Should College Athletes Be Paid Case Study
Sports Marketing
Individual Case Study
Student-Athlete pay or no pay
Meredyth Frye
Student-Athlete or Athlete-Student?
Introduction. We are in a heavily demanding athletic world that everyone feels they are entitled to money for their skills and that it is never too early to be paid millions if they think they deserve it. These athletes are infatuated with the life of the professional league players and the life these players live. The amount of money they make, the cars they own, or the houses they live in are a few of the things these athletes want. If the NCAA starts to pay elite players at the highest level, then they should also have to pay the players at the lowest level. There is no difference between these athletes, other than the school they play for and their skill level. They are all students who play a varsity sport. Every one of these athletes goes through rigorous practice schedules, long seasons, and high demands no matter what level you play at. Every team has the same goal of winning a national championship, so how could you pay the top players and not the lower ones if they are all playing for the same championship title?
The Difference Go Pro? If an athlete wants to be paid then they should try their luck and go straight to the professional league. …show more content…
Fewer than 100 athletes out of 5000 make it to the big leagues (Morganteen, 2014). So how do you differentiate those players that should get paid from those who aren’t good enough to make it to the next level? A significant amount of athletes go to college to play a sport because they love it and they can get a free education to set themselves up for their future. There are those who after graduation, play a few years of professional league and end up getting a job with their degree after playing. There are 3 divisions of the NCAA, and over 300 schools at the D1 level. Where would the money come from to pay for each of the athletes? Student athletes are already one of the very select few who have an outside organization, the NCAA, that have been granted power to dictate compensation and hours of work (Sanderson & Siegfried, 2015). The university and team dictate much of the different aspects of the student athlete’s everyday life, and because they are considered students and not employees, athletes cannot be covered by labor laws or be eligible for workers compensation. Coach versus player. So as previously stated there are over 300 schools at the Division 1 level. Of those schools there are few who are likely to turn a profit (Fulks, 2014). That profit is used to make things bigger and better. Alabama has one the most prestigious athletic department gyms of all universities and that was funded by their profits. There are a significant amount of people that are involved and employed by athletic departments and thus must be paid. Coaches are paid a heavy sum as long as they produce wins. Cut the coaches pay to help fund paying their athletes and I don’t doubt that they will quit and find the next school that will pay them more. So do you only pay the athletes that are a part of the universities that turn a profit and have the funds to pay the athletes? That would create outrage. It would also create an elite group that would not be equal others, and just like social groups throughout the world it would create controversy. Could you imagine the controversy of a National Championship game that involved one of these elite teams, Kentucky for
Salaries and Benefits by Sport
Mens Programs
Division I- FBS
Fiscal year 2012
Median Values
Head Coach
All Assistant Coaches
Total Coaches
Administrative
Baseball
216,000
177,000
394,000
20,000
Basketball
1,228,000
555,000
1,782,000
224,000
CrossCountry/Track
81,000
114,000
210,000
4,000
Fencing
59,000 39,000
96,000
-
Football
1,636,000
2,392,000
4,323,000
528,000
Golf
110,000
38,000
149,000
-
Gymnastics
99,000
86,000
181,000 -
Ice Hockey
372,000
259,000 680,000
67,000
Lacrosse
240,000
160,000
396,000
24,000
Rifle
27,000
-
27,000
-
Skiing
49,000
49,000
101,000
-
Soccer
159,000
104,000
257,000
-
Swimming
74,000
101,000
206,000
-
Tennis
119,000
47,000
162,000
-
Volleyball
116,000
121,000
230,000
6,000
Water Polo
158,000
72,000
225,000
3,000
Wrestling
126,000
128,000
245,000
6,000
Other
90,000
52,000
147,000
-
example, playing a team that is not a part of this group but made it to the final, a Cinderella maybe. Either way the ball fell, if the elite team won people would say its because they have everything, how could they not, its unfair, but if the other team won whose to say that maybe they are better and should be the ones getting paid? It all comes down to if the NCAA pays one player they must also pay each and every other player as well. Even if elite schools create their own conference it would be different teams for different sports. The Frozen Four teams are a very different arrangement than those of the Final Four and the four football teams chosen the National Championship playoffs. Every team is capable of winning the National Championship, it is why the tournaments are set up the way they are and why everyone pulls for upsets every year. Should Duke players like Jabari Parker be paid while Mercer players not be, even though they beat Duke in the tournament and are a part of a much smaller school. The relevant question asked is where along the talent continuum the needle moves from exploited to subsidized (Sanderson & Siegfried, 2015).
The Student- Athlete Benefits
Freebies. Another fact is that athletes are already being paid. Being a college athlete you are given money for room, board, tuition, books, and fees.
Annual cost of full grant (Average)
DIVISION I
Fiscal Years 2011 through 2013
Public Schools
FBS
FCS
Div. I w/o
Football
2013 – In-state
23,000
21,000
24,000
2013 – Out-of-state
37,000
32,000
36,000
2012 – In-state
26,000
20,000
23,000
2012 – Out-of-state
39,000
31,000
35,000
2011 – In-state
25,000
20,000
22,000
2011 – Out-of-state
38,000
30,000
33,000
They are in a sense being paid as an employee just like their neighbors were at their jobs. Athletes work many hours in a day as well; the only difference is that athletes are doing something they love to do and still getting their education paid for while others are paying thousands for college. Employees still have to learn how to manage schoolwork and their job, they don’t get free time or weekends or many holidays even. Sometimes they actually have less time off then athletes do in a day. There are some problems to being a college athlete and how much is provided for necessities. These problems include things athletes could not provide themselves because they have no way of income. Athletes do not have a paying job to help fix their car, buy food when the allowed meal plan usage was up, or things needed for school that are not covered or deemed “necessary” by the syllabus but recommended. I believe this is one of the founding problems of this controversy. Many athletes are given just enough money to cover what the NCAA believes is necessary. But sometimes when they are given the money that is supposed to be for food, they blow it on unnecessary items. Athletes use it for tattoos, gambling, cars, etc. and then complain when they didn’t have the money to get food. This millennial generation feels that we are entitled to what we want but do not have to work for it. Employee Standards. What some athletes don’t realize is to be an employed member means so much more than just getting money. It means taxes, insurance, liabilities, and way more responsibilities. All of these controversies right now about athletes getting away with cheating and taking fake classes to boost GPAs would be under a greater eye. If the NCAA is going to pay athletes more, they will be under investigation and scrutiny far more than before. They will be subject to fines and held accountable as they do in the professional leagues. Don’t show up for class? $500 dollar fine. Athletes want to be paid like professionals but don’t act like professionals. A college athlete is already given so much. Most of the time they have tutors designated for the athletes, mopeds at the University of Georgia for all the football players, some places have classes designed for athletes to pass, managers who do the laundry among many other chores for the athletes. In the end, college athletes are already provided with so much more than the typical everyday college student that is also working 40 plus hours a week just to get by and still have over many thousands of dollars in debt once they graduate. The bottom line.
Though we do not want to admit it, the NCAA is a business and businesses want to make money. They make money to pay for all their employees and to expand. Though things are not fair and there are many issues that need to be resolved, college athletes are already paid a great amount. Maybe it’s hard for them to see that because they actually don’t get to see the money. Maybe that issue could be resolved by giving them the $25,000 check and not already handling the tuition bills. It would be interesting to see how that could affect athletes and how they react after. Would they blow it and not be able to pay for school? Would many start dropping out instead of finishing
college?
Sanderson, A. R., & Siegfried, J. J. (2015). The Case for Paying College Athletes. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 115-137.
Morganteen, J. (2014). Should Student Athletes Be Paid? No, Says NCAA President. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/careers/should-student-athletes-be-paid-no-says-ncaa-president-n62671
Fulks, D. L. (2014). NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report, 2004-2013: Revenues and Expenses. The National Collegiate Athletic Association: Indianapolis, Indiana. http://www .ncaapublications.com/p-4344-division-i-revenues -and-expenses-2004-201 3.aspx.
Daugherty, Paul. (2012). College athletes already have advantages and shouldn't be paid. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 29,2015 from <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/paul_daugherty/01/20/no.pay/>.
Mitchell, Horace. (2014). Students are NOT Professional Athletes. US News. U.S.News & World Report. Retrieved April 29,2015 from <http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/06/ncaa-athletes-should-not-be-paid>.
Dorfman, Jeffrey. "Pay College Athletes? They're Already Paid Up To $125,000 Per Year." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2013/08/29/pay-college-athletes-theyre-already-paid-up-to-125000year/>.
Jackson, Scoop. (2013). The myth of parity. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 30, 2015 from <http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/9666004/pay-play-answer-college-athletics>.
Individual Case Study
Student-Athlete pay or no pay
Meredyth Frye
Student-Athlete or Athlete-Student?
Introduction. We are in a heavily demanding athletic world that everyone feels they are entitled to money for their skills and that it is never too early to be paid millions if they think they deserve it. These athletes are infatuated with the life of the professional league players and the life these players live. The amount of money they make, the cars they own, or the houses they live in are a few of the things these athletes want. If the NCAA starts to pay elite players at the highest level, then they should also have to pay the players at the lowest level. There is no difference between these athletes, other than the school they play for and their skill level. They are all students who play a varsity sport. Every one of these athletes goes through rigorous practice schedules, long seasons, and high demands no matter what level you play at. Every team has the same goal of winning a national championship, so how could you pay the top players and not the lower ones if they are all playing for the same championship title?
The Difference Go Pro? If an athlete wants to be paid then they should try their luck and go straight to the professional league. …show more content…
Fewer than 100 athletes out of 5000 make it to the big leagues (Morganteen, 2014). So how do you differentiate those players that should get paid from those who aren’t good enough to make it to the next level? A significant amount of athletes go to college to play a sport because they love it and they can get a free education to set themselves up for their future. There are those who after graduation, play a few years of professional league and end up getting a job with their degree after playing. There are 3 divisions of the NCAA, and over 300 schools at the D1 level. Where would the money come from to pay for each of the athletes? Student athletes are already one of the very select few who have an outside organization, the NCAA, that have been granted power to dictate compensation and hours of work (Sanderson & Siegfried, 2015). The university and team dictate much of the different aspects of the student athlete’s everyday life, and because they are considered students and not employees, athletes cannot be covered by labor laws or be eligible for workers compensation. Coach versus player. So as previously stated there are over 300 schools at the Division 1 level. Of those schools there are few who are likely to turn a profit (Fulks, 2014). That profit is used to make things bigger and better. Alabama has one the most prestigious athletic department gyms of all universities and that was funded by their profits. There are a significant amount of people that are involved and employed by athletic departments and thus must be paid. Coaches are paid a heavy sum as long as they produce wins. Cut the coaches pay to help fund paying their athletes and I don’t doubt that they will quit and find the next school that will pay them more. So do you only pay the athletes that are a part of the universities that turn a profit and have the funds to pay the athletes? That would create outrage. It would also create an elite group that would not be equal others, and just like social groups throughout the world it would create controversy. Could you imagine the controversy of a National Championship game that involved one of these elite teams, Kentucky for
Salaries and Benefits by Sport
Mens Programs
Division I- FBS
Fiscal year 2012
Median Values
Head Coach
All Assistant Coaches
Total Coaches
Administrative
Baseball
216,000
177,000
394,000
20,000
Basketball
1,228,000
555,000
1,782,000
224,000
CrossCountry/Track
81,000
114,000
210,000
4,000
Fencing
59,000 39,000
96,000
-
Football
1,636,000
2,392,000
4,323,000
528,000
Golf
110,000
38,000
149,000
-
Gymnastics
99,000
86,000
181,000 -
Ice Hockey
372,000
259,000 680,000
67,000
Lacrosse
240,000
160,000
396,000
24,000
Rifle
27,000
-
27,000
-
Skiing
49,000
49,000
101,000
-
Soccer
159,000
104,000
257,000
-
Swimming
74,000
101,000
206,000
-
Tennis
119,000
47,000
162,000
-
Volleyball
116,000
121,000
230,000
6,000
Water Polo
158,000
72,000
225,000
3,000
Wrestling
126,000
128,000
245,000
6,000
Other
90,000
52,000
147,000
-
example, playing a team that is not a part of this group but made it to the final, a Cinderella maybe. Either way the ball fell, if the elite team won people would say its because they have everything, how could they not, its unfair, but if the other team won whose to say that maybe they are better and should be the ones getting paid? It all comes down to if the NCAA pays one player they must also pay each and every other player as well. Even if elite schools create their own conference it would be different teams for different sports. The Frozen Four teams are a very different arrangement than those of the Final Four and the four football teams chosen the National Championship playoffs. Every team is capable of winning the National Championship, it is why the tournaments are set up the way they are and why everyone pulls for upsets every year. Should Duke players like Jabari Parker be paid while Mercer players not be, even though they beat Duke in the tournament and are a part of a much smaller school. The relevant question asked is where along the talent continuum the needle moves from exploited to subsidized (Sanderson & Siegfried, 2015).
The Student- Athlete Benefits
Freebies. Another fact is that athletes are already being paid. Being a college athlete you are given money for room, board, tuition, books, and fees.
Annual cost of full grant (Average)
DIVISION I
Fiscal Years 2011 through 2013
Public Schools
FBS
FCS
Div. I w/o
Football
2013 – In-state
23,000
21,000
24,000
2013 – Out-of-state
37,000
32,000
36,000
2012 – In-state
26,000
20,000
23,000
2012 – Out-of-state
39,000
31,000
35,000
2011 – In-state
25,000
20,000
22,000
2011 – Out-of-state
38,000
30,000
33,000
They are in a sense being paid as an employee just like their neighbors were at their jobs. Athletes work many hours in a day as well; the only difference is that athletes are doing something they love to do and still getting their education paid for while others are paying thousands for college. Employees still have to learn how to manage schoolwork and their job, they don’t get free time or weekends or many holidays even. Sometimes they actually have less time off then athletes do in a day. There are some problems to being a college athlete and how much is provided for necessities. These problems include things athletes could not provide themselves because they have no way of income. Athletes do not have a paying job to help fix their car, buy food when the allowed meal plan usage was up, or things needed for school that are not covered or deemed “necessary” by the syllabus but recommended. I believe this is one of the founding problems of this controversy. Many athletes are given just enough money to cover what the NCAA believes is necessary. But sometimes when they are given the money that is supposed to be for food, they blow it on unnecessary items. Athletes use it for tattoos, gambling, cars, etc. and then complain when they didn’t have the money to get food. This millennial generation feels that we are entitled to what we want but do not have to work for it. Employee Standards. What some athletes don’t realize is to be an employed member means so much more than just getting money. It means taxes, insurance, liabilities, and way more responsibilities. All of these controversies right now about athletes getting away with cheating and taking fake classes to boost GPAs would be under a greater eye. If the NCAA is going to pay athletes more, they will be under investigation and scrutiny far more than before. They will be subject to fines and held accountable as they do in the professional leagues. Don’t show up for class? $500 dollar fine. Athletes want to be paid like professionals but don’t act like professionals. A college athlete is already given so much. Most of the time they have tutors designated for the athletes, mopeds at the University of Georgia for all the football players, some places have classes designed for athletes to pass, managers who do the laundry among many other chores for the athletes. In the end, college athletes are already provided with so much more than the typical everyday college student that is also working 40 plus hours a week just to get by and still have over many thousands of dollars in debt once they graduate. The bottom line.
Though we do not want to admit it, the NCAA is a business and businesses want to make money. They make money to pay for all their employees and to expand. Though things are not fair and there are many issues that need to be resolved, college athletes are already paid a great amount. Maybe it’s hard for them to see that because they actually don’t get to see the money. Maybe that issue could be resolved by giving them the $25,000 check and not already handling the tuition bills. It would be interesting to see how that could affect athletes and how they react after. Would they blow it and not be able to pay for school? Would many start dropping out instead of finishing
college?
Sanderson, A. R., & Siegfried, J. J. (2015). The Case for Paying College Athletes. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 115-137.
Morganteen, J. (2014). Should Student Athletes Be Paid? No, Says NCAA President. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/careers/should-student-athletes-be-paid-no-says-ncaa-president-n62671
Fulks, D. L. (2014). NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report, 2004-2013: Revenues and Expenses. The National Collegiate Athletic Association: Indianapolis, Indiana. http://www .ncaapublications.com/p-4344-division-i-revenues -and-expenses-2004-201 3.aspx.
Daugherty, Paul. (2012). College athletes already have advantages and shouldn't be paid. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 29,2015 from <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/paul_daugherty/01/20/no.pay/>.
Mitchell, Horace. (2014). Students are NOT Professional Athletes. US News. U.S.News & World Report. Retrieved April 29,2015 from <http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/06/ncaa-athletes-should-not-be-paid>.
Dorfman, Jeffrey. "Pay College Athletes? They're Already Paid Up To $125,000 Per Year." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2013/08/29/pay-college-athletes-theyre-already-paid-up-to-125000year/>.
Jackson, Scoop. (2013). The myth of parity. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 30, 2015 from <http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/9666004/pay-play-answer-college-athletics>.