Should college athletes get paid, and if so, what is a fair rate for kids who sometimes generate millions in revenue before they're allowed to buy a beer at the bar?
What about non-revenue sports? Should athletes who don't create revenue be given an equal "piece of the pie?"
These are some of the issues New York Times columnist Joe Nocera will discuss in an appearance at Eastern Michigan University's Student Center Auditorium on Tuesday, March 19, at 5:30 p.m. In his speech, entitled "How To Fix Big-Time College Sports," Nocera plans to discuss current issues surrounding college athletics.
According to a release, there will be a question and answer period that follows the speech. The discussion is free and open to the public.
Nocera has been an Opinion-Editorial columnist for the Times since April 2011 and has written numerous pieces on the topic of college athletics. In past columns he's proposed plans to pay football and men's basketball players at major schools, using a salary cap formulation. He's also called to give players and coaches more due process rights, and has called for athletes at big-time schools to be treated like any other student on campus.
Nocera's appearance is being paid for by the EMU Student Government.