BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
While a group at Northwestern University tries to unionize student athletes, the SEC and the other big four conferences are fighting for autonomy within the NCAA.
Both cases place player rights at the front of their causes.
Union proponents want the full cost of tuition, medical care and other support from the university.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive said those concepts will be attended to once the big five conferences have autonomy. That will allow major conferences to make life easier for athletes.
At Alabama, athletes have access to tutors, academic centers, training staffs and a nutritionist.
āWhen you look at the university as a whole, when you look at the facilities and resources we have, kids can come here and get a great education,ā baseball coach Mitch Gaspard said. āAn athlete can have the best weight room in the country. ... Thatās what you want if you are an elite athlete.ā
Full scholarship sports at Alabama such as football, menās basketball and many womenās sports cover all costs, associate athletic director for media relations Doug Walker said. Those scholarships are called āhead countā scholarships.
The pay outs
Tuition, room, board and books are paid for by the athletic department. They also cover the medical expenses if an athlete is injured.
Some sports, such as baseball, are called equivalency sports. A scholarship is split between several athletes. They are the non-revenue sports.
āIn general, it is our philosophy to cover all of the necessary costs of our student-athletes, particularly when it comes to medical issues and other matters unrelated to the items covered by scholarships,ā Walker said.
Alabama has the resources to cater to the athletes more than many colleges because of a football program that helps create $89 million of revenue and a $34 million profit, according to a report by Forbes magazine.
āWhat we offer the student-athlete is second to none,ā Gaspard said. āYou are going to get the maximum amount of meal money, the maximum amount housing money. We are staying at elite hotels.ā
Alabama wins many recruiting battles because of what it can offer athletes, coaches said.
Thatās why softball coach Patrick Murphy calls this the golden age of sports at Alabama.
Football isnāt the only program to win recent national titles. Gymnastics, menās golf and softball also have national championships on their resume.
āYou are taken care of very well,ā Murphy said. āYou have to work to fail here. Every student athlete is No. 1. The support staff understands that. It starts with (athletic director Bill) Battle and it filters all the way through. Our team had a 3.7 GPA, last year. We are winning on the field and in the classroom.ā
Decatur DailyāContinue reading...
Both cases place player rights at the front of their causes.
Union proponents want the full cost of tuition, medical care and other support from the university.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive said those concepts will be attended to once the big five conferences have autonomy. That will allow major conferences to make life easier for athletes.
At Alabama, athletes have access to tutors, academic centers, training staffs and a nutritionist.
āWhen you look at the university as a whole, when you look at the facilities and resources we have, kids can come here and get a great education,ā baseball coach Mitch Gaspard said. āAn athlete can have the best weight room in the country. ... Thatās what you want if you are an elite athlete.ā
Full scholarship sports at Alabama such as football, menās basketball and many womenās sports cover all costs, associate athletic director for media relations Doug Walker said. Those scholarships are called āhead countā scholarships.
The pay outs
Tuition, room, board and books are paid for by the athletic department. They also cover the medical expenses if an athlete is injured.
Some sports, such as baseball, are called equivalency sports. A scholarship is split between several athletes. They are the non-revenue sports.
āIn general, it is our philosophy to cover all of the necessary costs of our student-athletes, particularly when it comes to medical issues and other matters unrelated to the items covered by scholarships,ā Walker said.
Alabama has the resources to cater to the athletes more than many colleges because of a football program that helps create $89 million of revenue and a $34 million profit, according to a report by Forbes magazine.
āWhat we offer the student-athlete is second to none,ā Gaspard said. āYou are going to get the maximum amount of meal money, the maximum amount housing money. We are staying at elite hotels.ā
Alabama wins many recruiting battles because of what it can offer athletes, coaches said.
Thatās why softball coach Patrick Murphy calls this the golden age of sports at Alabama.
Football isnāt the only program to win recent national titles. Gymnastics, menās golf and softball also have national championships on their resume.
āYou are taken care of very well,ā Murphy said. āYou have to work to fail here. Every student athlete is No. 1. The support staff understands that. It starts with (athletic director Bill) Battle and it filters all the way through. Our team had a 3.7 GPA, last year. We are winning on the field and in the classroom.ā
Decatur DailyāContinue reading...
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