Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen: Olympic Basketball Team Members Should Get Paid

[Joe Henderson]

The IOC is in Sweden. They are not governed by our copyright laws, they have their own. Secondly, your issue is with the makers of the jerseys/gear, who are the actual people making money off the stuff, not the IOC.

Sweden. You sure about that?
they are not governed by copyright laws? What's that even supposed to mean? It doesn't mean anything. Copyright law is global and the WTO for example requires all members to comply with international copyright law. You know where the wto's hq is? Switzerland. Yeah, the same non-sweden country as the IOC. Does that have any bearing on this discussion? None whatsoever.

In fact, it is the IOC that prevents outside entities from making money off the Olympics. So you can't just sell shoes with the Olympic logo on it or advertise products referring to Olympians. And actually, the same would be true for the NBA as well.

Your knowledge of the subject seems puzzlingly limited for the condescending tone you allow yourself.

 

[KI4MVP]

Kobe at the last olympics

[video=youtube;gYxpjiVjg5w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYxpjiVjg5w[/video]

pay close attention. does anyone think it's a coincidence that Kobe is wearing and holding up a Black Mamba t-shirt that he gets paid royalties for sales of instead of a team use t-shirt where he doesn't get paid? Pay the players royalties on the apparel sales and it's far more likely they actually wear the official apparel for appearances like this.

They could make some pretty nice TeamUSA t-shirts with the likenesses of players if they could pay the players for those rights. How is it any different if Kobe is hawking his own shirt while representing TeamUSA vs getting paid for promoting official team merchandise with his name and/or likeness on it?

Quite clearly the brand Kobe Bryant has value in depended of his appearance in a given olympics or world championship or qualifying tournament. These players don't just play one year, they play year after year after year. SOmetimes there's a year off, sometimes not. professional basketball players don't just represent team usa, I believe every olympic basketball team has professional basketball players on it, most have NBA players.

Players like Yao likely lost years off of their NBA careers and millions of dollars because of the toll summer international basketball took on his body. Even injured he was expected to play.

 

[Mdog1]

Isn't it also a choice to attend college and play sports though? Every time I hear the argument that student-athletes should get paid more than the travel/food stipends they already receive, I think about the student loans I'm still paying off.

It is not a choice to be a basketball player. You're telling me right now that if you were 6'8, could shoot the lights out and defend the air out of the ball you wouldn't want to play basketball for a living? As long as people watch the sport there will be an NBA, but the NCAA should not be forced upon players. There is two choices when you want to play in the NBA. The first is Euro league. You go to Euro league and your stock drops like Brandon Jennings. Also you have to move to a different country, get burried on the bench and again your stock drops. From pick 1 to pick 10 there is like a 4 million dollar difference in first year salary.

You can ask what American's gone Euro league players have been drafted in the top 5, and I can't think of any. The NCAA is really the only way that players can go if they want to be drafted high. With the NCAA it is like someone is holding a gun to your head. Your choice is play for free and have the potential to make money later, if you don't get hurt, or the other choice is go to Euro league and make a few hundred thousand and get drafted lower than you would if you played in the NCAA, costing you millions.

 

[MDLT]

It is not a choice to be a basketball player. You're telling me right now that if you were 6'8, could shoot the lights out and defend the air out of the ball you wouldn't want to play basketball for a living? As long as people watch the sport there will be an NBA, but the NCAA should not be forced upon players. There is two choices when you want to play in the NBA. The first is Euro league. You go to Euro league and your stock drops like Brandon Jennings. Also you have to move to a different country, get burried on the bench and again your stock drops. From pick 1 to pick 10 there is like a 4 million dollar difference in first year salary.

You can ask what American's gone Euro league players have been drafted in the top 5, and I can't think of any. The NCAA is really the only way that players can go if they want to be drafted high. With the NCAA it is like someone is holding a gun to your head. Your choice is play for free and have the potential to make money later, if you don't get hurt, or the other choice is go to Euro league and make a few hundred thousand and get drafted lower than you would if you played in the NCAA, costing you millions.

Generally agree, but the choice is still there to go to other leagues. Anyway, Brandon Jennings was the first semi-high profile player to the Euroleague and that worked out fairly well for him. If a household name ever decides to forego college for Europe, college basketball could be in real trouble. There's obviously risks in playing in Europe given the way they approach the game, but it may be an unfounded fear for the U.S. high schools stars - if one superstar sets an example, others may soon follow.

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the NBA may use guys like Worldwide Wes to filter money to the collegiate superstars so they don't bolt for Europe and bring down the college game in the process.

 

[Mdog1]

Generally agree, but the choice is still there to go to other leagues. Anyway, Brandon Jennings was the first semi-high profile player to the Euroleague and that worked out fairly well for him. If a household name ever decides to forego college for Europe, college basketball could be in real trouble. There's obviously risks in playing in Europe given the way they approach the game, but it may be an unfounded fear for the U.S. high schools stars - if one superstar sets an example, others may soon follow.

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the NBA may use guys like Worldwide Wes to filter money to the collegiate superstars so they don't bolt for Europe and bring down the college game in the process.

I agree about the flood gates possibly opening if one star player goes. Even still Jennings was a fairly high profile NCAA recruit. When something makes TSN related to non NBA basketball then it has to be a big story, and I heard about him months before he went to Euro league.

 

[TJ Detweiler]

John Stockton over any of these losers.

 

[ButterMPancakes]

Generally agree, but the choice is still there to go to other leagues. Anyway, Brandon Jennings was the first semi-high profile player to the Euroleague and that worked out fairly well for him. If a household name ever decides to forego college for Europe, college basketball could be in real trouble. There's obviously risks in playing in Europe given the way they approach the game, but it may be an unfounded fear for the U.S. high schools stars - if one superstar sets an example, others may soon follow.

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the NBA may use guys like Worldwide Wes to filter money to the collegiate superstars so they don't bolt for Europe and bring down the college game in the process.

It wouldn't work. These are kids . Are you telling me they'd trade the national coverage from their own country, free college pussy and privileges, family, and an extremely high stock for a move to a different country to some shitty team where his stock would drop significantly? Honestly, what casual fan even heard of Brandon Jennings and knew how good/bad he was?

 

[Scholar]

Looks like Wade made a sudden reversal. Guess he didn't care for the heat he was taking from his comments. :chuckles:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7805591/miami-heat-dwyane-wade-backs-compensation-olympics

MIAMI -- Heat guard Dwyane Wade says money is not his motivation for the London Games this summer.

In a statement Thursday, Wade said, "I do not want to be paid to go to the Olympics."

 

[DDJ7777]

I think I still have this jersey at my parents somewhere:

 

[Steve_424]

It is not a choice to be a basketball player. You're telling me right now that if you were 6'8, could shoot the lights out and defend the air out of the ball you wouldn't want to play basketball for a living? As long as people watch the sport there will be an NBA, but the NCAA should not be forced upon players. There is two choices when you want to play in the NBA. The first is Euro league. You go to Euro league and your stock drops like Brandon Jennings. Also you have to move to a different country, get burried on the bench and again your stock drops. From pick 1 to pick 10 there is like a 4 million dollar difference in first year salary.

You can ask what American's gone Euro league players have been drafted in the top 5, and I can't think of any. The NCAA is really the only way that players can go if they want to be drafted high. With the NCAA it is like someone is holding a gun to your head. Your choice is play for free and have the potential to make money later, if you don't get hurt, or the other choice is go to Euro league and make a few hundred thousand and get drafted lower than you would if you played in the NCAA, costing you millions.

Nobody is forced to play college basketball. I don't care if you're 8 feet tall and can shoot lights out from 30 feet out, it is still a choice.

Most of the guys that the schools make money off of go to school for a year or two before declaring for the NBA Draft. The schools make money off of them in terms of ticket, jersey, and merchandise sales. In return, the player gets a free college education and the national exposure to get them to the NBA, where they will make, at a minimum, $500,000 per year. Most of them are good enough to be 1st round picks, and will sign for at least $1 M per season for 3-4 years (at least $4 M total) before stepping foot on an NBA court. If they don't reach the NBA, they leave with a free college degree (worth at least $30,000 and in many cases, much, much more) as a "consolation prize".

I think the thousands and thousands of college graduates still paying off their student loans would take that trade-off.

 

[MDLT]

It wouldn't work. These are kids . Are you telling me they'd trade the national coverage from their own country, free college pussy and privileges, family, and an extremely high stock for a move to a different country to some shitty team where his stock would drop significantly? Honestly, what casual fan even heard of Brandon Jennings and knew how good/bad he was?

Well, I think that if a superstar HS basketball player went to Europe, saw him make hundreds of thousands of dollars rather than play for free, get international coverage, build their brand at the global level, then come back to the NBA to reap the rewards -- yeah, I think it could start a trend. Is it risky to some degree - yes, but not necessarily riskier than wasting a year in college while getting paid nothing at all. I grant you it would take a star, a la LeBron, to start that trend, but its possible.

And regarding women - have you been to Spain, Italy, or most Euro countries? Yikes.......

 

[KI4MVP]

Nobody is forced to play college basketball. I don't care if you're 8 feet tall and can shoot lights out from 30 feet out, it is still a choice.

Most of the guys that the schools make money off of go to school for a year or two before declaring for the NBA Draft. The schools make money off of them in terms of ticket, jersey, and merchandise sales. In return, the player gets a free college education and the national exposure to get them to the NBA, where they will make, at a minimum, $500,000 per year. Most of them are good enough to be 1st round picks, and will sign for at least $1 M per season for 3-4 years (at least $4 M total) before stepping foot on an NBA court. If they don't reach the NBA, they leave with a free college degree (worth at least $30,000 and in many cases, much, much more) as a "consolation prize".

I think the thousands and thousands of college graduates still paying off their student loans would take that trade-off.

Not even close to most of them. Most teams don't make the tournament, there are more teams in the tournament than there are players in the NBA draft. Most of the guys the colleges make their money off never play one game in the NBA. They get an education, but get kicked off the team (and thus out of college) if they make money off of the court. Meanwhile, their names and likenesses are used to sell apparel or video games without compensation.

I went to school for computer science, got an academic scholarship, and then was not only hired by the college as a programmer while I attended college, I was able to also get paid as a programmer for work off campus. There were no restrictions. Why is an athletic scholarship, which generates millions in revenue for the schools, so diffferent from academic scholarships? Look at how much trouble Ohio State got into over players wanting some cash for a few tattoos. How incredibly stupid does that even sound when the football program brings in $50 million/year not counting merchandise sales?

 

[Triple-S]

Wade's a punkass.

Same with LeQuit, Bosh, Howard, and Melo. All about the cash, and not about the glory.

Can't wait till that class is phased out, and the era of Durantula and Rose is the new thing.

 

[Steve_424]

Not even close to most of them. Most teams don't make the tournament, there are more teams in the tournament than there are players in the NBA draft. Most of the guys the colleges make their money off never play one game in the NBA. They get an education, but get kicked off the team (and thus out of college) if they make money off of the court. Meanwhile, their names and likenesses are used to sell apparel or video games without compensation.

I went to school for computer science, got an academic scholarship, and then was not only hired by the college as a programmer while I attended college, I was able to also get paid as a programmer for work off campus. There were no restrictions. Why is an athletic scholarship, which generates millions in revenue for the schools, so diffferent from academic scholarships? Look at how much trouble Ohio State got into over players wanting some cash for a few tattoos. How incredibly stupid does that even sound when the football program brings in $50 million/year not counting merchandise sales?

Look at it this way then. Let's say it costs $35,000 for a four year degree, which they all receive for free. If they stay all four years, that works out to $8,750 per year. Break that down even further to $729.16 per month. When you tack on the free shoes, clothes, meal plans, etc, they're "getting paid", just in a different way. When you were 18-22 years old, if someone offered you a job that paid you $729 per month while also covering your residence, shoes, clothing, and food, would you have taken that? I certainly would. I worked a part-time job just to afford college tuition, ate Raman noodles and scrounged loose change together for Taco Bell or Burger King for most of my meals, and am still paying on my student loans to this day. I understand that the university makes money off of these kids, especially at bigger universities, but they're also indirectly "paying" them all - in every single sport - with scholarships. It's just hard for me to feel sorry for these kids who, worst case, leave with a college degree and no debt.

As for your comparison, you working a JOB is not at all similar to Ohio State players selling autographs and/or memorabilia given to them by the university so they can buy tattoos. Players don't get kicked off the team/out of college for making money if they do it the right way and get a part-time job like you did.

 

[Steve_424]

Wade's a punkass.

Same with LeQuit, Bosh, Howard, and Melo. All about the cash, and not about the glory.

Can't wait till that class is phased out, and the era of Durantula and Rose is the new thing.

Agreed.

I'm looking forward to guys like Durant, Rose, Irving, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, etc representing the red, white, and blue.