Student Athletes Should Be Paid Essay

In his article “The Shame of College Sports,” Taylor Branch (2011) describes how universities are focused on advancing and receiving money from major athletics and having star athletes, but how the universities are not caring for the “student athlete.” The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has made college sports into an unmerited business. However, as years progress more athletes are getting smart and are taking the NCAA to court. The more students that challenges the rules by the NCAA and take them to court, the secrets and undermining values of the NCAA come out and the closer the NCAA comes to an end.

One key issue that the NCAA constantly deals with is the Pay to Play problem. Pay to Play is when a collegiate athlete takes money in return for autographs, a jersey, or an appearance. A few examples of players that have been a part of the controversy are Johnny Manziel, AJ Green, Cam Newton, and Reggie Bush. It was alleged that Johnny Manziel had signed autographs when he was in Miami for money, however the NCAA cannot prove that he had done so. AJ Green had sold his jersey after a bowl game and was punished by missing a few top games when playing for Georgia. While some players think that they should be paid to play, “NCAA President Mark Emmert stated that a "pay for play" model in college athletics would not be allowed any time soon.” While this issue is ongoing, and I do not think the NCAA will ever be able to completely stop players from trying to earn money, players do know that the NCAA takes this very seriously and will punish any athlete that partakes in any form of being paid to

Several times throughout the article he seems to have a tone that hurts his credibility and arguments, by saying “It is ludicrous to argue that the Power 5 programs cannot afford this.” This harsh, unintentional bashing at others who do not believe in what the author is saying hurts his claim and argument by talking down to his audience; as if they do not know what they are reading. Another remark he makes is, “the appeal of college athletics, in no small part, is that the players are students at the universities, so they would still have to take classes. But their loads should be reduced during their years of eligibility, and once their playing days are over, they should be able to finish their education free. That’s only fair.” Here the author is almost stating that regular non college student athletes are not at the same level of importance as the athletes, possibly making some readers frustrated that these athletes get the easy road throughout college. Also, by saying they will be able to go to college free after playing, makes students going to school after graduating for a higher degree feel unimportant and unprivileged compared to the

In this year’s 2016 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons with the first overall pick. On September 30th, Simmons rolled his right ankle during a training camp scrimmage. After receiving an MRI of his foot and ankle, Simmons was diagnosed with a broken metatarsal in his right foot. Simmons is expected to recover from surgery to repair the Jones fracture in just three months but rumors are saying that he might sit out the entire 2016-2017 NBA season. Bob Cooney of the Daily News has cited a source telling him that the 76ers might be forced to allow Simmons sit the entire season based on the recommendation of his agent, Rich Paul. Bob Cooney stated that, “ I just got off the phone with someone I trust who said there’s no way his agent will let him play this season.” Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group represents players like LeBron James and John Wall. Paul is asking the 76ers to sit Simmons for the season to protect his client’s long-term health. This past summer, Nike signed Simmons to a five – year, $20 million endorsement contract. Performance bonuses could push the deal to over $40 million. Rich Paul sees the potential in Simmons becoming the face of Nike once he hits his prime. This particular injury

The two athletes that have come to the front line of this debacle are former University of North Carolina (UNC) football player, Devon Ramsay and basketball player Rashanda McCants. If that last name sounds familiar, it should—she’s the sister of the former men’s basketball star Rashad McCants of the Tar Heels and was drafted 14th overall his first NBA by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mr. McCants stands by his sister’s lawsuit and is even testifying against not only the NCAA, but also his alma mater. This isn’t the first time Mr. McCants has put up a red flag against his old college; in early June of 2014 he participated in an interview where he stated that he took bogus classes and had tutors write his homework. His claims were shot down by all of his other teammates from the 2005 team but McCants stood by

One of the most controversial subjects we as individuals hear about this day in age is whether or not college athletes deserve to be paid. Many people argue that these athletes do intact, deserve to be paid for their time and hard work. NCAA athletes create a name for themselves by playing and performing well on their college teams. The better these athletes perform, the more publicity the school revives. This then leads to higher ticket sales and stores around campus selling jerseys and other clothing items with athletes names and numbers on the back. NCAA schools have become comfortable with using athletes’ names to bring in a revenue for the school, and yet the athletes never see any of that money. On the other hand, many people believe that these athletes do not deserve, nor should they expect to receive payment in return. They believe that these scholarships and the education are payment in itself. Some even bring up the question on if it is affordable or even realistic to pay college athletes.

The NCAA proclaimed this rule because they felt that athletes who are working for alumni that have a tight relationship with the school will be treated more with better care and receive special benefits and stipends. These rewards that can be received include the following; college athletes who are still paid when not at work or athletes that are receiving a higher raise than their fellow co-workers.(Anstine 4) Also, another predicament dealing with college athletes working is the time confliction. College athletes now-a-days have very busy schedules that they have to follow and once they are finished with their schedules for today, athletes do not have that much time on their hands. College athletes these years are now required by the NCAA to have at least four classes, which is a minimum of twelve credit hours, at the start of the semester and are required to only pass three classes or nine credit hours by December which is the also the end of the semester. With this having to be achieved, most athletes spend countless hours studying, doing homework and attending class every day. Besides the fact that student athletes study and attend class all day, they also have practice too. Attending practice and

said he had to play to try to get out of his situation and they don’t. Therefore the NCAA knows their demographics for players and it taking advantage of them because for a lot of them this is the only chance they have to get out of their neighborhoods.

Yet the college athlete gets paid nothing to play the game that he or she loves. When students play a sport in college, they become a part of the National College Athletic Association, better known as the NCAA. Any athlete in the NCAA is considered an amateur athlete, which means they cannot make any money from their respective sport. If athletes get paid in any way, it becomes a very serious legal matter. Most often, these cases end with the student being expelled and the university being fined. The NCAA bans their athletes from receiving payment in any way, even when sports are not involved. When discussing this issue, Craig T. Greenlee states the case of Darnell Autry, “In the summer of ’96, Autry, a theatre major who also played football for Northwestern University, was prohibited by NCAA rules from getting paid to appear in a movie shot in Italy” (67). The NCAA does allow student athletes to make money in any way. A debate has ensued. One side says these rules are outdated and need to be changed. Should NCAA student athletes receive compensation for their contributions to their universities?

Zirin goes into depth about how sport writers get pampered with expensive gifts from corporate sponsors and how the NCAA is making money off of uncompensated young athletes. While Ajmani goes into detail about how students are not getting fair treatment, "College students are pawns in a huge chess game" (Ajmani 209); students don't benefit from the games, as they are the ones getting played. Student athletes put themselves at risk just for the love of the game; if they get hurt on the field or court, they don’t have worker's comp for injuries, according to Dave Meggyesy. Both authors believe there is corruption in the NCAA system but focus on different

Over the years, the debate on whether or not to pay collegiate athletes, specifically Division 1, has increased greatly. With athletes bringing in millions of dollars to their respective schools, many believe it’s time to make a change. The debate has been ongoing since the 70’s, maybe even earlier, but it really came to the attention of many in the early 90’s, specifically 1995. Marcus Camby, a basketball player for the Toronto Raptors, admitted he took money and jewelry, from somebody who wanted to be his agent, while he was playing at the University of Massachusetts. This was one of many incidents that involved a player accepting money and other gifts from an agent and/or booster. I believe that college athletes

Michael Wilbon acknowledged the objections, however, stated that since “no player can benefit from that work” that “he/she should be able to endorse products, to have paid gigs, to sell memorabilia” as Allen Sack once suggested (Wilbon, 2011). Scoop Jackson stated that “The nature of a school at the university level is to make money through education.” College students “should get something more than what they are currently getting for making their school loads of money” (Jackson, 2013). Ekow Yankah stated that “The drive to pay college athletes is a grave mistake.” “In the future Congress could, through antitrust and commerce legislation, promote a more landscape in college and professional sports. (Yankah,

The overarching reason for this ongoing debate for college athletes all relates to money. At 18 and 19 years old, most athletes do not have access to the amount of money they could potentially make in the NBA. Not only money, but also any sort of benefits that can be provided to them such housing, transportation or significant revenue that can improve the lives of not only themselves but their families. An article reviewing the NCAA business model and the paying of student athletes explains that:

College athletes are not being paid for their labor, which schools profit from. “The NCAA (National College Athletics Association) earns about $4 billion in licensing fees each year. In 2010, the NCAA signed a 14-year, $10.8 billion contract with CBS and Turner Sports to have exclusive rights to show the men’s college basketball tournament, which takes place every year” (Miller). Student-athletes are being exploited by the NCAA and there’s nothing they can do about it. Exploitation happens when student-athletes, who are making large amounts of money for their schools, often are not receiving any kind of admissible, quality education. Another form a student-athlete is exploited, the value of

While current NCAA players fight for their right to make money, “a large group of former