Good morning! The weatherman says today is going to be a hot one. The forecast calls for mainly sunny skies with highs in the low 90s. 

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

What’s the worth of a college athlete?

Playing big-time football or basketball is basically a full-time job for college athletes, and some players in the highest divisions report putting in overtime. A new report suggests they are worth at least six figures. Yet, many of them live below the poverty line and some say they can’t even afford food.

According to the report “The Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sport,” players at the most powerful programs are worth more than some professional athletes, reports The Washington Post. 

According to the report, Duke’s basketball players are worth the most, at around $1 million each, and Texas has the most valuable football players. They are worth an estimated salary of $513,000.

Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA linebacker, wrote the report with Drexel University professor Ellen J. Staurowsky. Huma heads the National College Players Association - an advocacy group for college athletes.

It’s no secret that college athletics is a lucrative industry. Do players deserve a cut of the profit? Huma and Staurowsky think so.

Citing the fact that several high-profile coaches pull in multimillion-dollar salaries, they argue that the only ones benefiting from maintaining the current system are coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners and bowl directors. They also point out that some football coaches earn more in bonuses alone than the worth of the entire scholarship shortfall for their teams.

“The NCAA’s definition of amateurism has proven to be priceless to obscenely paid coaches, athletics administrators, and colleges but has inflicted poverty on college athletes,” the report reads.

Huma and Staurowsky propose that players should receive a portion of new revenues, like TV contracts, to be put in an “educational lockbox.” Those funds could help cover educational costs if players exhaust their athletic eligibility before graduating — or receive the money with no strings attached upon graduating. They also believe athletes should be free to seek commercial deals, such as endorsements, with some of the money from that going to the lockbox, and the rest available for the athlete’s immediate use.

QUESTION: Do you think it’s fair the college athletes are not paid? Do you think paying them or allowing them to pursue endorsement deals would lead to corruption?
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Poverty at an all time high

By now you’ve probably heard the news that the unemployment rate for black Americans is higher than it is for any other group in the United States. It looks like black people are doing just as bad when it comes to poverty rates as well. In 2010, 15.1% of all Americans were living in poverty. During that same time the rates for African Americans jumped to 27.4%, up from 25.8% in 2009. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 the overall U.S. median household income declined to $49,445 down from an income of $50,599 in 2009. The median income for black people is nearly $20,000 less than their white counterparts. (Read more) 
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The Starbuck stops here

Starbucks C.E.O. Howard Schultz is at the helm of standoff between big companies and Capitol Hill. Starbucks, JC Penny and AOL have joined forces and are withholding campaign contributions until a workable financial plan to stabilize the nation’s debt is in place, reports U.S. Today. Schultz is lobbying Washington and pushing for a “fiscally disciplined long-term debt and deficit plan.” Schultz, who has not presented any proposals on how the President and others might control the nation’s debt, says he wants to see a plan in action that is “immediate and bipartisan.” He said, “Americans must stand up and realize what is at stake. We must realize we cannot stand by while a divide forms.” (Read more)
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Sexual assault and disturbing the peace

This week, a cell phone video surfaced which appears to show a UN Peacekeeper from Uruguay raping a young man. The one-minute clip shows the 18-year old face down on a mattress being held down by two soldiers as a third soldier in uniform appears to be sexually assaulting him. Several others can be heard laughing in the background. The attack took place in the southern town of Port-Salut. The footage was reportedly sent by accident to someone who recognized the victim as his cousin. The incident is under investigation. (Read more)
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Attack of the Creamy Crack

It’s not nice to laugh at another person’s pain. But if you are anything like the young man filming the following video, this clip will provide you with some mid-week amusement. Or it may give you cause for concern and warrant a phone call to children’s protective services. The clip, which resembles a scene from the movie “Malcolm X,” shows a teen being tortured as her mother plays kitchen beautician and tries to “work” a relaxer into her hair. This video could serve as the PSA of why ladies should leave the application of dangerous chemicals to the professionals. There are so many things wrong with this video from the dirty dishes in the sink to the mother cursing and telling her daughter to “take it like a woman” when the relaxer begins to burn her scalp. Watch and discuss.

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