Blue White Illustrated

The NCAA allows teams to conduct 10 additional practices to prepare for foreign tours. Chambers said he expects his players to benefit from the experience both on and off the court. The tour, he said, "will be a big jump-start to what we think will be an exciting season. It's also a terrific cultural and educational opportunity that many of our players may not otherwise ever experience." Using Belgium as its home base, Penn State will play exhibitions in Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges and Mechelen, along with stops in Paris and London. Marshall's exit illustrates hardships that athletes face O ne class and an internship are all that guard Jermaine Marshall needs to complete his requirements for a Penn State degree, but as he announced on May 15, he has reached the conclusion of his playing career as a Nittany Lion. Having chosen to forgo his final year of eligibility, Marshall will take his best shot at a career in professional basketball overseas while trying to provide for his girlfriend and young son. He is leaving behind teammates and coaches who would prefer to see him stay, but the second-leading scorer from Penn State's 2012-13 season is taking seriously his responsibilities as a father. He, too, would probably like to stay for one more year, but financially, that just doesn't seem to be an option. "If you ask any college athlete if they could get paid, they would agree to stay in college [until graduation]," Marshall said. "A lot of decisions would be made differently. "I can say my heart is leading me to go ahead and try to get my degree. But I think that a lot of decisions would be made differently if college athletes or college basketball players were getting paid." With no feasible way to provide enough financial support for his girlfriend and son while remaining a college athlete, Marshall was faced with a difficult choice. And his situation puts an entirely different face on a familiar debate. We frequently hear arguments as to whether big-time college football and basketball players, who help raise millions of dollars for their universities, should receive, in return, monetary compensation beyond tuition, room and board and small stipends. But Marshall personifies an entirely different – and far more common – reality for many young athletes. In fact, according to the NCAA Parenting Handbook that was released in 2008, "pregnancy rates for female student-athletes and partners of male student-athletes for an athletics department are between 10 and 15 percent." By giving up his college basketball career, Marshall isn't simply choosing between a final year of stress-free college life and the riches of the NBA. He seems to understand that there is zero possibility he will land in an NBA camp. But he does see an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of recent Penn State graduates Talor Battle and Jeff Brooks and play basketball overseas while earning the money to buy the necessities for his family. Penn State coach Patrick Chambers is torn on the question of whether college athletes should be paid. He acknowledged that in some situations, such as the one Marshall was facing, the benefits that are available to student-athletes are insufficient. "There is a service provided through the NCAA when you do have a child, so there are some additional funds, but obviously not the funds that you need to be able to support a girlfriend and a child and yourself," Chambers said. "[Money] to get a haircut, to just get some groceries, to be able to get the necessities of life – obviously I'd be a proponent of that, but it would really depend on how you spend that money." Realistically, Marshall's life overseas will not be exponentially better than it was at Penn State. Like minor league baseball players, foreign league basketball athletes can earn as little as $1,500 per month at the lowest level, all the way up to $20,000 per month at the higher levels, according to a 2012 Sports Illustrated story. In providing for his son, however, Marshall and his girlfriend will no longer need to guess as to when the next package of diapers or clothing or groceries will be coming. Though charitable groups and churches offer assistance to young families in need, the challenges of relying solely on aid and one low-income salary are daunting. "I think that's why he made the decision," Chambers said. "If the NCAA could help out in a situation where Jermaine has a son, if they could give more money, yeah, I would be all for that." When debating the merits of paying college athletes, the needs and financial obligations that are a part of parenthood – needs that extend far beyond the extraneous luxuries often portrayed as the norm in this debate – have to be considered.

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