A family friend has a daughter who plays on a NCAA women's soccer team. She is required to travel a fair amount to play other teams. In accordance with NCAA rules, she can not earn frequent flier miles on her school's flights. Apparently it falls into the same category as if she were to accept a shoe sponsorship from Nike, for example.

Seems a little ridiculous to me.

------------------
"I just wanna wish you good luck, we're all counting on you"
-Dr. Rumack

I think that's a good policy.

Large corporations and school boosters have a terrible record when it comes to the exploitation of student athletes.

Stupid, ridiculous, mind-blowing.

The NCAA, the universities, EVERYONE makes piles of cash off of athletics. The poor students can't even earn miles? Pay them!

(Ok, women's soccer is a non-rev sport. So they could just keep the miles...)

College athletes are already very well paid in a wide variety of ways before, during, and after their college playing careers.

Aw heck...I'm gonna stop because I could go way OMNI with this one...

I'm not 100% certain, but I think a lot of teams negotiate travel rates directly with the airline (sometimes chartering the whole jet in the case of football, other times negotiating for seats on a scheduled flight). Therefore, mileage accrual for the travelers is a non-issue.

Your points are well taken, but we're talking WOMEN'S SOCCER here. I would say about 20 people, maybe less. I agree with you in the case of football or basketball, but I don't think your points would necessarily apply for women's soccer


------------------
"I just wanna wish you good luck, we're all counting on you"
-Dr. Rumack

There is a proposal before the Cabinet to change the existing rule.
More specifically, proposal No. 02-64 permitting a student-athlete to retain frequent flyer points and/or miles earned during team travel. (Effective date: August 1, 2003.), has been granted initial approval.

Natalie cannot earn any miles on her trips for Cal. They told her about this rule when she started there 3 years ago. They buy tickets on scheduled carriers, as there aren't enough swimmers to charter a plane (let alone have it be cost effective).

Only a handful of swimmers graduate and make income off swimming (prize money or endorsement deals).

Would be nice if they could keep the miles for all the time they invest in practices and meets.

[This message has been edited by tom911 (edited 04-02-2003).]

Well, the philosophy of amateur athletics is they do it for the love of the game, not for treasure. Of course this is ridiculous in the sports that serve as de facto farm systems for the pros, but it's still nice to think about it for the rest.

QL

Honestly I think it is stupid if they cannot keep the miles. If there are miles to be obtained, why not? It is not nearly the same as money and has little to do with the "love of the game". I highly doubt any student-athletes would go through all of the practice and training just for miles - they do it because they like the sport they play or at least are good enough at it to earn a scholarship. If the rates negotiated with the airline would be such that there would not be miles available, that is fine, but to just enfore a rule that they cannot earn miles is downright stupid. They should not be wasting our tuition dollars to regulate things like this, find something more important to regulate and let the students have their miles. Anyone who spends that much butt-in-seat time on a plane deserves to keep the miles.

Having a sister who walked onto an NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Team, I can assure you she wouldn't consider herself "very well paid". Possibly that is true in revenue generating sports (e.g., men's football & basketball), but less likely in the others. Her net gain out of an entire season was a pair of shoes and some serious eating at the training table with the football team.

Let them have the miles. How can this be construed as exploitation?

I agree. Even in the major men's sports (like football and basketball), only a handful of them ever are "well paid" after their collegiate career ends, most of them end having to get regular jobs like the rest oof the world. Remember that there are only about 1,800 players in the NFL and they are the only well-paid professional football players. There are less than 500 NBA players. In the other sports, major income earning opportunities are even fewer and far between. In any case LET THEM KEEP MILES!

I changed my mind - let them have the miles and free up the NCAA bureaucrats to enforce the more important rules.

Well Pro Sports players can earn the miles on paid tickets (but most flights are charthered) but are not eligible for most hotel credit as it is central billed. So while the Red Sox may be in Hyatt hotels 75 or more nights a year none would be Diamond.

Note: I do not know what hotel the Sox pick, I just used them as an example.

You could probably convince some airlines to give you miles for chartered flights that they operate.

I know that the University of Texas football team charters are operated by Continental.

I believe that they use the commercial passenger terminal, too. Perhaps they prefer to use the AUS Presidents Club for the after-hours arrivals facilities as opposed to Trajen and Signature's services at the private ramp.

Seems like it would "feel" very much like scheduled service, so you could probably negotiate some miles.