The Fab Five film

Wow.

That's just all I can say after watching the ESPN film The Fab Five, about the Michigan basketball team's famous five freshmen starters. The team included former NBA stars and current NBA analysts Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, current Miami Heat forward Juwan Howard, Jimmie King, who had a short stint in the NBA and Ray Jackson, who never played in the NBA.

I knew the story of these guys impressive back-to-back runs to the NCAA finals, the second of which ended on a botched time-out call by Webber. I have watched all kinds of footage about this team, enough to tell you much of the story. But watching the film gave me a better sense of the magnitude of these guys' impact on college basketball; particularly financially.

But before I go into the financial aspect, I have to say the film did a good job of capturing the vulnerability of these guys. As a result of their accomplishment, people treated them more like experienced college players than as the young'ns that they really were. Watching these guys find out how popular they were when Muhammad Ali addressed them by their names was indicative of their innocence and unawareness of just how much of celebrities they had become.

Which brings me to the financial problem. The debate over whether college athletes should get paid has been ongoing for years. On one end are those who feel the free college education with room and board amounts to paying athletes and on the other end are people who see how much athletes at universities like Michigan are netting schools and view it as modern day slavery.

Mitch Albom, a Detroit Press columnist discussed when he knew Webber would turn pro after the second NCAA title bid. He was walking with Webber who asked him for money for gas and to grab a bite. Albom turned him down (per NCAA rules) and moments after they passed by a store selling a Webber jersey for $75. Webber voiced his displeasure that his jersey was selling for that much and he had no money to eat, and Albom said he knew Webber would declare for the NBA draft. Webber announced his decision a week later. The film also cites that the University of Michigan netted $10.2 million from capitalizing on the sales of the fab five merchandise. Prior to the group's emergence on campus, Michigan was getting less than $2 million. The collective value of their college education if all had graduated (Webber left after his sophomore year, Rose and Howard left after their junior years) would not make a dent on what they earned the school.

I can see why Webber and Rose would be roped into the cash for play scandal that cost the school its Final Four appearances years later. It was hard for these young guys to understand that they were bringing the school millions of dollars, but living on cereal and hot dogs. And for this reason, I support the idea of college athletes being paid. It would definitely eliminate many of these NCAA infractions schools are facing, help the struggling families of these players who are earning money for their school but can't help their families and give more players an incentive to stay in school and get a college education.

After a failed NBA career, King reportedly worked with Merill Lynch as a financial analyst at some point and now has a solar energy business. Jackson became involved with a non-profit to help young children. I'm glad to see they found a life beyond basketball. Sadly, it's not the case for many former star athletes (look up Maurice Clarrett or Lenny Cooke.) So while these guys could've resorted to the kind of lifestyles that unfairly earned them monikers like "thugs," "goons" and even "n***ers," they've become positive role models for others.

That is what they should be remembered for more than anything else.