a free education to bounce to the professional ranks.

The issue of paying college athletes is a sharp double-edged sword that is cutting into the heart of amateur sports. College players deserve to get paid, but there is no clear manner in which to enact such a plan. As a result, do not expect to see college athletes getting paid in the near future.

But at least the NCAA could provide every college athlete with free ••Shrek•• tickets.

-Bender is a junior journalism major who is pumped to see ••Shrek••. Send him an e-mail at wb299298.