Paying Student Athletes
Paying Student-Athletes
Paying Student-Athletes Imagine this; Mr. Perfect, a highly successful college football student-athlete, is shattering every record once held in the sport. He is on the cover of ESPN and SI magazine. His face is plastered on televisions nationwide. Everyone knows his face and name. He has all the fame that he dreamed of, but he has no money. NCAA rules state that no student-athlete can obtain a job. His full ride scholarship, after classes and books, barely leaves him with money to take care of necessities. An alumna of the school and huge fan helps him out and gives him $500 as a gift. The NCAA finds out and Bam! The school is hit with fines and can’t compete in any bowl games for two years, so much for the undefeated season. Also, he is banned from the sport in any NCAA regulated school. Mr. Perfect, being a sophomore, has one year left before he can enter the draft. Now, instead of being a sure shot first round draft, he may drop to third round at best. That’s millions of dollars lost because of a $500 gift. The team suffers, the school suffers, and he suffers. Incidents, such as the one above, happens every now and again in college sports. College athletes are not allowed to accept gifts, obtain jobs during the school year, or use their image and likeness in any way for monetary gain. This leaves many student athletes well known, yet well broke. Many student-athletes, especially those who play sports that generate millions of dollars in revenue, wonder why they can’t be compensated for their efforts. Student athletes should be compensated to help support their living expenses while attending college. College football and basketball produces the most revenue than any other college sport. According to Gibson (2013), “College basketball and football together generate more than $6 billion in annual revenue…two years ago, the NCAA and CBS/Turner Sports agreed on a $10.8 billion deal to broadcast March
Paying Student-Athletes Imagine this; Mr. Perfect, a highly successful college football student-athlete, is shattering every record once held in the sport. He is on the cover of ESPN and SI magazine. His face is plastered on televisions nationwide. Everyone knows his face and name. He has all the fame that he dreamed of, but he has no money. NCAA rules state that no student-athlete can obtain a job. His full ride scholarship, after classes and books, barely leaves him with money to take care of necessities. An alumna of the school and huge fan helps him out and gives him $500 as a gift. The NCAA finds out and Bam! The school is hit with fines and can’t compete in any bowl games for two years, so much for the undefeated season. Also, he is banned from the sport in any NCAA regulated school. Mr. Perfect, being a sophomore, has one year left before he can enter the draft. Now, instead of being a sure shot first round draft, he may drop to third round at best. That’s millions of dollars lost because of a $500 gift. The team suffers, the school suffers, and he suffers. Incidents, such as the one above, happens every now and again in college sports. College athletes are not allowed to accept gifts, obtain jobs during the school year, or use their image and likeness in any way for monetary gain. This leaves many student athletes well known, yet well broke. Many student-athletes, especially those who play sports that generate millions of dollars in revenue, wonder why they can’t be compensated for their efforts. Student athletes should be compensated to help support their living expenses while attending college. College football and basketball produces the most revenue than any other college sport. According to Gibson (2013), “College basketball and football together generate more than $6 billion in annual revenue…two years ago, the NCAA and CBS/Turner Sports agreed on a $10.8 billion deal to broadcast March
References: Gibson, M. (2013, Jan. 10). End the ncaa’s long con: why the student-athlete should be paid and the higher education bubble should pop. Forbes. Retrieved from www.forbes.com Peterson, K. (2009, Jul. 15). College athletes stuck with the bill after injuries. The New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com Wolverton, B (2011, Apr. 20). Many athletes unknowingly sign away rights to profit from their image. Players. Retrieved from www.chronicle.com Montipoli, B. (2013, Mar. 20). Study: college athletes denied $6.2 billion over four years. CBSNews. Retrieved from www.cbsnews.com Press, Associated (2010 Oct. 26) Study: ‘free ride’ still costs athletes. ESPN College Sports. Retrieved from sports.espn.go.com