Only 38% of those polled believed schools should provide athletes with some kind of salaryGETTY IMAGES
About two-thirds of Americans "support college players being permitted to earn money for endorsements," according to a poll cited by Ralph Russo of the AP. The poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that support for the NCAA "allowing college athletes to cash in on their names, images and likenesses is especially high among young adults, as well as black Americans and Hispanics, though majorities of white Americans and older adults are also in favor." Compared with broad support for college athletes receiving endorsement money, only 38% said that colleges and universities with major athletic programs "should give athletes a salary." The poll did find 52% of Americans "believe college athletes should receive a cut of the millions of dollars the NCAA, conferences and schools make annually from media rights deals involving football and basketball." Forty-six percent also said that athletes "participating in major athletic programs should be provided additional spending money." Asked for their opinion of the NCAA, only 14% of those polled said that they "held a favorable opinion of the association and its hundreds of schools competing in three divisions of sports." However, only 17% said that they "held an unfavorable opinion of the NCAA." Another 21% expressed "neither a favorable nor unfavorable opinion of the NCAA, and 47% said they did not know enough to say" (AP, 1/6).
