Presidents and student-athletes are more alike than you think

Should the president of the United States be paid?

I’m bringing this up because of something President Obama said the other day. He thinks it is unfair that universities, their coaches and athletic directors make so much money from big-time, big-money college sports.

But our president doesn’t think players should be paid because that would “ruin the sense of college sports” — whatever that means. He’s afraid of “bidding wars” for the most talented high school athletes, something that the players’ families (not to mention proponents of something called capitalism) might take issue with.

I only half-disagree with Obama.

I’m with him on the fact that it is unfair that university higher-ups are getting rich off the sweat of the people who actually do the work — who box out, go high in the air for rebounds, make tackles, have to fit their studies in after practice and, the biggest worry today, get concussions that might ruin their lives.

But as I’ve written already — before it became a popular national debate — I think players should get compensated for their efforts. We are no longer in the days when college sports were pure fun; now they’re business and a very big one.

Bidding wars? Just cap the amount colleges can pay. And let leagues — the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and the rest — handle the checks instead of the schools. That’ll make every school able to pay equally.

President Obama happened to be watching a women’s basketball championship game in Maryland when he made his comments to the Huffington Post. I happened to be watching high-stakes men’s games on TV this weekend after having attended an exciting Big East tournament at a bustling — and very profitable — Madison Square Garden the week before.

What struck me is how similar President Obama’s situation — any president’s situation, really — is to a college athlete’s. Here’s what I mean:

• Student-athletes (and, yes, the more appropriate phrase is probably athlete-students) get free room and board for their efforts.

So does President Obama — only he and his predecessors get to live in a big house, not a dorm room. And the rest of the Obama family also gets to stay there and eat for free.
Student-athletes can invite their families to a dining hall, but they’d have to pay.

• Student-athletes also get an education — and that’s a big deal, considering tuition along with everything else can run up to a quarter-million dollars for four years.

The president gets an education as well, although he doesn’t end up with a degree. (And neither — unfortunately — do many of the student-athletes.)

Not to pick on one guy, but President Obama was like a college freshman when he came into office in 2008. Now he’s about 20 credits short of knowing something.

• Both presidents and student-athletes also hope to get something in the future from their efforts.

In modern times, former presidents have cashed in when their term is up through book deals with big cash advances and by giving speeches at prices that each rival a normal American’s annual salary.

Student-athletes hope that the talent they put on display will lead to a contract with the NBA, WNBA, NFL or some other professional league.

•  Presidents and student-athletes also get benefits that they are not allowed to speak of.

There are the contacts each will make while on the job. Student-athletes hope their exploits on the courts and fields will lead to lucrative post-college careers — even if not in athletics.

Presidents hope their contacts will lead to post-term careers on corporate boards, consulting deals and the like.

• And presidents, of course, get other benefits even before they are out of office. Special interest groups contribute to presidential campaigns, give special attention to their families and help their friends.

College athletes aren’t allowed to take anything. It’ll get them banned from college sports and thrown out of school and mess up their reputations forever.

• Plus, most college athletes aren’t rich. Sports may be their one chance to excel and earn incomprehensible amounts of money. Most presidents are rich before coming to office and don’t really need money.

President Obama gets paid $400,000 a year. His total income for 2014 was $481,098. He was a law professor before that, as was Michelle Obama. He’s probably stashed away a few bucks.

So, again, my question: Should presidents be paid? Don’t they already get enough — the glory, the private jets, the government helicopters, the White House screening room, bowling alley, control over the annual White House Easter Egg Hunt.

And in a sense, there are already “bidding wars” for the presidency, since those who want the job usually need to raise more money than rivals in order to succeed in their quest.

Is the money received during and after living in the White House “ruining the sense of the presidency”?

I think it would be nice if someone just wanted to run the US for the fun of it and because that individual likes to see himself or herself on TV.

The presidency could become a hobby, just like college sports already is for the student-athletes.

What I really think is this: We should pay the president and the athletes what they deserve. And from now on, President Obama should just enjoy the games and not make any courtside statements that he hasn’t thought out fully.

Now I’m ready for your nasty notes.