Why can't Mary Cain's Prize Money be placed with a Frozen account until she leaves the NCAA?

Why would you waste time in college if you could start earning the dough now?

potatoes are delicious wrote:

What would Cain have done if she won Drake and could get $25,000? That's no chump change. Probably charity and keep NCAA eligibility intact, but still that's gotta be tempting

The NCAA's "Principle of Amateurism" is a complete myth. By it's own definition: ". . . and student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial interests," because the NCAA IS a professional and commercial interest. All of the big sports are huge professional and commercial productions. The only thing amateur about the whole thing is that the athletes' compensation is limited to free education and living expenses, which if given by anyone else, NCAA would call a violation against the principle of amateurism. The athletes live in a communistic society while everyone around them are there to showcase them for publicity and eventually money.

Now, that is not to say that the NCAA does not still have a positive benefit in the big picture for the average athlete. However, that is when compared to today's void of large scale alternatives. There ARE alternatives but small and have a difficult time growing because of the NCAA's popularity and link to university education.

I am absolutely convinced that there are better alternatives out there if the athlete and his/her parents, mentors, coaches are creative enough. And for someone of Mary Cain's talent, a spot should already exist for her in a well funded club team with coaches that have her long term success as the first priority and freedom for her to pursue an education at her own terms. Instead, we can expect Mary to have to sacrifice recovery because of having to take a full load of classes (while dealing with the pressure to get A's because that will determine any future opportunity besides running). And never mind the pressure on her to live a traditional college student's unhealthy lifestyle. Is it really any wonder why the Brojo's research showed last fall that if a runner didn't make it to the front pack in XC by their sophomore year, they probably won't ever?

Good points Steeper, particularly what you said about "better alternatives". College sports under the NCAA or NAIA systems works fine for 99+% of the individuals who are interested in playing sports in college, but there are a few exceptions that I'm aware of of schools who have programs in certain sports that are outside the system but do a great job addressing the athletic development goals they are trying to achieve. Check out the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Skiing program. I think that would be the template for a school who wanted to start a high level team outside the NCAA system, in any sport. Also, check out Wichita State's bowling program, or some of the high level college cycling or triathlon programs. There are lots of examples out there of colleges that have teams or support athletes in certain sports but choose to not have that sport under the NCAA banner.

I'm not as familiar with models of this concept outside the college system, anybody got anything?

&*%&*o)(6678 wrote:

First, she can go pro now whereas Lebron could not have unless he went to Europe. So she has more freedom in that regard than a basketball player.

______________________________________________________________

Yes, of course, she can go pro now but is that the best

thing for her as an athlete/person??? It's her and her

parent's decision; not yours, nor mine, nor that of the

overzealous fans like ...

Note: Tiger Woods turned pro at age 20. Played at

Stanford for a while. Should be good enough example for

Mary. But then again it's a free country.

I was not making a case for her to go pro or not. I merely noted that she actually had more freedom that players in a lot of other sports.

Only a few cycling and triathlon teams get university support. Most are club sports that have to fund raise like mad.

Just to go off on a tangent:

I am torn on eligibility issues. On one hand, I think an organization should be able to set its own requirements for entry. So the NFL should be able to say that it only accepts players 3 years out of high school (not sure how the rule is worded but that is the gist and has been upheld in SCOTUS). Same thing for the NBA.

The NCAA should be able to say "These are our rules for playing in our sandbox and if you do not want to follow them then we will not let you play". remember the NCAA cannot kick anyone out of school just say you cannot play in one of our sports. Many athletes attend college and are professionals in other areas. Alyson Felix attend USC but ran professionally--I would say it has worked out well for her.

At the same time, a person should be able to pursue his/her talents. A singer is not required to be 18 to perform or to finish college.

I think only members of The Desert Oasis Track Club are allowed to do that.

$$$$$ wrote:

Her earnings according to this site

http://www.flynnsports.com/schedule/40-2011-Indoor-Schedule

Milrose($2000) USATF Indoor($750)Boston Grand Prix($750)

Why can't the money be placed in a frozen account which can be opened whenever she decides to leave the NCAA. Does the money she has won and will continue to win go to no one??