In a column for Forbes, Jeffrey Dorfman, a professor of agricultural and applied economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, argued that colleges are being targeted unfairly in the debate over whether college athletes should be paid for playing.
Dorfman pointed out that colleges offer tuition, room, board, training, exposure and more to athletes. However, the barrier for athletes to get paid for their sports is not put up by colleges, Dorfman argues, but the NBA and NFL.
Both sports leagues have instituted a draft ban requiring athletes leaving high school to either attend college or wait a few years before joining the leagues.
“It is the policies of these professional sports leagues that force players to spend time in college, where they learn both in the classroom and from their coaches,” Dorfman wrote.
