4. My Priceless Opportunity

Bill Walton

The following selection, by Basketball Hall of Famer and sports commentator Bill Walton, was posted on the New York Times “Room for Debate” blog in March 2009.

College basketball players getting paid? What is this—the N.B.A.?

In a world that has changed beyond belief in the 39 years since I started playing N.C.A.A. basketball, we seem to have lost the sense of what is really valuable and built to last in our society. While the exponential growth in the business of sports across all spectrums, including collegiate athletics, is undeniable—for the student athlete it can’t be all about the money, all the time. Getting paid to play ball is what professional sports are all about, and the N.C.A.A. and N.B.A. are two completely different sports, each glorious in their own way.

The young players entering the college game know the rules going in. They are being given a chance to make something of their lives in exchange for the privilege of being an N.C.A.A. student athlete. Most people would salivate at the opportunity to attend one of our nation’s prestigious universities, and then to get in and have it cost you nothing. They house you, feed you, clothe you, educate you, give you a living stipend, and you get to travel the world. These opportunities are priceless.

What’s most important is that these scholarships give students the opportunity to learn how to learn, think, analyze, and to gain some great life lessons—including humility and how to rebound from failure.

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Paying the players more than what they are already receiving for their scholarship is a bad idea—how would it be managed? Would every student athlete negotiate a separate deal?

When I left home in the fall of 1970 as a 17-year-old on my way to U.C.L.A. on an N.C.A.A. basketball scholarship, I thought I was getting the greatest deal in the world. And I did. I got an education, I got to meet and learn from the most interesting people (including Coach Wooden), and I got to be a part of a most remarkable team—the U.C.L.A. family. Outside of my health and family, they are the most valuable possessions that I’ve ever had. While at U.C.L.A., I had summer jobs and I was most fortunate that for the rest of my life I never had to go back to my working-class parents for another dime.

Every one of our games was sold out; every one was on TV. I felt then, as I do today, that I got the better end of the deal. (Considering our late career collapse at U.C.L.A., they’re probably still debating whether it was even worth it to offer me the scholarship that I so desperately needed.)

If I hadn’t gone to U.C.L.A., I shudder to think where and who I would be today. I always counsel young dreamers who are searching for their own path to happiness and success in sports, to use basketball to make a better life for yourself; don’t let basketball use you.

I will be watching the N.C.A.A. tournament with great interest, as I do every year. I love the passion, the excitement, the pride, the beaming alumni, the song girls, the pageantry, and maybe mostly—the bands. I’m really hoping that this year’s playlist will include “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Teach Your Children.”