If anyone uses any social media outlet such as Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat, you would’ve seen something or someone
mention the game-winning-buzzer-beating shot in the NCAA National Championship
game for men’s basketball that happened last Sunday. Junior forward, Kris
Jenkins, made the remarkable shot to cap off the end of a truly “mad” March.
Kris, along with the video of his shot, are all over social media. He’s receiving
the attention that a professional athlete would receive, yet he’s considered
just an amateur. The big difference between an amateur and a professional: the
money.
For
some years now, the idea of paying college athletes who play big time sports
(i.e., basketball and football) has been a hot topic. The NCAA is a billion-dollar
organization yet they refuse to pay the athletes because of their amateur
status and the fact that they are students first and athletes second. However,
the main reason why the NCAA has become so successful is because of it’s
athletes. According to Nabeel Gadit, “the NCAA has grown to be one of the most
dominant participants in all of sports entertainment. Currently, the market for
collegiate-licensed merchandise is $4 billion per year. Increasingly, the
success of this industry is attributed to start athletes, who often receive
national attention and obtain celebrity status akin to their professional
counterparts” (Gadit). Essentially, the NCAA is making all this money because
of the athletes yet they refuse to give them any sort of cut of the revenue. Is
this fair to the athletes? I don’t think it is but when signing with a
university to play a sport, you must sign and state that you are in fact an
amateur athlete and you will not receive any sort of payments. I only know this
because I’ve signed the form however, some athletes have taken a stand against
the NCAA and their own institution.
Back
in March of last year, members of the football team at Northwestern University
actually formed a union which basically meant they were university employees
and not student-athletes. Along with the NCAA, this also upset Northwestern
University. According to The College
Football Writer, “Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes
are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not
the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes”
(Fornelli). I think Northwestern and the NCAA will do everything in their power
to eliminate this union to prevent the status of these athletes as “employees”.
But this action could lead to something bigger. This action may have gotten the
ball rolling for more similar actions to happen in the coming future. “Should
that happen we would likely see drastic changes to the way college athletics
work. Everything from increased value of scholarships, concussion reform,
improved medical coverage for athletes, athletes being allowed to accept
endorsements, and possibly athletes being paid as well” (Fornelli). As an
athlete, all this sounds like music to my ears but I can’t help to ask how this
would all work if someday, athletes could get paid?
Would
only big time sports get paid? Would female athletes receive the same amount as
male athletes? How much would athletes get? It certainly is a complicated
process to think about. In the article, Here’s
Why We Shouldn’t Pay College Athletes, the author raises the question of
whether or not, “a $100,000 salary gives the student-athlete a better deal than
the $65,000 scholarship?” (Thelin). I thought this was an interesting point
because sports will only take a person so far in their life but an education
will last a lifetime so what is really worth more? The salary or the
scholarship?
It’s
difficult to say if college athletes should remain as amateurs because of all
the attention and money they can bring to a school and the NCAA. But, in near
future, will school provide this student-athletes with salaries or just say the
scholarship is enough? According to the article, NCAA Is a Cartel and Should Pay Its Athletes, “the University of
Alabama allows its student-athletes to receive the full cost of attendance in
scholarships, amounts to over $6,000, rather than just the full cost of
tuition” (Taylor). The article also states that this is being used as a major
recruiting tool for the school. No matter the amount, I think any student athlete
would accept any sort of salary or stipend from their university without
question.
Works Cited:
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in
Favor of College Athletes Players Association." College Football
Writer.
CBSSports.com, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24501646/college-athletes-players-association-wins-case-at-nlrb>.
Gadit,
Nabeel. "An End To The Ncaa's Exploitation Of Former Student-Athletes: How
O'bannon
V. Ncaa Highlights The Need For An Inalienable
Reversionary Interest In The Right Of Publicity For Former Student-
Athletes." Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal 30.2
(2012): 347-368. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 1 Apr.
2016.
Taylor, Kristen. “NCAA is a Cartel and Should Pay its
Athletes.” KeraNews.org. 17 Mar.
2016.
Web. 4 Apr. 2016. http://keranews.org/post/ncaa-cartel-and-should-pay-its-athletes-new-york-times-author-says
Thelin, John R. “Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Pay College
Athletes.” College Planner: Money.
Time.com, 1 Mar. 2016. Web. 4 Apr.
2016. http://time.com/money/4241077/why-we-shouldnt-pay-college-athletes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX8BXH3SJn0
College athletes work really hard. A simple statement but there is so much behind it. College athletes have practices at crazy times like five or six in the morning, then they also take classes, have more practices, and they have games and scrimmages. This is a lot of work. As a non-student athlete, I could not imagine being one. I am cranky if I have to get up early. I also could not handle the immense pressure that being a college athlete entails. They face the stress of not only having to work hard at practices and games but also in class. I am stressed just having to take four or five classes. They also face the stress of having to win not only for the students but also for the university. I could not imagine having that type of weight on me. These students work really hard. So should they get paid for their work?
ReplyDeleteRecently, Northwestern Football players won a case stating that they were employees of the university not students: “The College Athletes Players Association (CAPA), which has been led by Northwestern's Kain Colter, won its case at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday, which means that Northwestern football players are seen as employees rather than student-athletes, and that they can form a union” (Fornelli). Although Northwestern does not agree with the decision, why would the NLRB declare they are employees? For one thing, student athletes rack in a lot of money for the university. My dad is a season ticket holder for Stony Brook University Men’s Basketball. The university relies on men like him. This season we went to the championship game where the Seawolves won their titles. The players of the team, just like professionals, had fans asking for autographs and pictures. So if they are treated just like professionals, should they not be paid?
The NCAA stated: “We want student athletes – 99 percent of whom will never make it to the professional leagues – focused on what matters most – finding success in the classroom, on the field and in life. (Fornelli). If that is the case, maybe the NCAA can work with the universities to ensure better programs and funding. One of the biggest issues in sports is how women athletes are not as recognized or appreciated as men athletes. The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team has just filed a lawsuit for exactly that: Five members of the U.S. women's national soccer team -- including stars Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan -- have filed a wage-discrimination action against the U.S. Soccer Federation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The filing, citing figures from the USSF's 2015 financial report, says that despite the women's team generating nearly $20 million more revenue last year than the U.S. men's team, the women are paid about a quarter of what the men earn” (ESPN). So maybe the NCAA can work to ensure that women athletes are promoted just as much as male athletes and given the same opportunities. Another way they could further help athletes is medically. Concussions have become the biggest medical issue in sports today: “They didn't really understand the disease, that was Bennett’s discovery, but they did understand these players are permanently and irrevocably damaged by these concussions, and sending backers back into games after having received a concussion, it’s an incredibly injudicious act” (Subramanian). The NCAA could work to help students with concussions and help not commit “injudicious acts.”
ReplyDeleteI think the beauty of any type of work is that you have earned it. The athletes have worked hard and earned it but I do not know if they should be paid. If it did happen that athletes were offered money, I do not think they would hesitate to take it.
Works Cited:
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association." CBSSports.com. CBS Sports, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. .
Subramanian, Pras. "'Concussion' Director Reveals the Cold Business Side of the NFL." Yahoo Finance. Yahoo, 23 Dec. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. .
"U.S. Women's Team Files Wage-discrimination Action vs. U.S. Soccer."ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 1 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. .
There are a lot of misconceptions that people tend to have when they think about college athletes. Almost everyone thinks that college athletes get special privileges on and off campus, massive scholarships, and leeway in the classroom. All of this however is not true. As someone who has played a division one sport in college it is not any easier being a student athlete and if anything it is a heck of a lot harder.
ReplyDeleteThe big name sports teams have a history of making a great deal of money in terms of merchandise and viewership. For example March Madness brings in a great deal of revenue for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. “Fans will bet some $9 billion on brackets and individual games. The NCAA will rake in nearly $800 million in licensing deals. Coaches stand to make six-figure bonuses. Players, of course, will make zilch” (Davis). It requires intensive labor hours and strain on the body as well as dedication to keep up grades in school. Yet college athletes don’t get a cut of the massive revenue intake made by the NCAA. Although there are many students who are compensated by their school with scholarships some are not as generous as others.
While I do feel that student athletes have somewhat a raw end of the deal in terms of money, it would be extremely difficult to try and change the way that the NCAA compensates athletes. College players deserve to be rewarded for their athletic abilities especially when it creates so much revenue for the NCAA just by bringing in viewers or obtaining a good record. However sometimes people and especially the students have a tendency to forget just how much the NCAA tries to help out the potential student athletes. “While improvements need to be made, we do not need to completely throw away a system that has helped literally millions of students over the past decade alone attend college” (Fornelli). The NCAA has helped thousands of students to achieve their dreams of playing a division one sport as well as attending a better school than they could have if not for the NCAA. It is also extremely important to remember that most of these student athletes will not continue their athletic career to the professional league.
The amount of time, hard work, and dedication can sometimes be completely overlooked and often times make the players feel underappreciated. Although student athletes can create a great deal of revenue for the NCAA, money is not supposed to be their motive. When students sign their National Letter of Intent they are acknowledging the requirements expected of them to make their commitment to the team that does not include monetary compensation. Being a student athlete is about being able to participate in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution and not about the potential money that these athletes could make.
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association." CBSSports.com. CBS Sports, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. .
Davis, Owen. “March Madness 2015: Getting To The NCAA Finals Costs A Lot, But The Rewards For Most Are Slim” International Business Times. N.p., 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
An extremely controversial issue that has been ongoing for years pertains to the amount of money professional athletes make. This question has now morphed into something similar but different: should college athletes should get paid?
ReplyDeleteBefore I argue my stance on this question, I would like to begin by speaking on behalf of professional athletes. Professional athletes make large sums of money to entertain fans. Conversely, fans fuel the large sums of money athletes make; fans purchase tickets, player apparel, and religiously follow certain athletes; this entices endorsement with major athletic apparel. Although these professional athletes might be entertaining to watch, a question still lingers: do they deserve all of this money? The answer is simple: absolutely not.
The amount of money professional athletes make, through a combination of contract and endorsement deals, greatly surpass the amount of money professionals in other, and more important, fields of work make. According to Kurt Badenhausen, “the top 100 [athletes] earned a total of 3.2 billion over the last 12 months, up 17% from the prior year,” (Badenhausen). Last year, Kobe Bryant made $25 million when he signed a one-year contract with the Lakers (Stavro). When one considers Bryant’s yearly salary compared to the average salary of a US soldier, the difference is appalling. The average salary for someone in the military is around $29,380 (Locsin). The average military soldier, someone who puts his or her life on the line for our country, makes .12% of Bryant’s yearly salary. This disparity is alarming. Kobe Bryant, an individual who acquired his wealth by playing a child’s game, makes an astronomical amount more than military personnel—personnel who actively put their bodies in harms way on a daily basis.
Now let’s imagine if college athletes start to get paid; people in other fields of work would (and I’d understand why) absolutely lose it. The idea of paying college athletes is absurd. College athletes, like professional athletes, work extremely hard to obtain a position on college athletic teams. As hard as they work, however, it is important to remember this: playing a sport in college is a privilege; the opportunity to play and perform is enough in itself.
Last March, the football team at Northwestern University formed a union to make the argument that they were university employees and not student-athletes. The university, however, strongly disagreed with the student athlete’s beliefs. In a statement, the university wrote, “Northwestern believes strongly that our student athletes are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes” (Fornelli). Because college athletics are a privilege, and, as the university states, athletes are not employees, money is not supposed to be the primary motive of student-athletes. When a student signs their National Letter of Intent, they officially recognize their status as a student of a university rather than an employee of a university. If money is to be awarded to student-athletes, it should be awarded in scholarship form, not as official payment from the university.
Works Cited:
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association."
CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Badenhausen, Kurt. “The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2015: Behind The Numbers.” Forbes. 10 June, 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016
Stavro, Barry. “Kobe Bryant’s year-by-year salaries.” Los Angeles Times. 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Locsin, Aurelio. “The Average Salary of a U.S. Soldier.” Demand Media. Web. 11 Apr. 2016
College sports is an enormous industry. Schools use tactics to recruit the best high school athletes in the country to come and play for their team, in order to win a national championship title. It’s not easy for the athletes. They have to juggle a whole athletic season as well as their academics every year. This means early morning practices, out of state games, and long hours of hard work on top of the time they need to study and be in class. It’s a huge commitment; no one will disagree with you on that. So how are they compensated for this enormous and stressful workload?
ReplyDeleteMany Colleges offer their student athletes’ big scholarships, or if they play well enough, a full ride to their school. This is great and could end up saving the players a few tens of thousands of dollars. But is it really enough of a compensation for playing? In my opinion, it’s not. Playing college sports is a lot of pressure and stress. The whole school is looking for you to perform well, how you play could affect if you go professional or not, your life essentially becomes all about the sport. So if that’s the case, it almost makes playing for your schools team like a job, and when you get a job, you get paid. This is exactly how the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA) felt, so they took Northwestern University to court. “…The CAPA, which has been led by Northwestern’s Kain Colter, won it’s case at the national labor relations board on Wednesday which means that NW football players are seen as employees rather than student athletes, and they can form a union”(CBS) While this doesn’t guarantee they get paid, forming a union is a huge step in the right direction for college athletes, as it helps them get better medical coverage, larger scholarships, and athletes being able to accept endorsements which can lead to being paid.
Another issue with college athletes is they aren’t being paid, but others are making money off of them. The gaming company Electronic Arts (EA) has been leading the video game industry in sports games for years. Some of their biggest sellers include college sports games, such as NCAA Football. They use real colleges for the game, but claim that the players are completely made up at random based on how the team is doing in real life. But that’s not how a lot of college athletes saw it. Some college athletes, mainly football and basketball players, noticed that players in these games had remarkable similarities to them, as well as similar statistics on how they play. The only difference was the name, so they decided to take EA and Collegiate Licensing Corp. to Court. “ Lawyers for the plaintiffs filed the settlement agreement with federal court in Oakland California on Friday …..could deliver up to $4,000 to as many as 100,000 current or former athletes who appeared in EA sports basketball or football games since 2003.”(ESPN) It turned out that the lawyers agreed with them, and the similarities were there. While the athletes are only receiving a few thousand dollars in royalties, it paves the way for future athletes to receive payment for games yet to come, and could also pave the way for future videogame endorsements.
In the end, it’s just too much work and skill to not be paid. The sheer amount of work and stress, on top of managing your classes, is enough to classify playing college sports as having a job. On top of that, other companies are using your likeness to profit off of you and you don’t see a dime, how is that exactly fair? I think college athletes are starting to get fed up with the mistreatment, and within the next ten years we’ll really see a change in this issue.
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association." College Football
Writer. CBSSports.com, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. .
Farrey, Tom. "College Athletes Reach $40 Million Settlement with EA." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.