Should Athletes Be Paid

Professional athletes in the United States are given extremely substantial contracts and lucrative endorsement deals and it has been argued that their salaries should be reduced to smaller wages but others say they are paid accordingly. The argument that athletes are overpaid not only exists in the United States but also all over the world. Most countries however do not have the variety of major sports that the U.S. has. When athletes are being paid millions of dollars each year, it raises an important discussion. This discussion is about how we value and compensate athletes and whether or not their salary is too much. This also leads to an argument asking if American priorities are altered by the significant difference of athletes

The NCAA has been around and evolved since the beginning of college sports. This organization is a non-profitable organization, but ironically makes more than millions of profit per year. Branch states “that money comes from a combination of ticket sales, concession sales, merchandise, licensing fees, and other sources—but the great bulk of it comes from television contract”(pg. 228). Meanwhile, the student-athletes do not receive any of this money. This is the start of an unsubstantial business between universities built around amateurism.

For about a decade, the debate between whether collegiate athletes should be paid while playing has been contemplated. Now, the focus has moved from all sports to two specific areas, football and men’s basketball. Sprouting from many court cases filed against the NCAA to some ugly sandals dealing with the athletes themselves. In the 2010 – 2011 time frame, this controversy really sparked up chatter; eventually leading the current pled for sport reformation. Our student athletes are the ones who are at the expense here stuck in between this large argument. Over the past 10 years, there has been minor things done for either side and the players themselves have started taking things into their own hands. The year 2010 a total of 7 student

For many students, the college experience is measured by the success of their NCAA-sanctioned athletic programs. Without the experience and athletic performance the student athlete brings, most colleges would not reap the benefit of these significant revenue-generating activities. At best, current NCAA regulations need to be revisited to ensure all avenues are addressed to enable the success of athletic students both in the classroom and on the field or court of play. As stated previously, even though students receive full and partial scholarships determined by their athletic performance, in both instances

One view point in this issue is the view point of the higher up people at universities and the NCAA. College athletics are fully commercialized and is also a huge money making business. The benefactors of this largely successful corporation are the

As the final four comes to a close and the two champions are presented with their trophies, the real winners in some people’s eyes are the sponsors, advertisers, the schools, and finally the NCAA. All of these groups are the ones who end up with the money generated as a result of the games in the tournament and college athletes who particiapte. “The NCAA basketball tournaments, or "March Madness," have become a huge business. As Forbes' Chris Smith wrote, CBS and Turner Broadcasting make more than $1 billion off the games” (US News- Forbes’ Chris Smith). Smith’s statement shows how much money these athletes’ skills and contributions are generating. In return for giving their efforts and producing all this money, the student athletes do not receive any of these proceeds. People think college athletes should also be paid because of the money the NCAA makes off using these athletes names and likeness, like jerseys with an athlete’s number being sold and even in video games being played. Because of this, a group of former players filed an

Year after year fans enjoy nail biting moments produced by the NCAA basketball tournament and football season. Many would argue that the NCAA provides a product that matches up with the professionals both competitively and financially. The only difference is that professionals get paid for the revenue that they bring in while NCAA athletes do not. It is time for change, college athletes should be monetarily compensated because they are the ones who have made the NCAA profitable for many years.

There is blatant, inarguable proof that the players and their talents are being exploited. These athletes are the draw to the games. They are the reason people watch and cheer on their teams. The amount of money given as a “full” scholarship is a marginal benefit only a drop in the bucket when compared to the market value of a player’s talent and skills. Athletic scholarships, as will be explained later, is indeed financial assistance but still leaves the student athlete living below, or at best slightly above, the poverty line. The NCAA and the respective universities has a duty to be concerned with the overall well-being of its players, not just whether or not an injury would keep their star player from playing in the upcoming game. The NCAA ought to consider the social responsibility of meeting the needs of its players, subsequently initiating a reformation of the NCAA bylaws concerning paying college athletes.

In 2012, the NCAA earned $871.6 million in revenue (Dirlam), but it is never distributed to the workforce. As it stands, the NCAA forbids college athletes from earning any compensation from participation in college athletics. Scandals surrounding high-profile college football stars who accepted payment for providing autographs have brought to light what is wrong with NCAA policy. Athletes from college football and men’s basketball deserve a piece of the $871.6 million revenue pie. These sports athletes occupy a different role on campus, the role of an employee as well as a student that female and other male athletes do not. Paying athletes’ a full salary for their participation is an extreme solution. Instead, the NCAA can solve the

There have been many recent debates over whether collegiate athletes should be able to receive money for what they do. The NCAA is a non-profit organization, but that does not mean they do not make profits. As a matter of fact, they make huge profits each year. The NCAA makes about $1 billion per year (Gerencer). The NCAA’s revenue has an upward growth trend that shows that the $1 billion it makes is going to increase. The NCAA should deregulate its policy about players profiting from the NCAA, so that they can earn a fair wage for the work that they do. Overall, from a financial standpoint the NCAA generates more than enough revenue to pay athletes and still maintain a substantial profit margin.

The athletes put all of their time into college sports and they bring in a lot of money they at least earn some compensation. The money that they are making is being taken away from them by the NCAA, and they could at least deserve some of it. They risk losing their scholarship due to horrific injuries (Green). Athletes get hurt really bad all the

Who brings the sports business to the schools, NCAA, or even the pleasure to watch sports? The Athletes. The NCAA is an industry and the players are the employees. As stated in the article “Should College Athletes be paid”, College football and basketball generate more than the National Basketball Association, a total of more than $6 billion yearly.(3) That’s insane! The fact that NBA players do get paid is just upright unfair. Sure, while NBA is the ‘pros’, you could consider NCAA the stepping stone. It’s like an internship

But why haven’t the athletes been able to see some of that extra revenue? After all, without the players there wouldn’t be any revenue. The thought that college sports can be so extremely profitable, especially for the NCAA seems a little ridiculous. Why are they able to keep this much money while also finding a way around paying the athletes who actually bring in the revenue? It is a question that doesn’t seem to have an answer. Athletes are making money and the NCAA doesn’t want to share. One stance that the NCAA has is the argument that “They (college athletes) are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay tuition, fees, room and board, and other allowable expenses. Collegiate sports is not a career or profession. It is the students ' vehicle to a higher education degree”. (Mitchell) It is an easy stance to have when the NCAA doesn’t have to pay for the free education, the universities do.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a business that keeps expanding while the players it supports make nothing. This year the NCAA announced that they are on the verge of reaching the one billion dollar mark in annual revenue. Last year they pulled in an astonishing nine hundred and eighty nine million dollars. Most of its profit growth comes from the division one men’s basketball tournament, which accounts for eighty to ninety percent of their success. With all this incoming profit some players feel as though they are entitled to a piece of the pie. There are currently lawsuits pending and some players have even gone as far as attempting to unionize. Although they are receiving scholarships and get a lot of other assistance,

Ever since its formation in 1910, the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA, has provided student athletes the ability to attend colleges through scholarships while playing for their schools. However, the ideology of inter-collegiate athletics, amateurism, and sportsmanship masks the troubling problem for many of the players; the ban on paying student athletes. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a 6 billion dollar a year institution that is a so-called, “non-profit organization.” While they claim to provide athletes a gateway to a higher education, their inability to provide any compensation for their hard work and sacrifices make them incredibly exploitative. It is