College Athletes: A Case Study

Purpose: to connect high school athletes with the colleges that will give them the best chnce to

The sad thing is that college athletes are being sold as entertainers but will never see any of the money that is being made off of them. “The NCAA just announced a 14 year 11 billion dollar deal for Men’s basketball.”(O’Toole 2010). So when stars like Oregon’s quarterback Marcus Mariota is breaking touchdown records and risking throwing out his arm or getting hit from behind and tearing his ACL. When a quarterback throws out his arm his career is likely over. Or when Adrian Payne played for the Michigan state Spartans cuts to the rim and breaks his fibula. Once a basketball player hurts something in his leg his body will never be the same. The player won’t be able to dunk or every shoot the same again. But it’s ok to not pay them because they get to go to school for free and if they will be fine. The NCAA doesn’t care if the students receive that money for that the NCAA is greedy. Year in and year out this is going to keep happening if we don’t make a change about it. It’s going to take someone in a high up place in the NCAA to say something about it for something to happen. But they don’t care if players lose everything because the NCAA still makes their money when a better player comes along and stills the show. The NCAA should offer protection because only 2 percent of college football players actually make it in the

If a college athlete is injured during a game and is done for the remaining of the season, they do not know for sure if their scholarship will be kept until the next year coaches or universities may take it back. So if that student athlete comes back the following year as a walk on and makes the team again, they would have no time to pick up a job or anything because they are still full time students, and full time athletes.So it is like they are already working a job, they plan out their schedules everyday, this is preparing them for life if they make it to a professional league, paying will add on to their internship. Teaching them responsibility and financial budgeting. Critics argue it is the responsibility of the parents or guardians to provide for the basic needs of the student athlete (youniversitytv.com, 2014). Many student athletes are in great need of the full scholarship because of the economic status of their family and the dream painted by college recruiters is the hope students and their families are relying on

The coaches for the two most popular sports in college, basketball and football, “…at Division I colleges and universities regularly earn annual salaries in excess of $1 million…” (G) Where the coaches are making way more than the professors and other staff at the colleges or universities. But they do not provide insurance for their players. The NCAA does not have insurance coverage for athletes’ injuries. The coaches are not the ones playing the athletes are but the coaches make all the money. So if a player gets injured in practice or a game, they have to get medical help on their own, and emergency room visits at hospital are expensive especially if they do not have medical insurance. I believe they deserve medical insurance in cases of injuries and having insurance will ensure the athletes of no worries and a faster recovery. The school takes in money from ticket sales, television contracts, video games and merchandise, just to name a few so if the school or NCAA provide medical insurance, it would be a reward for their hard work and

The concern with college athlete’s receiving workers compensation is they would be considered pro athletes. Athletic scholarships do not always cover the cost of tuition and living expenses for a student to attend college. They may indeed help with lowering the cost of the total amount owed, but more times than not college athletes have to take out loans in order to pay for the full amount of their college tuition. Student athletes should be paid because they have no extra time to earn extra money; it would decrease the rate in which athletes receive improper benefits; and all athletes should receive workers compensation for playing sports for their institution.

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.

The popularity of college sports has risen tremendously throughout the years amongst Americans. The passion to watch college basketball, football, baseball, and other sports has generated billions of dollars to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and to various athletic programs throughout America. Even though, colleges are raking in millions of dollars from their sports teams. “Last year 's National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") basketball tournament generated over $70 million in gross receipts” (Goldman).The NCAA prohibits payments, beyond educational scholarships, to athletes who are the source of these revenues. College athletes spend countless number of hours in their sport every day by attending long and tiresome practices, workout sessions, and film sessions whilst balancing their academics, but do not receive any payment for their efforts. Athletes are putting their lives and careers in danger during practices and games by being vulnerable to any type of injury that might end their careers, and many of these athletes are not provided any type of medical insurance to fund their injuries. Colleges need to realize that athletes often feel exploited because while they generate revenues, they are scrounging to meet their basic necessities and sacrificing their academic and professional careers. Many college athletes, professional lawyers, and sports analysts have taken various initiatives to help

After all, these athletes are attending their respected school on a scholarship because of their talent, but what happens when that talent can no longer be used? What happens when an athlete is no longer able to share their talent due to an injury or other medical condition? In such circumstances where an athlete is no longer able to play due to a career ending injury, the individual loses their scholarship. Now, not only will the individual have to pay for a surgery, but also the rest of their tuition. According to an article in The New Yorker “Why NCAA athletes shouldn’t be paid” written by Ekow N. Yankah,"The athletes in major football and men’s basketball programs are disproportionately black, many from poor and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds”

One reason is the student – athletes could need spending money for themselves many students in college struggle with this problem however due to very demanding practices student – athletes are required to eat several meals a day but they can’t due to a lack of money. Without the proper nutrition, the players will not be able to perform at their highest level which could eventually cost them their scholarship money and a spot on the team. In the 2013 NCAA tournament Louisville player Kevin Ware suffered a horrific injury to his lower right leg while attempting to block an opposing player’s shot. Six months later, Ware was healed and back to practicing. He was lucky. There have been instances of players becoming paralyzed by hits or tackles on football fields or other injuries that have ended player’s careers

Many college athletes have trouble with their money throughout their college lives. One of the main reasons that colleges don’t want to pay their athletes is because they think that they won’t use the money efficiently. “The debate over paying college athletes ignores the fact that they are already paid. The real question is, should they be paid more?” (Sack).

Actions towards paying athletes are being taken and according to the TCU Daily Skiff, “There’s a legislation being passed around in the Big 12 states to provide athletes with an extra stipend in addition to their all-expenses paid education. The idea is that these students are producing truckloads of revenue for the university and should see some of the fruits of their labor.” (Jennings, par. 2) Because athletes aren’t paid for producing such money, supporters feel some of the money made should go towards helping with extra expenses. An average student athlete has to pay for phone bills, transportation, entertainment, laundry, toiletries and other things. While the typical college student has the opportunity to work, athletes don’t. Some students in college receive academic full ride scholarships, which are the same as athletic full rides, but they have time to earn extra money on the side. If these students are receiving a full ride scholarship and have the opportunity to work then an athlete should be paid a compensation for his or her efforts on the playing field.

Some believe that college athletes at the highest performing schools are better treated than others. Although they do not get paid, they do receive some benefits for being athletes that other students would not get. One advantage for playing a sport is access to scholarships that some schools reserve for their athletes. Depending on the school and the athlete’s performance, money towards tuition is often given. Only some schools are willing to grant “full-ride” scholarships for certain athletes. According to its rules, “the NCAA prohibits payments, beyond educational scholarships and specified expenses, to the athletes who are responsible for producing those revenues” (Goldman, Lee). This rule is a way to limit an athlete 's ability to

Every year in the United States, thousands of collegiate student-athletes participate in a variety of different sports, and currently they do not receive paychecks for their performances. College athletics have attained an extensive popularity increase among Americans over the past few decades. This has resulted into increased revenues for the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] and the participating colleges, which has fuelled the debate of whether or not college athletes should collect an income. College athletes should not be paid to play because it will negatively affect their college experience. Rather, they should be compensated for their dedication to the sport. Many student athletes accept scholarships to play at a

Student athletes commonly go to school for one reason: their love for the sport they participate in. These student athletes get scholarships from large Division 1 schools, which means things such as schooling, board, and food will be paid for by the school so the student athletes do not have to pay for these benefits themselves (Patterson). If college athletes are to be paid, it will cause unfair compensation between players who are valued or played more than others. When student athletes are rewarded with a scholarship, they have nothing school related that they would need to pay for. This can lead them to blow all of their income on unnecessary or dangerous things such as drugs and alcohol which could get them removed from the team they

“After committing to the University of Oklahoma as a ninth-grader, Kyle Hardrick took the court in 2009. It was a dream come true for Hardrick. An injury to his knee put his future and his scholarship on hold. When Hardrick tried to resume his career, he was unable to obtain a medical hardship waiver, something he needed to regain a year of college eligibility. His family was stuck with tuition bills since his scholarship was not renewed. With those bills unpaid, he was unable to get his academic transcripts from Oklahoma to transfer to another school” (For College Scholarship Athletes, Injury Can Spell Financial Disaster). As scholarships are renewed every year, stories like Hardrick’s emerge across the country but can be avoided if the student-athlete had compensation to fall back on.