When you’re watching the College Football Playoffs or March Madness, are you wondering if the players on the television should be considered slaves? It sounds like a ridiculous question, but there are some people out there who would say that is exactly what they are. In the past few years, the debate about whether or not student-athletes should be paid for the sports they play in college has grown insurmountable. This is an issue that sheds light on the fairness of college athletics and is important for not only student-athletes, but anyone who enjoys watching. I, personally, believe student-athletes should not be paid because they are already awarded generous compensation, there are far too many of them with no way to determine who should get paid what, and it would take away from the value of university academics. …show more content…
Chris Webber, retired NBA all-star, was quoted last year by TMZ saying, “Bill Russell told me any system that gets free labor is slavery” (Bellware). This is a fallacy that many people are falling in line with nowadays. Though I enjoy college athletics just as much as the next person, Chris Webber, and those who agree with him, are sadly mistaken. When I say that student-athletes already receive generous compensation, I mean it. In October of 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit made a ruling in a case against the National Collegiate Athletic Association stating that the NCAA is not immune to antitrust regulation and that they were required to increase scholarship payouts to cover the full cost of college attendance (Yankah). The NCAA had permitted this option to schools previously, but this ruling made it a mandatory process. What does a scholarship look like that covers the full cost of college attendance? Allow me to
For instance, In 1950 Bud Wilkinson earned $15,000 a season as the head football coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. During that same time period the football players were only given scholarships. This year Bob Stoops, who is the current coach of the Oklahoma football team, will earn $4.55 million (Doyel). That is three hundred times more money a season than just sixty years ago. “College football and men's basketball generate revenues of more than $6 billion every year. Yet not one penny goes toward paying the people who make the sports possible: the student athletes. It is only reasonable that student athletes have a share in the millions of dollars that their sports businesses bring in. If it weren't for them, college athletics would not even exist” (Birkenes and Bagaria). The universities, coaches, and sports companies are getting rich off these athletes and it is time for a change. It isn’t necessary that colleges begin to pay players thousands of dollars each week but just enough money so they do not struggle with finances. If someone was looking for another term for slave labor they could easily say college athlete. If universities truly care about the well-being of the student athletes then pay them what they deserve. Colleges should start reimbursing athletes for the millions of dollars the school makes off of their athletic abilities.
Does it make sense for an academic institution to run a multimedia dollar entertainment business without paying the employees? “The Irony is that, while sports events generate millions for each school, the workers are not paid.”(1) College Athletes are non-professional, collegiate and university-level competitive sports and game requiring physical skill. In this paper I will talk about how much college athletes should be paid, why they should be paid and if schools increase graduation rates by paying students.
Should College Athletes Get Paid College athletes should get paid because they practice all year long and for some it's hard to find a job because they have three practice each day. College Athletes can’t work in between class or on their free time because they have homework to do. Athletes leave for games and some games can be six hours away or just a few hours, it all depends on where the college is located. College coaches get paid, John Calipari is the highest paid basketball coach, he gets paid $6,356,856 and one of the lowest paid coaches is Rick Barnes and he gets paid $2,625,000. Some people say if college athletes get paid that would makes them a professional player but if a college coach gets paid wouldn’t that make them a professional coach?
A current debate in the sports world is whether or not the athletes at the universities should or should not be paid. Many people think by giving the athletes full ride scholarships to a school is basically paying them since they get free room and bored. Other people think since the players are the ones winning all the games and making all the money for the university they should get some of the pay and not be treated like slaves. Paying college athletes is a huge topic debated by the experts in the sports industry, many say college athletes are being paid by their full ride scholarships, other people say that they are being treated unfair and making all the money for the universities in coaches. Other people say that they
For the longest time, college athletes have poured their heart into their sport and worked very hard every day of every week. These athletes have proven themselves enough to able to show off their ability and talents at a university. These college athletes have a job and work too. Their job is to bring in money for the university they are playing for. In order for these athletes to play well enough to be considered able to bring in profit for the university, they must play a sport that they love to play and not a sport that they are forced to play. Over time, the main question that is on everyones mind is should students that play the sport they love for a university get paid simply because they are a college athlete that is displayed on television. My goal for this paper is to inform you of the reasons I believe they should get paid.
College athletes can be easily manipulated these days. Student athletes go long tedious days to stay academically eligible and also work to keep a high level of competitive play during their competitions. These athletes need to praised and rewarded for outstanding accomplishments they have achieved during their career. These athletes are not being rewarded but are also living on and off the campus without any money in their pockets. Since these athletes are living without an adequate supply of money, they are highly susceptible to grabbing money from booster clubs or any others who are very willing to help them in any way or form. The problem with this situation is that those athletes are going to get themselves and also their school’s athletic
“We have gotten to a point in college sports where they can build forty million dollar wight rooms, there is enough money out there to pay players”-Colin Cowherd. Should College athletes be paid. Paying athletes has been a big controversy throughout the history of college sports. Some people believe they should be paid and some don’t think so. College athletes should be paid for their participation in college sports.
College athletes being paid to play, good or bad? This would be for the athletes that are going to be competing at the Division 1 level. According to NCAA’s official website a study was done and the stats showed that the highest percent of all athletes that would play D1 was 12.3% which was for lacrosse. The highest percent that the students would go play at the highest level which is Division 1 is .7% which is for volleyball. This is a very small amount of student athletes that get to go n to the next level of play and maybe to the professional league. So it would make sense that the athletes that are able to play at the highest level should be paid to do whatever sport it is that they are playing. People argue that the D1 athletes kinda get paid by the full ride scholarships that they receive. Well the athletes who play in the pros make money so why shouldn’t the players who play at the highest level be paid in the lower bracket of competition.
Should college athletes get paid like the professional players on TV? Some people believe they should for many different reasons while other people believe that athletes should not get paid and that their college tuition covers their needs. College student should be treated like the pros, they already get paid from other people, college athletes are already full-time workers without pay, they bring in the most money, and paying the athletes could help with recruiting Colleges should pay their Student-Athletes for the entertainment that they provide for the school. College athletes bring fame and funds to the school if they do well so why shouldn’t they be provided with payment to help their college. Students athletes should be treated like every other student on campus by getting the extra money that they need.
“Over 460,000 NCAA student-athletes – more than ever before – compete in 24 sports every year,” (NCAA). Many college athletes are well-known by sports fans, their names are used in advertising, and they generate millions of dollars in revenue to the schools. Because of this they must receive an unimaginable amount of compensation. They don’t – not even a cent for their time. The label “amateur” put on these athletes allow schools to refuse student-athlete compensation.
Critics would argue saying based on National Labor Relations Board in Chicago, playing college athletics for the NCAA could technically be classified as a “job”. This is true, however, this isn’t what playing college athletics should be all about. Kate Murphy again has a response saying, “College athletes need to recognize their opportunity as a privilege, that most young kids aspire to attain, but are never given to opportunity to have. Just do it for the love of the game, because that’s what it is, a game. The last thing athletes want to happen is to turn college sports into a chore or a job with an hourly wage. Then the pure love gets lost.” The meaning behind that is that many people watch college sports because of what modern professional sports are like, they want to see young men and women who play the game hard, for the name on the front of their jersey, not the one on the back, and for the love of the game not the money or fame. That being said college athletes should not get paid because playing is a
Many people disagree on the argument whether or not college athletes should receive compensation. For starters college athletes shouldn’t be paid because there are no other scholarships or college activities that offer compensation. College athletes are not professionals they’re still just amateurs competing against other amateurs. “The NCAA’s position is that they are amateurs, people who play for the love of the game, not for personal gain. The players’ first priority, the NCAA says, is receiving a good education” (“Compensation for College Athletes”1). If a student goes to college their main focus should be on educating themselves and in a way college athletics is their lesson preparing them to make money with that profession. College athletes should not gain monetary compensation because they already receive
Between busy academic and practice schedules, college athletes are probably some of the most stressed out students. Despite student athletes working more hours than a full-time job and making millions of dollars for the university, they get nothing more than a full scholarship that only meets their most basic needs. The National College Players Association say that 86% of college football players live at or below the national poverty line. Could you imagine going to work for minimum wage while your employer makes hundreds of thousands of dollars off of your name? Because that is precisely what happens to college football players. Many of us grew up going to games and watching our favorite college teams play and never once did we stop to think
College athletes are taken advantage of on a daily basis. Student athletes have to spend all day in class having to meet vigorous academic requirements well also having to stay competitive in sports. For doing so much you think the NCAA would at least give them some money to live off. When students have no money they are more likely to sell their autographs or take money from boosters. When students accept money from boosters it not only affects the player but it affects the team. Some ways that it affects the whole team is by reducing the amount of scholarships a team can give out that year. It could also affect their college playoff hopes by not allowing them to participate in their college bowl games.
The loud and annoying sounds of an alarm clock go off alerting a student that its 4:37AM. In one fatal swing of the arm the alarm clock goes crashing to the floor in hopes that the sound will stop. After a few minutes of collecting oneself the student gets up and prepares him or herself to go to 6AM practice. After hours of drills, being yelled at, and sweating it is time to sit through numerous classes. Once class is finished it is time to go back to practice, team meeting, lifting, or film session. Don’t forget the homework that is due for class tomorrow. At the day’s end once practice, class, team dinners, and homework are finished it is finally time to go to sleep. This being an almost daily breakdown of a student-athlete has raised much concern for if student-athletes should be paid or not.