Little did grappler Logan Stieber know when he signed on for room and board at the university [Ohio State] that winning the 141-pound weight class at the NCAA wrestling championship paid actual cash. Not to him, of course, because that would violate NCAA rules that seem designed to make everyone money but the athletes themselves.
Instead, [his coach Gene] Smith gets the bonus money, part of a deal where he gets paid every time there are "exceptional athletic achievements" under his watch. Smith already makes $940,484 a year, but if the athletes at Ohio State perform well he could earn more than $1.5 million a year under a sweetheart contract that runs through 2020.
But that might be changing, as the slaves are in revolt;
Ed O'Bannon's lawsuit against the NCAA could go to trial this summer and change everything. Several Northwestern athletes are trying to start a union. And a lawyer jumped in the fray last week with a federal lawsuit on behalf of four players that calls the NCAA and five major conferences an "unlawful cartel" that illegally restricts players from making money while taking in billions.
In the meantime, the NCAA continues to pocket an average of $771 million a year in television rights to the basketball tournament and millions more in ticket sales. There's an official drink for the tournament, as well as an official wireless partner.Oh the heartbreaking inequality in America.
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