69 other head mens basketball coaches were paid more than $1 million annually, and another three more than $500,000. [31], If students were paid, the NCAA argues, many colleges and universities would have to offer fewer scholarships and the remaining scholarships would be distributed unfairly to top football and mens basketball players because those two sports bring in the most revenue. TheNCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)is a nonprofit organization formed in 1906 that regulates college athletics, including game rules, athlete eligibility, and college tournaments. Part of HuffPost News. Perhaps the earliest group to examine the quandary was Andrew Carnegies Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which produced a mammoth study in 1929 of amateur athletes and the profits they generate for their universities. The argument that athletes are paid with their free education is antiquated. While college athletes' payments are a controversial topic, their hard work and health must be fairly compensated no matter what, and a salary seems to be the best way for it. According to CNBC, 60% of NBA players go broke within five years of departing the league and 78% of former NFL players experience financial distress two years after retirement. [16], In 2021, the National College Players Association (NCPA) Executive Director Ramogi Huma stated, [m]any of these athletes are Black and from low-income homes the NCAA treats them like disposable university property. No Division II or III schools revenue exceeded expenses. After making billions and billions of dollars for universities, players being compensated is an obvious, fair decision and should have happened a long time ago. Nine other NCAA executives were paid more than $500,000 in 2018, with one paid more than $1.3 million. WebPro According to N.C.A.A. Wouldnt paying them eliminate a lot of these issues? After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? This was quite a change from polling conducted in 2017, when 60% believed college scholarships were enough compensation for college athletes. This would possibly increase graduation rates, allow fans to see their favorite players mature through college, and ensure coaches are preparing athletes as much as possible for the next level. [35] Further, a Gallup poll of 74,385 U.S. adults with a bachelors degree, finds that college graduates who participated in NCAA athletics experience a host of positive long-term life outcomes at greater rates than non-athletes. [36], Those positive outcomes include: 70% of NCAA athletes graduated in four years or fewer, 50% agree that college was worth the cost, 39% earned an advanced degree, 33% have good jobs after graduation, and 24% 4. Pros: The ruling is a massive win for student athletes, of course. 3. Despite their expensive sportswear, which comes from their sponsors, they are living a financially difficult life. WebJim Putman & Aubrey Badlam ENGL101- Prof. Yu College Athletes Should Be Paid To Play One of the biggest debates in sports is whether college athletes also referred to, as student-athletes should be paid to play their sport. If theres money to provide college coaches with lavish seven-figure salaries (especially at public institutions), why shouldnt there be funds to pay college athletes? 7, 2018, Steve Berkowitz, NCAA President Mark Emmert Credited with $2.7 Million in Total Pay for 2018 Calendar Year, usatoday.com, June 2, 2020, USA Today, NCAA Salaries, usatoday.com, Nov. 17, 2020, Ian McMahan, Athletes Are Paying the Physical Price of Playing College Sports, si.com, Oct. 31, 2017, Azmatullah Hussaini and Jules Lipoff, Op-Ed: COVID-19 Is Making the NCAAs Exploitation of Student-Athletes Even More Obvious, latimes.com, June 23, 2020, Meghan Walsh, 'I Trusted 'Em': When NCAA Schools Abandon Their Injured Athletes, theatlantic.com, May 1, 2013, Jon Solomon, The History Behind the Debate over Paying NCAA Athletes, aspeninstitute.org, Apr. about whether the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by restricting college athletes compensation. Historically, the debates over paying college athletes have only led to more questions, which is why its raged on for more than a century. One of the most common reasons cited against paying college players is compensation. Group licensing deals in theory can allow lesser-known players to reap the benefits of appearing alongside a well-known player. On one side of the argument, many think that it is appropriate to pay college athletes. Divisions II and III of the NCAA followed suit and the changes went into effect for all three divisions on July 1, 2021. It is no surprise that doing sports consumes a solid number of things. That adds up to about $400,000 a year. Should they receive more because they were All-Americans? If a university decided to pay student-athletes, where would that money come from? ", Further, the NCAA stipulates, "You are not eligible in any sport if, after collegiate enrollment, you accept any pay for promoting a commercial product or service or allow your name or picture to be used for promoting a commercial product or service.". What determines how much each player should earn? He writes about the future of work and higher education, student political activism, and expanding educational opportunities. Why or why not? That is how the college sports economy works, even as Duke; its conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference; television networks; and, of course, Nike, the apparel company that sponsors Duke and made the shoe that so spectacularly ripped apart, reap billions of dollars from the efforts and talents of preprofessional athletes like Williamson. WebPeople who believe that college athletes should not be paid often point out that professional athletes in the major sports can make millions of dollars. This would also help keep top talents playing for college teams, improve the level of competition, and potentially lead to even higher revenue. The most noticeable victory for athletes occurred in 2019, when California Governor, Gavin Newsom, signed legislation effectively allowing college athletes in the state to earn compensation for the use of their likeness, sign endorsement deals, and hire agents to represent them. How should the NCAA (or another governing body) balance college athletes sport, educational, and financial interests? [18] [19], Michael Sokolove, author of The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino (2018), explained, If you look at a program like [University of] Louisville, they generate about $45 million a year in revenue. A 2009-2010 CDC report found that more than 210,000 injuries are sustained by NCAA student-athletes each year. tournament, which begins in a month. In all likelihood, paying college athletes will benefit big-time, revenue-generating sports and hurt less popular sports. As always, there are two sides to any argument. To continue to risk his future in an unjust system that doesnt allow him to be compensated just doesnt make sense, Huma said. WebCollege athletes deserve to be paid because they are the only ones not being paid in the college sports industry. In a related Opinion piece, Paying Students to Play Would Ruin College Sports, Cody J. McDavis writes: Paying student-athletes might sound like a fairer way to treat students who generate so much money and attention for their colleges (not to mention the television networks that broadcast their games). Most players have no real amateur sport option and those who would rather not go to college have no other established feeder system to make it to a professional team. Consider the pro position of the National College Players Association that paying college athletes is a civil rights issue. While theNCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) earns billions in revenue, it prohibits athletes from earning a single penny. Over the years we have seen and heard scandals involving players taking money and even point-shaving. College athletes do not get exploited by their colleges for playing sports, but by organizations who are taking all of the profit at the cost of the athlete. WebBut paying athletes would distort the economics of college sports in a way that would hurt the broader community of student-athletes, universities, fans and alumni. This isnt something new. At 6 feet 7 inches and 285 pounds, Williamson, a freshman basketball player at Duke University, is impressing fans with his combination of size, strength and leaping ability. Should all athletes be paid? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Colleges reap billions from these student athletes sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. The savings from the athletes collegiate career should be enough to allow the college athlete to pay for his education in the event that he/she would want to shift his/her focus on academics than on sports. Consider the elite players in Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard That's just the institutional side of it. [38] These rules can effectively limit players options to playing in college or choosing another profession altogether. WebAs Forbes' Chris Smith wrote, CBS and Turner Broadcasting make more than $1 billion off the games, "thanks in part to a $700,000 ad rate for a 30-second spot during the Final Everyone around them makes money, but the students responsible for generating revenue receive nothing. If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. Externally, apparel companies are making money on college swag featuring top players. Schools would also have to cut unprofitable sports including gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. I dont think you should stretch it out to hundreds of thousands of dollars for playing, because a lot of times guys dont know how to handle themselves with money. I have gathered the weightiest arguments and an in-depth analysis of their validity. For example, in 2009, six ex-University of Toledo players were indicted in a point-shaving scheme, and in 2010, Reggie Bush returned his Heisman Trophy after allegations that he was given hundreds of thousands of dollars from sports agents while he played for USC. And that doesn't include income from broadcasting rights and corporate sponsorships. Furthermore, it could also be a significant driving factor for them not to misuse their money. Paying players would destroy that illusion, the N.C.A.A. In other words, even if Among whites, however, the numbers flip: Just 27% support paying those athletes, while 43% oppose it.. Feldman explained, That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. The main argument in favor of paying college athletes is that they bring in a large net amount of revenue to their schools. Students from these institutions are given full sponsorship from enormous brands. The top 25 football coaches take home an average of $5.2 million, while the top 25 basketball coaches bring in $3.2 million. He is a mathematician who graduated from EPFL. Aaron M. Sprecher/AP. Not necessarily but a school would be required to ensure that female athletes receive proportionate opportunities for scholarships. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). 31, 2021 as the NCAA March Madness tournament headed into Final Four games just days later, on Apr. If college athletes were to get paid, then large, well-funded schools such as those of the Power Five would be best positioned to acquire top talent and gain a competitive advantage. In Cowherds words: I dont think paying all college athletes is great Not every college is loaded, and most 19-year-olds [are] gonna spend itand lets be honest, theyre gonna spend it on weed and kicks! The opportunity cost of not working is considerable. Huma cited the example of a top football player who found himself with a more serious injury a few years ago; that player elected to end his college career prematurely, to limit the risk to his professional payday. The decision also opened the door for name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation. Should college athletes be paid? "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons." Introduced in February by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the bill promises to be one of the most expansive yet in terms of getting college athletes officially recognized as employees. 1, 2021), Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg, NCAA Delays Vote to Change College Athlete Compensation Rules, espn.com, Jan. 11, 2021, Sarah Polus, NCAA Tables Name, Image and Likeness Vote after DOJ Warns of Potential Antitrust Violations, thehill.com, Jan. 12, 2021, Adam Liptak, Supreme Court to Rule on N.C.A.A. Or would you sit out the rest of the college season and enter the N.B.A. [48], A 2019 Seton Hall Sports Poll found that 60% of those surveyed agreed that college athletes should be allowed compensation for their name, image, and/or likeness, while 32% disagreed, and 8% were unsure. Some argue student-athletes are "paid" through full scholarships, something most college students can only dream about and that's partially true. For example, will the star quarterback receive the same amount as the backup catcher on the softball team? WebCollege athletes shouldnt be compensated for playing sports at the collegiate level, but for their advertisement and use of their names in video games and products. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. The NCAA also does not prohibit schools from canceling injured athletes scholarships, leaving athletes without a sport or education. Recommendation: Find College Student Jobs on Salarship. What about the top level talent? 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