Schooled: The Price of College Sports

Lame.

This movie pretends that athletes receive no compensation other that a free education, completely ignoring the value of publicity, the best fitness equipment, psychologists, tutors, trainers, coaches, elite contacts, promotional campaigns, education, medical care, and other special privileges has on these athlete's future earnings potential.

That's payment, and it equals $100,000 plus per year, maybe millions for top athletes.

At my D1 school, athletes aren't even required to type their own papers. The tutors are essential prostitutes. They don't attend class, but their names show up on the attendance sheets. They're treated like celebrities.

This is the dumbest movie I've EVER seen.

I am not a sports fan yet oddly I really enjoy sports documentaries and have seen dozens over the last few months. So, it's not surprising that I would watch "Schooled: The Price of College Sports". But, I was even more eager to watch it because it attacks a problem that needs attention--and it's THE reason I hate college sports. And, it's the reason I strongly recommend you see this documentary.

The main idea behind this film is that universities (and particularly the head coaches) make billions because of their football teams. Yet, inexplicably, students often make nothing or next to nothing. Folks usually think that it's not a bad system-- after all, the student athletes do get a free education. BUT, the film abounds with example after example of students who really were taken advantage of by this system--a system with no real way to appeal. The most egregious is one case where a student was paralyzed on the football field--and who promptly lost his scholarship because the school made it contingent on his being able to play. What's worse---they also refused to pay for his medical bills. Does this sound fair? Well, in addition to this one, the film does a great job in pushing for student athletes to actually get paid--which is especially important as most of these folks (98.5%) never make it to pro ball.

I could go on and on with all the reasonable examples they gave that the system should be changed, but the bottom line is that you should see the film yourself and see what you think. Even if it doesn't completely convince you, it will get you to think--and I love a well made documentary that makes you think.

this documentary really bothered me, i am a Michigan State grad - so i am on both sides of this issue. I love my Spartans and our basketball and football teams are perennial favorites to advance at March Madness as well as participate in top bowl games. Something needs to give, these kids give up too much and there are too many people making too much money off of these top programs. At the very least, kids need to have their health care cost covered FOR LIFE and they should also be able to profit from their names or start a football camp over the summer, sign endorsement deals on the side - whatever. I wanted to punch the Chancellor from Nebraska in the head, what a smug, pompous punk. The NCAA really has a lot of nerve to come off like they do, they limit what they can give their players - so,,,essentially, the rich only get richer since the only teams that can get the good players are the best teams since the only currency they really have to yield is exposure - which they exploit and exploit every chance they get, it is really shameless. They recruit these top coaches who are some of the most talented managers and communicators in their profession and then it is just a bidding war on these coaches and their disciples.

Varsity sports have become one of the major, if not the major, cultural references people keep in relate to universities. It has evolved into a major business, racking billions of dollars in revenue every year and exerting huge influence over the schools and communities that host major college sport teams, especially football and basketball.

Schooled presents and discuss the often ignored downsides of the oversize importance of college sports. It brings to the viewer some candid interviews and exposes on actions taken by NCAA and athletic departments of some famous universities.

It devotes a good part of screen time discussing the contradictions and hypocrisy of a system, centered around the "student-athlete" concept that fails such student-athletes in many possible ways: by not giving them a meaningful education in case they don't go pro (as most won't), by leaving students without basic support they need, by merciless cutting athletes out when they get injured and especially by making the student-athletes the only part of the system that doesn't get paid for the millions they games they play earn for everybody else (coaching staff, universities, broadcasters, sports' companies).

'Schooled' explores well the contradictions of the so-called amateurism, presenting a less than flattering story on the historical origins of the idea of a pure system where athletes play for the love of the game only.