Studies show that the NCAA makes about $11 billion a year in revenue. Remarkably close to the $10.8 billion the NCAA received from CBS and Turner Sports to broadcast March Madness. The Chicago Sun-Times briefly printed that Anthony Davis received $120,000 for his one year at Kentucky. They quickly took it down and retracted it under the threat of lawsuit.
However, if Davis was had for $120,000 that’s actually below the average worth of a college basketball player. Then considering how Davis won all the national player of the year awards and led the Wildcats to a national title. Well, John Calipari really got a steal on his return of investment.
We’ll never know for certain whether Davis actually got paid or not, but a large contingent of the Chicago media (Anthony Davis is from the second city) believes that he did for what it’s worth.
Anyways, Drexel University and the National Collegiate Players Association recently conducted a survey to determine how much a collegiate player would be worth in an open market. Men’s college basketball players could be worth approximately $375,000. The average college football player would be worth $178,000, per NBC News.
Interesting.
That’s why we call them “revenue generating sports.” Or as I like to refer to them, “the only sports that anyone watches or cares about.”
Stars like Andrew Wiggins and Johnny Manziel would value at $1.6 million and $547,000, respectively.
“The bidding war for athletes would likely be in the millions,” said Ellen Staurowsky, a professor of sports management at Drexel University and co-author of the report. “However, I think it all depends on whether or not a players’ association ends up representing the teams and players. The salaries could be effectively bargained to have some sort of minimum guaranteed salary for all.”
Yes, “effectively bargained.” Perhaps collectively bargained? Yes, you would need a union for that. Which is why CAPA, Kain Colter and Ramogi Huma are truly revolutionaries.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on national talk radio. Banks is a former contributor to NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, who’s been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)