UCF should cut Michael Jordan's son.

[GoPokes83]

Maybe if this was such a dealbreaker this spoiled brat should have looked into what shoes the school wears before signing with them.
__________________________________________________ ______________

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A fight over the shoes Michael Jordan's son will wear at the University of Central Florida could cost the school as much as $3 million.

Freshman guard Marcus Jordan is refusing to wear shoes made by adidas, the brand the university has a contract with for all its sports. He says he will only wear his father's Nike Air Jordan shoes because it holds special meaning to his family.

The problem is UCF Knights have a $3 million, six-year contract with adidas that requires coaches and athletes to use the company's apparel and equipment.

UCF said in a statement Thursday that adidas was aware of the situation during contract renewal discussions. The university says it is working with adidas "in determining how this unique set of circumstances will work for both parties."

[Lewis the Pike]

why does the university make money off athletes that they aren't paying?

[bleedorange]

why does the university make money off athletes that they aren't paying?

Why do you view a college education and 5 years room and board as $0 value?

[MemphisPoke]

Ahhh but when you get into the full story, as I saw somewhere else, apparently he asked before he signed if he could wear the Nike shoes and was told by the university it would not be a problem. After the fact Adidas said that it was a problem.

If Nike was smart they would go in and "buy" out the Adidas contract and even offer them more. Free pub on their commitment to their old spokesman, etc.

And as to why the University is making money off athletes they don't pay well it is what keeps the wheels of college sports turning smoothly and helps in "meeting the budget" for some schools. Plus it is partly charged off as advertising and as a donation by the companies. Hell, the High School my son goes too gets $5000.00 a year from Nike.

[Lewis the Pike]

Why do you view a college education and 5 years room and board as $0 value?

I view it as a work study program.

Are the kids that work at Edmon Low or the Physical Plant required to wear Adidas/Nike?

[bleedorange]

Are the kids that work at Edmon Low or the Physical Plant required to wear Adidas/Nike?

Are the kids that work at Edmon Low or the Physical Plant getting a free education and 5 years room and board?

[GoPokes83]

I view it as a work study program.

Are the kids that work at Edmon Low or the Physical Plant required to wear Adidas/Nike?

If the school signed a contract saying they would, then yes.

[Lewis the Pike]

bleed, do you think the Colleges have a mutually benefical relationship with athletes in revenue producing sports. Or do you think it is a pimp-whore relationship?

On a scale of 1 to 10, one being legit; 10 being skewed, I would say it is an 8

[ARPoke]

The average cost of in-state tuition, room, board and fees for 5 years is $75,000 (that is the national figure for a public university adjusted from 4 to 5 years, some reports have it as high as $106,000). That doesn't even take into account all of the clothing and other perks that the university is able to give athletes. Not to mention dedicated learning services for athletes, which may or may not be available to the average student but you can be assured the quality of assistance to athletes is better than what is provided at no charge to the typical student. Lets also not forget about all of the healthcare that athletes receive whether on scholarship or not, at no cost to them.

Only 1% of college athletes turn pro, but those that don't turn pro expect to make 25-30K more than your average non-athlete bachelors degree holder starting out. The ~70% of student athletes that carry student loan and credit card debt after college carry ~16K, while the average post-college debt for a non-athlete is over 25K for a 4 year degree at a public university.

So, to answer your question, the relationship is mutually beneficial. Are there things about the system that are unfair? Certainly, but I don't think anyone could name a situation where money is involved that all parties are treated fairly.