Racial prejudice is driving opposition to paying college athletes. Here’s the evidence

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the money made from college sports increasing every year, the way colleges treat their athletes has become controversial.

That’s because college sports is a tremendously lucrative business for everyone but the athletes. The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) will receive $7.3 billion from ESPN for the right to broadcast the seven games of the College Football Playoffs (CFP) between 2014 and 2026, and $11 billion from CBS and Turner Sports to broadcast “March Madness” over the next 14 years.

Individual colleges also make out well: The University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team’s trip to the Final Four this year, for example, brought more than $8 million in revenue to the universities of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Each of the “Big 5” conferences will make an estimated $50 million from the college football playoffs this year.

And none of this counts the money made from concessions, merchandise and licensing fees.

Meanwhile, most college athletes are “paid” with scholarships that cover only tuition, room, board, books and fees — although in 2015, the NCAA allowed Division I universities the option of increasing this to pay the full cost of attendance. After adding up the time spent on practice, training and games, college athletes often “work” the equivalent of full-time hours for the universities they play for.

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Gold Rush hold on to defeat LSUS Pilots 63-58

NEW ORLEANS — RJ Daniels scored 18 points to match his career high, and Xavier University of Louisiana shut out LSU-Shreveport in the final three minutes to earn a 63-58 men's basketball victory Tuesday in the second game of the Gold Rush Holiday Classic.
     
The Gold Rush (11-4), ranked 17th in NAIA Division I, are 9-0 at home this season.
     
Fisk defeated Mobile 60-36 in the opening game.
     
Daniels, a senior guard/forward, was 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line in 29 minutes as a reserve. He scored in double figures for the sixth time this season, and he led Xavier in rebounds with six.
     
Daniels scored 14 points to lead Xavier to a 32-13 advantage through the first 16 minutes. The Gold Rush led 36-24 at halftime.
     
Lyndale James' basket with 3:03 remaining gave LSUS (6-6) its only second-half lead, 58-57, but the Pilots went 0-of-8 from the floor and committed one turnover thereafter. Xavier tied the score at 58 with 2:31 remaining when Lucas Martin-Julien made 1-of-2 free throws, then took the lead for good at 2:14 when Martin-Julien made two more free throws.
     
Gary Smith's basket with 41 seconds remaining gave Xavier a 62-58 lead.
     
Martin-Julien scored 13 points, Smith 11 and Morris Wright 10. It was the first time in 18 games that Wright did not lead Xavier in scoring. Martin-Julien had five assists and a career-high-tying four steals.
     
Daniels' other 18-point performance was Nov. 30, 2013, on the road against LeMoyne-Owen.
     
Josh Walker scored 14 points, Tyrell Springer 13 and Manny Martin 11 for LSUS. Zay Henderson grabbed eight rebounds.
     
Xavier, in the opener of a five-game home stand, outshot the Pilots 51.2 to 35.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 37-28. LSUS was plus-9 in turnovers, committing 12 and gaining 21.
     
The teams split their two-game season series. LSUS won 65-55 Nov. 24 at Shreveport, La.
     
On Wednesday, LSUS will meet Mobile at 3 p.m., and Xavier will play Fisk at 5 p.m. to conclude the event.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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What's at the top of GSU's 2016 wish list? A QB

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — For the first time during his tenure at Grambling, coach Broderick Fobbs heads into the offseason without a starting quarterback, or at least one he feels comfortable naming as the guy with spring practice just a few months away.

An embarrassment of riches at the position spoiled Grambling, and Fobbs, the past two years. In Fobbs' first season, Grambling had three starting-caliber quarterbacks, and this past year the Tigers rode the coattails of Johnathan Williams, who led all of FCS with 37 touchdown passes.

So what's the top priority for Grambling heading into the offseason as the Tigers try to attain its goal of a Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship? Yes, a quarterback.

"We're a work in progress. Johnathan is a senior and he's moving on," Fobbs said earlier this month. "There's some work that still needs to get done to solidify a starter at that position.

"We are hitting the recruiting trail to bring other people in to compete for ...

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Raleigh Trio Signs With North Carolina A&T Track and Field

Asya Macon

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- The North Carolina A&T track and field team has signed three impressive athletes to improve the women’s program over the next four years.

The trio of athletes are all from Raleigh, N.C., and they include Kristoni Barnes (5-6, Raleigh, N.C., Wake Forest Roseville HS), G’Jasmyne Butler (5-3, Raleigh, N.C., Leesville Road HS) and Asya Macon (5-2, Raleigh, N.C., Southeast Raleigh). They will join the women’s program during the 2016-17 season.

“We’re extremely young on both the men’s and women’s side, but when we first came in here we put a lot of focus on the men’s program,” said Duane Ross, director of track and field programs. “Now it’s the women’s turn. The women we’re bringing in are really needed. We’re expecting them to come in and duplicate what the freshman class did last year.”

Barnes is a versatile middle distance athlete and long sprinter who is competitive in the 800 meters as well as the 400. Barnes has a personal best of 57.03 in the 400 and earned all-state honors in the event with a sixth-place finish in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 4-A State Championship. She was also all-state in the 500 with a seventh-place finish at states. Competing for her track club, Carolina Elite of Raleigh, Barnes qualified for the 800 at the USATF Junior Olympics where she earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish in 2:16.57.

G’Jasmyne Butler

“She adds depth to the 400 and the 800 but especially the 800, so she is a crucial part,” said Ross.

Butler comes to A&T as an accomplished middle distance runner. Ross said he and his staff put a lot of time into recruiting Butler. “She’s a national champion, so she’s coming in to lead,” Ross said.

Butler is the USATF Junior Olympic national champion for the Young Women’s 800—a title she earned competing for her Track Explosion club. Additionally, Butler is also the reigning North Carolina 4-A state champion in the 800. Butler boasts personal records of 2:11.07 for the 800, 5:03.50 for the 1600 and 4:40.23 for the 1500. With Butler’s best 1600, she finished third in the state. During the indoor season, Butler recorded a personal-best 3:01.58 in the 1000 to finish third in the state as a junior. Also, Butler has recorded a time of 18:45.49 in the 5,000, making her a prime cross country candidate.

Macon is a long sprinter whose specialties are the 200 and 400. Additionally, Macon has significantly contributed to the relay teams at Southeast Raleigh. She holds a personal best of 56.33 in the 400, which earned her all-state honors thanks to her fourth-place finish at the state meet. Macon is the reigning Greater Neuse River conference champion in the 400, and has a personal-best 25.50 in the 200.

She anchored the Southeast Raleigh 4x400m relay to a second-place finish in the state championship meet, and for indoor, Macon earned all-state honors with a sixth-place finish in the 500 with a time of 1:17.06.

Kristoni Barnes

“I think she is a sleeping giant,” Ross said. “She didn’t win last year, but she is one of the top 400 runners. I think she’s going to have a great season. Her potential is just outstanding.”

Last year, Ross’ women’s track and field team finished third at the Indoor Track and Field MEAC Championships, a steep leap from the eighth-place finish they took in 2014. And most of the top-10 performances went to the freshman ladies Ross recruited such as Morgan Knight, Reneazia Collins, India Brown and Qizeah Jackson, who was the Aggies top scorer with a total of 24 points.

Ross’ latest freshman class is expected to fill the void in the middle distance and distance programs. “We’re not done recruiting,” Ross said. “We want to send a message to the rest of the country that we’re serious about our women’s program, and these girls are on the right track to do that.”

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Nicholls State Colonels Fall to Grambling, 69-65

THIBODAUX, Louisiana – Marina Lilly and Cassidy Barrios recorded their first career double doubles for the Nicholls State University women's basketball team but Grambling State was able to weather a late comeback by the Colonels as Nicholls fell, 69-65, Tuesday night at Stopher Gym.

Despite a balanced scoring effort with four players reaching double figures in points, the shooting struggles continued for Colonels (2-8) as they dropped their fourth straight contest. Nicholls shot just 31.8 percent and had 31 turnovers; however, the team was able to fight back to take the lead after an early nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Barrios led the team with 12 points while adding 11 rebounds and her basket-and-one sparked the Colonels' late comeback with 7:35 to go. Grambling (3-8) maintained the lead until LiAnn McCarthy (10 points) sank a jumper to put Nicholls ahead, 64-63, at the 3:01 mark, but it was short-lived as the Colonels did not make another field goal the rest of the way.

Grambling retook the lead on a pair of free throws and extended it to 67-64 on a layup by Takerra Parsons with 1:45 left on the clock. Hope Pawlowski added a free throw for Nicholls with less than a minute remaining before Grambling knocked down two at the line down the stretch to make the final.

Lilly had a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with 11 points. Tia Charles chipped in with 11 points and Pawlowski added nine points and four steals. Barrios also had four steals, but the Tigers had a 27-14 advantage on points off turnovers.

Nicholls jumped out to a fast start to lead 19-13 before the Tigers chiseled away at the deficit to make the score 33-31 at the break. But like much of the season, the Colonels let the lead slip away in the third as they were outscored 26-18.

Neither team shot well from long range, as Charles hit Nicholls' lone 3-pointer as the team finished 1 of 14 from behind the arc. Grambling made 2 of 7 from deep, but Bre'nae Andrews' 3-ball early in the fourth looked to be a dagger as the Tigers went up 60-51. Nicholls answered with an 11-2 run to tie the game at 62 before suffering its fourth loss at home.

Shakyla Hill led all scorers with 23 points, with Andrews and Chant Lewis adding 11 points each for the visitors. GSU shot 36.6 percent from the field and had 19 steals.

Nicholls will open at home against Lamar on Saturday (Jan. 2) to start the Southland Conference schedule. Tipoff for the women's / men's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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COURTESY NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Tayong Makes All-Tournament Team as CSU Closes 2015 With Win Over Lafayette

Omaah Tayong

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia -- The Coppin State women's basketball team completed the 2015 calendar year with a win in its second game of the UVA Cavalier Classic against Lafayette College 64-57 in John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA.

Coppin State (3-9) also collected its first win in the month of December and remain undefeated in games played on Tuesday.

Senior forward Omaah Tayong was named to the all-tournament team.

Tayong finished the game with 10 points, 12 rebounds and three steals off the bench. Her three steals tied a season high. She now has two double doubles so far this season.

Tayong averaged nine points and nine rebounds on 47.3% shooting from the floor over the two-game tournament. She now leads the Lady Eagles with 95 rebounds.

Overall four Coppin State players reached double figures in the win.

Janelle Lane also recorded a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She added two assists, a career high seven steals and one block in 38 minutes on game action. She now has three consecutive games scoring in double-digits.

Lane leads Coppin State with 12 blocks so far this year.

Genesis Lucas finished the game with a season high 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 37 minutes. She has three or more assists and 35 minutes played in three straight games for Coppin State.

Lucas leads the Lady Eagles 38 assists and 20 steals through 10 games.

Keena Samuels scored 10 points; two rebounds and one steal in her six consecutive starts for Coppin State. Both of her rebounds came on the offensive end.

Samuels has four double figure scoring games this season.

Senior guard Amber Griffin added nine points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal in 37 minutes.

Griffin has dished two or more assists in 10 games this season. She now has 326 assists for her career. Griffin is second on the team with 33 assists this season.

The Lady Eagles outscored the Leopards 34-26 in the second half after being down by one point at halftime.

Coppin State also outscored the Lafayette in paint points, points off turnovers, second chance points, fast break points and bench points.
The Lafayette Leopards (2-9) now have lost four straight games.

Sammy Stipa led all scorers with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. Jamie O'Hare finished with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Coppin State will return to action after the New Year with its conference home opener against Norfolk State January 4 with tipoff at 6:00 p.m. in PEC Arena.

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By Jason J. Brown, Coppin State Sports Information Intern
COURTESY COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Lady Rattlers Close Out 2015 With 77-68 Win Over Clemson

CLEMSON, South Carolina -- The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers were short on personnel heading into Tuesday night's contest against the Clemson Tigers, including coach LeDawn Gibson who was dealing with flu-like symptoms and did not make the trip. Associate head coach Latasha Shipman-Ganus and assistant coach Andrea Johnson took the reigns and reeled in one of FAMU's biggest wins in some time, striking the Clemson Tigers for a 77-68 win at Jervey gym on the campus of Clemson University.

Shipman credits the team's work ethic and willingness to sacrifice with the win. "We were obviously short-handed going into this game, so we had to make adjustments. We put in three plays in the 24 hours leading up to the game to maximize the personnel we had on hand. Alicia McCray had the big game we needed from her, grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with her 17 points. Victoria Nguyen also stepped up and played well at this level," Shipman said.

Olivia Antilla, led the Rattlers with 20 points on efficient 8-of-16 shooting. Khadejra Young, who was forced to play point guard for some of the game, put in 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Antilla and Young both shot .500 from the field. London Holland also contributed on sharp 5-of-9 shooting from the field for 11 points to round out the balanced scoring of four players in double figures. McCray would be key, carding a double-double for the game.

A key to the win was the Lady Rattlers' ability to stop the dribble penetration that had been key to Clemson's success thus far. The tigers were led by Nelly Perry, who led all scorers with 21 points. Paige Mosley scored 16 points, while Danielle Edwards chipped in 14 points. Aliyah Collier grabbed seven rebounds for the orange and purple, while Edwards grabbed six.

What's next: The Lady Rattlers will face the Tigers of Savannah State on Jan.1 at 1 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center to kick of the year and begin MEAC play in 2016. The game will feature $1 concessions and $1 entry. Parking for the game is free. DJ Laila Jade and DJ Z-Dub will be the day's entertainment.

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COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION