I was listening to a podcast this morning where, like many, there were contributors suggesting that Division 1 football and basketball players get nothing for their services. I thought this was a little ridiculous, as I think we all know that these student-athletes don't get a market rate for their services (at least very few do), but they absolutely get more than zero. So I did a little back of the envelope calculation. For UofO-

(from financial aid office)
Tuition and Fees: $11,898 (in-state), $35,478 (out-of-state)
Room and board: $11,922
Books and supplies: $1,146
Personal expenses: $2,034
Transportation: $1,290

Sub-total: $28,381 (in-state), $51,870 (out-of-state)

Obviously this isn't where player benefits end. Two things to add in are academic support and then athletic support (coaching and training).

Tutor cost- $35/hr, 5hrs per week, 30 school weeks per year = $5,250

Coaches and trainers is particularly hard, because the amounts they are paid right now are not indicative of a free market. Because players aren't paid, that money tends to funnel toward infrastructure, recruiting costs, coaches' salaries, athletic director salary, and operational costs for non-revenue sports. So I'm just going to take a wild stab at what market rates COULD be and use those.

Head coach (1) - $500k salary, $50k benefits
Assistant coaches (10) - $200k salary, $40k benefits
Trainers, nutritionists, advisors (6) - $75k salary, $20k benefits
Total cost of staff: $3.52 million
Players on roster: 100
Athletic support per player: $35,200

Lastly, free gifts/gear: $1500

Total: $70,331 (in-state), $93,820 (out-of-state)

Imagine how many of us would have been thrilled to have half that available for our time at the University of our choice, to say nothing of the benefits of having our children on the receiving end...

Poor, mistreated souls!

AND, players who stay in state have a huge leg up on the competition in landing jobs and opportunities. Hard to quantify, but it is a real value. For instance, Ian Johnson in Boise (of the famous Fiesta bowl win over Oklahoma) owns a State Farm Office in Boise that thrives because people want to buy from him.

Not to mention, a platform to have their name known.

For a good deal of guys, it's still not their market value. Dollars that arguably should be theirs are instead going to their coaches and athletic director - millions.

I personally just take odds with the comparison to "modern slavery." This sets me off a bit because it minimizes actual slavery and doesn't allow for meaningful conversation about reform.

As far as increased marketability, that's a two-way street, for sure. Player gets notoriety and school gets attention for the players' achievements (example- Oregon definitely benefited more, financially, from the Joey Heisman poster in Times Square than Harrington did, even though they both benefited). But right now, the school gets 100% of the cut until the player graduates, and then the player can only cash in when they're off the field and less valuable.