Mizzou Links, 6-13-14: Mike Alden talks Power 5, Sam & Gaines sign Rams contracts

Mike Alden and Pat Ivey talk about player benefits and conference autonomy, Kaitlyn Fischer sets a school record at the NCAA Track & Field championships, and Michael Sam and E.J. Gaines officially sign with the Rams.

By Bill Connelly@SBN_BillC Jun 13, 2014, 5:01am CDT

1. Mike Alden speaks

The Trib: Missouri AD Mike Alden on the future of the NCAA

Q: Why is autonomy so important?

A: “The ability for schools to be able to make decisions based upon those resources that they have, if they’re making those decisions for the right reasons, to be able to benefit student-athletes. People talk about full cost of attendance, which is a big thing. If you have the ability to do that, why wouldn’t you want to be able to do that? If you have the ability to feed your student-athletes more, why wouldn’t you? If you have the ability to help them with their medical care, perhaps after they’ve graduated. If you have a chance to help them complete their degree, however long it may take them. Stuff like that. There are schools that have the ability to be able to do that.

“And, under the current structure, because of the way the voting structure has been set, even though you may have the resources to be able to do that to help your students, you’re not allowed to be able to do that because there are other schools that may say, ‘No we don’t want you, because we don’t have the ability to be able to do that.’ I do believe there’s a way for all of us, 351 institutions in Division I, to coalesce around the fact we want to do what’s best for our student-athletes. We want to provide them with as much as we can to be able to improve their experiences. If there are five conferences that have the capability to be able to do that? Great. If there are other schools that want to have the ability to do that? No problem. Everybody will have a chance to do it. But I think the ability to make those decisions a little bit more quickly, this ability is going to allow us to do that. When it’s voted on in August -- that’s when the board of directors will vote on that and it’ll probably be implemented sometime in January -- I think you’re going to see things be able to move at a quicker clip. I think that’s good. And I think there’s going to be an ability for us to help students in a much better way.”

The Trib: Q&A with Missouri AD Mike Alden, Part 2
Post-Dispatch: Alden believes Power 5 autonomy on the way

“If you’re going to take a look at doing full cost of attendance modeling, you’ll have to do that with all of your kids,” Alden said. “I don’t know how you can look at a football player and say, ‘We’re going to do it for you,’ but look at a women's basketball player or softball player and say, ‘We’re not going to do it for you.’”

The Power Five also seek further medical care for athletes and extended opportunities for athletes to complete their degrees.

“We want to provide (athletes) with as much as we possibly can to improve their experiences,” Alden said. “If there are five conferences that have the capability to do that, great. If there are other schools that want to have the ability to do that, no problem. Everyone will have the chance to do that.”

Pat Ivey speaks, too
PowerMizzou: Pat Ivey Q&A, Part Two

It's been 24, 25 years since you were a player. All the discussions about do players deserve to be paid. Those aren't new right? Those are discussions that were had back then too?

Ivey: "No. And it won't stop. It'll never stop. The commitment that, most people don't understand the commitment and the time. You have two full time jobs when you're a student-athlete. You are a student, which is a full time job. And you're an athlete which is a full time job. You have two full time jobs. If you added up the hours, and I know the NCAA has the 20-hour rule and the eight-hour rule, but you still have to drive and park and walk and get out. You still have to do all of those things. If you were working a job, when you have to walk from one office to another building to another building, you're still on the clock. These guys are on the clock for probably 40-plus hours of being an athlete and 40-plus hours of being a student a week. 80 hours a week. I heard that from the NCAA. When you think about it. In their minds, who puts in an 80-hour a week job? Yes, they get a degree and it's well worth it. They earn that degree. But yes they're gonna feel like they deserve more. And I understand that. I felt that way when I was an athlete. Now, should we pay them for their services? I understand amateurism and so I'm gonna say I get the full cost of attendance debate. What shouldn't happen is what had to happen when I was an athlete. When I had to call home and my parents had to take out loans to send me money, or I had to take out loans to survive for gas and food. That shouldn't happen. When I was a professional athlete, I was a full-ride student-athlete and I was responsible. I was a responsible person that did things the right way. I had great credit and I had to use my money from my first job to pay off my student loans when I was a full-ride athlete. I was on full scholarship. That shouldn't happen. My mom had to enroll in school so that I could get financial aid to cover the difference between what I was receiving from my scholarship. I had to send my bills home to prove to them that I wasn't blowing my money. I showed them it was grocery bills, gas bills. I sent all my bills home and then they would reimburse me. That shouldn't happen I don't think when you're working eighty hours a week. You don't have time for a job. You're not even allowed to have a job like that. I think there are some things that can continue to be done to help student-athletes that are giving a lot."

Mizzou Links, 6-13-14: Mike Alden talks Power 5, Sam & Gaines sign Rams contracts

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1. Mike Alden speaks

2. NCAA Track & Field Championships

3. Signed, sealed ... etc.

4. 2014

5. Why yes, MU-KU does make the list...

6. World Cup

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