here's what al my hard work produced..
From my own experience as a student athlete, much of my time has been dedicated solely to sports first and academics second— which is not how it should be. As a college student entering the adult world, I have learned that I want to be come more independent and not have to rely on my parents for my wants and needs. There are many life necessities that I need to pay for not including things that I want, that are not provided to me by the school that I play for. Often times, these thoughts have left me feeling that I wish I had extra time in my schedule for a job. With the time demanding activities, such as practice, workouts, team meetings, community service events, study hours, that student athletes are required to attend, there is simply not enough time to partake in extra curricular activities. Although there is controversy on whether or not student athletes should be paid to play due to some benefits they already receive, they deserve compensation because they exert so much time and energy into their sport so that the University will be successful. They do not have time left for activities outside of school and sports, and by certain NCAA rules they are oftentimes not allowed to have certain jobs.
When the NCAA first began, it’s goal was mainly to ensure and regulate safety in the game of football, which even involved a debate on whether or not the sport should even be legal. As the NCAA evolved and encompassed more sports, the rules and goals changed. According to Laura Freedman, the purposes of the NCAA now is to: “promote student-athletes and college sports through public awareness; [p]rotect student-athletes through standards of fairness and integrity; [p]repare student-athletes for lifetime leadership; [and p]rovide student- athletes and college sports with the funding to help meet these goals. Approximately fifty years after it’s original formation, the 1940 NCAA convention “authorized the NCAA Executive Committee to investigate the alleged violations of the NCAA’s amateurism regulations and to issue interpretations of the NCAA constitution.” The issue of amateurism, however, has been present since the NCAA’s establishment. (676)” With this being the goal, the NCAA has created many regulations regarding amateurism, however, somehow those rules always seem to get broken. If student athletes were compensated many people such as “former NCAA Executive Director Richard Schultz commented that… a stipend may halt some of the illegal activity occurring in big time athletics, because athletes would be less desperate for ‘under the table’ compensation” (Schott 44). As the world of college sports continues to grow, so does illegal activity, but if a simple solution such as paying athletes could help eliminate this issue, many would agree it would be worth it.
College sports are a phenomenon that have over time become one of the major money making sources of enjoyment for americans; whether it come from spectators investing money in a college and sport of their choice, or the dream of gaining a scholarship and playing sports at the college level that so many young athletes aspire to do, college athletics are a huge business. In fact, college sports are so important to so many people, that there have been countless fights, illegal gambling, and many more unethical activities created that put faith in the hands of young adults who are doing what they love. You would think that because people put college athletes on such high pedestals, that they would be willing to give student athletes anything to keep them winning and satisfied; however, that is not always the case. Many people believe that college student athletes do not deserve to be paid or compensated in any way for partaking in college sports. They believe that it would be extremely wrong and unjust for athletes to get paid and that it should not even be up for discussion. They say this because they believe that if student athletes are on a scholarship of any form, no matter how much or how little that scholarship might cover, they are in a sense, already being compensated to play. “College sports are already a business,” and if the NCAA allowed student athletes to be paid it would “lead to more corruption… a salary eliminates the boundaries between an amateur and a professional athlete” which would mean there would be almost no reason for the NCAA to exist because the rules that it makes directly correlate with the issue of “amateurism” (Journal of Physical Education 13). But if student athletes are being paid under the table and accepting gifts and other special accommodations that are illegal under the rules of the NCAA, then paying athletes directly could in fact eliminate some of the corruption that exists. Not allowing compensation also should not be at the expense of the athlete because it is not their fault that powerful people in college sports are corrupt.
In addition to corruption, many student athletes are in fact on scholarship and some even receive semester stipends. Most would view this and believe that this should be compensation enough because student athletes “are in school for an education,” and not for athletics (Journal of Physical Education 12). While the name ‘student-athlete’ is worded with student in front, implying that academics come first, that is unfortunately not true in all colleges. There may be emphasis on maintaining good grades, but the sports that bring in the most revenue for the school, such as football and basketball, are not held to as high of standards that sports such as women’s soccer are, when it comes to education. It is true that student athletes are privileged with being able to play and receive an education, that money does not take into account other expenses that are not covered by the school. Many athletes are on scholarship because their parents could not afford to put food on the table everyday and paying for college was out of the question. “Student athletes are unable to have jobs because of NCAA rules, yet they have the same living expenses as regular students” who do in fact have time for other activities because they are not in involved in college level athletics (Journal of Physical Education 11). Not only does the NCAA discourage student athletes holding jobs, the coaches at the colleges do as well because of the rigorous schedules that the give the athletes. With this in mind, how are student athletes expected to pay for every meal required to fuel their bodies, school notebooks, pencils, pens, and other classroom accessories required, living expenses, clothes, travel expenses, and on top of all these, student loans? The answer is simple, they shouldn’t be and money for things like that should be given out. With practices, classes, and other activities pertaining to an athlete’s sport, their schedule is unpredictable. Not to mention tutoring, extra study hours, and extra work in order to improve in there sport, it is near impossible to find time for much life outside of the university. Such a schedule is not one that a boss would make special accommodations for because even if student athletes have a big name in the world of sports, that does not mean that they will be treated with the same respect in the real world. Some fear that if student athletes are paid, they will “not be ready for the real world,” as far as getting an education, a job, and then getting paid; however paying athletes would do just the opposite (Journal of Physical Education 14). If students athletes were rewarded for their hard work in a form of compensation, then they would understand that hard work pays off and that things in life are not free.
With professional sports being an end goal for many college athletes, many question why professionals receive such a great amount of money in comparison to student athletes who see none of the revenues they produce for their Universities. The opinion of many is that college athletes are amateurs and not professionals who play sports in order to make a living and provide for themselves and/or their families. College athletes are in school to get an education so that they can one day have a job and make their living, and should not be paid for doing such. It is argued that college athletes also do not endure as much stress and physical exhaustion that professionals’ bodies do, therefore they should not be compensated. On the contrary, student athletes might possibly endure more stress and the same amount of exhaustion that professionals do. College athletes are not just athletes, they are also students; which means many extra hours of homework, studying for exams, having a class early after a long weekend of traveling and being expected to be there, being expected to perform at high levels no matter what extra stress effects school is creating at the time, and being held to higher standards than most 18-22 years olds are by not being able to engage in typical college activities. In addition, student athletes do not sit around and do nothing when they have breaks or off days. On Christmas break, workout packets are given and fitness tests are expected to be passed when returning after break is over. On spring break, athletes are expected to keep in shape and sports that are in season do not get a break at all. During the summer, many athletes stay at school in order to train for upcoming fall seasons and hence are expected to take summer courses— which adds to more stress. While many people think college athletes do not put in half the work professionals do, they are making misguided and uneducated assumptions. Therefore, their opinions on whether or not student athletes should be paid, should be seen as irrelevant.
If college athletes are partaking in the same sport activities that professionals do, then why should they not be treated and compensated as such? No, there is no expectation that they should be paid anywhere remotely close to what professionals are, but a “weekly salary scale of $25-$30 per week” is an idea that should be entertained (Journal of Physical Education 11). Most would argue that $20-$30 per week is not enough money to make a difference or provide anything extra for athletes, but when you put that money together for a total of $100-$120 a month, the total sounds a lot more promising. With that much money, an athlete could go to the grocery store and buy three to four weeks worth of snacks or up to two weeks in meals to prepare at home, rather than spending money eating out. It could also be used for toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, hand soap, face wash, and other items that would not seem expensive but in reality they can add up to a large bill at the end. Another way this money could be used is for gas so that athletes can drive to all of the practices and events that are mandatory for them to attend, but may not always be within walking distance on campus. In addition to all of these necessities, extra cash every month would allow athletes to have a little bit of extra spending money for personal wants such as clothes, shoes, gifts for others, and other things that they cannot afford to buy because they do not have jobs.
Another argument could state that student athletes would not be responsible enough with the extra money they are given. With extra cash, athletes could use it to purchase illegal things such as marijuana and drug body enhancers, or pills such as Xanax and Adderall that they are not prescribed. Not to mention other substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and dip which would not be beneficial to their bodies and would inhibit their ability to perform at such a high level. While this is true, there are also regulations in place to keep these things from happening. The NCAA already issues random drug tests for athletes, including during the summer, that instill fear in many of the athletes which keeps them from partaking in illegal activities. If student athletes were paid and given the freedom to use the money as the choose, additional regulations could be put in place in order to keep athletes from getting away with partaking in activities that are illegal according to the NCAA. One of these regulations could be based upon a student athletes’ grades. If a student athlete does not maintain passing grades, then he or she is typically not eligible to participate in his or her sport until the grade is brought up. Just as grades are used for eligibility to play, they could also be used for eligibility to get paid. For example, if an athlete is not passing a class, then they will not be compensated for that entire month and will continue not to be compensated if their grade is not raised. With this rule, student athletes would have another fear instilled in them and would work that much harder in order to maintain grades with the knowledge that if they are not doing their work and being responsible, they do not receive the extra $100-$120 per month.
Continuing on, college sports are a business that bring in millions and some times billions of dollars a year for sporting events such as the NCAA March Madness tournament, the College Football Playoffs which include several bowl games in the month of December, College Baseball World Series, college football, baseball, and basketball games during their whole season, and all other participating sports that are televised. All these events of which bring in billions of dollars for television networks as well such as ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC, and NBC. Not to mention merchandise such as jerseys, school pride attire and accessories, tickets sold, concession profits, seat rentals, etc. Last year the NCAA March Madness tournament “generated over $70million in gross receipts. Final Four participants received $1.4 million… making the tournament earned invited schools almost $275,000” (Goldman 206). College football bowl games also profited making “$66 million, $53 million of which was distributed to participating schools” (Goldman 206). With all of this money being made, why are the athletes participating, not seeing any of that money directly? And why is the NCAA prohibiting “payments, beyond educational scholarships and specified expenses, to the athletes who are responsible for producing those revenues” (Goldman 206)? They should not see these revenues because “schools would not feel any responsibility to help the student athletes receive an education” and colleges would no longer be “an educational institutes, but a business institute,” which would negate the purpose of going to college (Journal of Physical Education 12, 14). Others would agree that student athletes do in fact see these revenues in other ways such as stadiums, athletic gear, and meals that are sometimes paid for. These views are wrong because the money that the universities receive, is not distributed fairly among the different sports.
Sports such as football and basketball see most of the money that athletics has, while other sports are struggling to get by with enough equipment for the whole team. Title IX, which states that “[n]o person… shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance…” was created so that men and women of all sports were to be treated equally but it is evident that those rules are not carried out to their fullest extent (Cox 35). Although evenly distributed money and opportunity was the goal and purpose of Title IX, society has inevitably destroyed these ideals. Many argue that “there is no possible way a university could pay every student athlete… there would be some discrimination to the non revenue sports” (Journal of Physical Education 10). If student athletes were to be paid, Title IX would have to be amended in some way which gives a set of rules as to how much money is given to each sport at each school because a Division I university is going to bring in more money than a Division II school. Therefore, the Division I schools should be allowed to give higher compensation to their athletes than schools of lower divisions. Another reason it would be difficult to distribute money evenly to all the athletes is because athletes are all on different scholarships. Some would argue that it would be nearly impossible to keep track of which athlete should get how much money and how would it be made fair if higher scholarship athletes were to receive a higher compensation. The solution would be that if a student is on the roster as a participant of a college athletic association, then he or she should receive money. There should not be different amounts of money given based upon talent, fame in the sports world, or different scholarship levels. A fixed compensation rate should be set and no athlete should receive more or less than any other student athlete.
As a student athlete, I give a lot of myself both mentally and physically to my sport, the program, and also to my education— which gives me a different perspective compared to those who have never been a college athlete. I understand athletes’ lack of money for extra curricular activities is a problem. I understand that an athlete’s schedule does leave time to partake in there activities. I understand that revenue is an issue for certain sports, which would lead to less compensation. Lastly, I understand that students athletes undergo an immense amount of physical and mental stress compared to the average college student. Taking all of these issues into consideration, student athletes deserve to be compensated for partaking in their sport.
From my own experience as a student athlete, much of my time has been dedicated solely to sports first and academics second— which is not how it should be. As a college student entering the adult world, I have learned that I want to be come more independent and not have to rely on my parents for my wants and needs. There are many life necessities that I need to pay for not including things that I want, that are not provided to me by the school that I play for. Often times, these thoughts have left me feeling that I wish I had extra time in my schedule for a job. With the time demanding activities, such as practice, workouts, team meetings, community service events, study hours, that student athletes are required to attend, there is simply not enough time to partake in extra curricular activities. Although there is controversy on whether or not student athletes should be paid to play due to some benefits they already receive, they deserve compensation because they exert so much time and energy into their sport so that the University will be successful. They do not have time left for activities outside of school and sports, and by certain NCAA rules they are oftentimes not allowed to have certain jobs.
When the NCAA first began, it’s goal was mainly to ensure and regulate safety in the game of football, which even involved a debate on whether or not the sport should even be legal. As the NCAA evolved and encompassed more sports, the rules and goals changed. According to Laura Freedman, the purposes of the NCAA now is to: “promote student-athletes and college sports through public awareness; [p]rotect student-athletes through standards of fairness and integrity; [p]repare student-athletes for lifetime leadership; [and p]rovide student- athletes and college sports with the funding to help meet these goals. Approximately fifty years after it’s original formation, the 1940 NCAA convention “authorized the NCAA Executive Committee to investigate the alleged violations of the NCAA’s amateurism regulations and to issue interpretations of the NCAA constitution.” The issue of amateurism, however, has been present since the NCAA’s establishment. (676)” With this being the goal, the NCAA has created many regulations regarding amateurism, however, somehow those rules always seem to get broken. If student athletes were compensated many people such as “former NCAA Executive Director Richard Schultz commented that… a stipend may halt some of the illegal activity occurring in big time athletics, because athletes would be less desperate for ‘under the table’ compensation” (Schott 44). As the world of college sports continues to grow, so does illegal activity, but if a simple solution such as paying athletes could help eliminate this issue, many would agree it would be worth it.
College sports are a phenomenon that have over time become one of the major money making sources of enjoyment for americans; whether it come from spectators investing money in a college and sport of their choice, or the dream of gaining a scholarship and playing sports at the college level that so many young athletes aspire to do, college athletics are a huge business. In fact, college sports are so important to so many people, that there have been countless fights, illegal gambling, and many more unethical activities created that put faith in the hands of young adults who are doing what they love. You would think that because people put college athletes on such high pedestals, that they would be willing to give student athletes anything to keep them winning and satisfied; however, that is not always the case. Many people believe that college student athletes do not deserve to be paid or compensated in any way for partaking in college sports. They believe that it would be extremely wrong and unjust for athletes to get paid and that it should not even be up for discussion. They say this because they believe that if student athletes are on a scholarship of any form, no matter how much or how little that scholarship might cover, they are in a sense, already being compensated to play. “College sports are already a business,” and if the NCAA allowed student athletes to be paid it would “lead to more corruption… a salary eliminates the boundaries between an amateur and a professional athlete” which would mean there would be almost no reason for the NCAA to exist because the rules that it makes directly correlate with the issue of “amateurism” (Journal of Physical Education 13). But if student athletes are being paid under the table and accepting gifts and other special accommodations that are illegal under the rules of the NCAA, then paying athletes directly could in fact eliminate some of the corruption that exists. Not allowing compensation also should not be at the expense of the athlete because it is not their fault that powerful people in college sports are corrupt.
In addition to corruption, many student athletes are in fact on scholarship and some even receive semester stipends. Most would view this and believe that this should be compensation enough because student athletes “are in school for an education,” and not for athletics (Journal of Physical Education 12). While the name ‘student-athlete’ is worded with student in front, implying that academics come first, that is unfortunately not true in all colleges. There may be emphasis on maintaining good grades, but the sports that bring in the most revenue for the school, such as football and basketball, are not held to as high of standards that sports such as women’s soccer are, when it comes to education. It is true that student athletes are privileged with being able to play and receive an education, that money does not take into account other expenses that are not covered by the school. Many athletes are on scholarship because their parents could not afford to put food on the table everyday and paying for college was out of the question. “Student athletes are unable to have jobs because of NCAA rules, yet they have the same living expenses as regular students” who do in fact have time for other activities because they are not in involved in college level athletics (Journal of Physical Education 11). Not only does the NCAA discourage student athletes holding jobs, the coaches at the colleges do as well because of the rigorous schedules that the give the athletes. With this in mind, how are student athletes expected to pay for every meal required to fuel their bodies, school notebooks, pencils, pens, and other classroom accessories required, living expenses, clothes, travel expenses, and on top of all these, student loans? The answer is simple, they shouldn’t be and money for things like that should be given out. With practices, classes, and other activities pertaining to an athlete’s sport, their schedule is unpredictable. Not to mention tutoring, extra study hours, and extra work in order to improve in there sport, it is near impossible to find time for much life outside of the university. Such a schedule is not one that a boss would make special accommodations for because even if student athletes have a big name in the world of sports, that does not mean that they will be treated with the same respect in the real world. Some fear that if student athletes are paid, they will “not be ready for the real world,” as far as getting an education, a job, and then getting paid; however paying athletes would do just the opposite (Journal of Physical Education 14). If students athletes were rewarded for their hard work in a form of compensation, then they would understand that hard work pays off and that things in life are not free.
With professional sports being an end goal for many college athletes, many question why professionals receive such a great amount of money in comparison to student athletes who see none of the revenues they produce for their Universities. The opinion of many is that college athletes are amateurs and not professionals who play sports in order to make a living and provide for themselves and/or their families. College athletes are in school to get an education so that they can one day have a job and make their living, and should not be paid for doing such. It is argued that college athletes also do not endure as much stress and physical exhaustion that professionals’ bodies do, therefore they should not be compensated. On the contrary, student athletes might possibly endure more stress and the same amount of exhaustion that professionals do. College athletes are not just athletes, they are also students; which means many extra hours of homework, studying for exams, having a class early after a long weekend of traveling and being expected to be there, being expected to perform at high levels no matter what extra stress effects school is creating at the time, and being held to higher standards than most 18-22 years olds are by not being able to engage in typical college activities. In addition, student athletes do not sit around and do nothing when they have breaks or off days. On Christmas break, workout packets are given and fitness tests are expected to be passed when returning after break is over. On spring break, athletes are expected to keep in shape and sports that are in season do not get a break at all. During the summer, many athletes stay at school in order to train for upcoming fall seasons and hence are expected to take summer courses— which adds to more stress. While many people think college athletes do not put in half the work professionals do, they are making misguided and uneducated assumptions. Therefore, their opinions on whether or not student athletes should be paid, should be seen as irrelevant.
If college athletes are partaking in the same sport activities that professionals do, then why should they not be treated and compensated as such? No, there is no expectation that they should be paid anywhere remotely close to what professionals are, but a “weekly salary scale of $25-$30 per week” is an idea that should be entertained (Journal of Physical Education 11). Most would argue that $20-$30 per week is not enough money to make a difference or provide anything extra for athletes, but when you put that money together for a total of $100-$120 a month, the total sounds a lot more promising. With that much money, an athlete could go to the grocery store and buy three to four weeks worth of snacks or up to two weeks in meals to prepare at home, rather than spending money eating out. It could also be used for toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, hand soap, face wash, and other items that would not seem expensive but in reality they can add up to a large bill at the end. Another way this money could be used is for gas so that athletes can drive to all of the practices and events that are mandatory for them to attend, but may not always be within walking distance on campus. In addition to all of these necessities, extra cash every month would allow athletes to have a little bit of extra spending money for personal wants such as clothes, shoes, gifts for others, and other things that they cannot afford to buy because they do not have jobs.
Another argument could state that student athletes would not be responsible enough with the extra money they are given. With extra cash, athletes could use it to purchase illegal things such as marijuana and drug body enhancers, or pills such as Xanax and Adderall that they are not prescribed. Not to mention other substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and dip which would not be beneficial to their bodies and would inhibit their ability to perform at such a high level. While this is true, there are also regulations in place to keep these things from happening. The NCAA already issues random drug tests for athletes, including during the summer, that instill fear in many of the athletes which keeps them from partaking in illegal activities. If student athletes were paid and given the freedom to use the money as the choose, additional regulations could be put in place in order to keep athletes from getting away with partaking in activities that are illegal according to the NCAA. One of these regulations could be based upon a student athletes’ grades. If a student athlete does not maintain passing grades, then he or she is typically not eligible to participate in his or her sport until the grade is brought up. Just as grades are used for eligibility to play, they could also be used for eligibility to get paid. For example, if an athlete is not passing a class, then they will not be compensated for that entire month and will continue not to be compensated if their grade is not raised. With this rule, student athletes would have another fear instilled in them and would work that much harder in order to maintain grades with the knowledge that if they are not doing their work and being responsible, they do not receive the extra $100-$120 per month.
Continuing on, college sports are a business that bring in millions and some times billions of dollars a year for sporting events such as the NCAA March Madness tournament, the College Football Playoffs which include several bowl games in the month of December, College Baseball World Series, college football, baseball, and basketball games during their whole season, and all other participating sports that are televised. All these events of which bring in billions of dollars for television networks as well such as ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC, and NBC. Not to mention merchandise such as jerseys, school pride attire and accessories, tickets sold, concession profits, seat rentals, etc. Last year the NCAA March Madness tournament “generated over $70million in gross receipts. Final Four participants received $1.4 million… making the tournament earned invited schools almost $275,000” (Goldman 206). College football bowl games also profited making “$66 million, $53 million of which was distributed to participating schools” (Goldman 206). With all of this money being made, why are the athletes participating, not seeing any of that money directly? And why is the NCAA prohibiting “payments, beyond educational scholarships and specified expenses, to the athletes who are responsible for producing those revenues” (Goldman 206)? They should not see these revenues because “schools would not feel any responsibility to help the student athletes receive an education” and colleges would no longer be “an educational institutes, but a business institute,” which would negate the purpose of going to college (Journal of Physical Education 12, 14). Others would agree that student athletes do in fact see these revenues in other ways such as stadiums, athletic gear, and meals that are sometimes paid for. These views are wrong because the money that the universities receive, is not distributed fairly among the different sports.
Sports such as football and basketball see most of the money that athletics has, while other sports are struggling to get by with enough equipment for the whole team. Title IX, which states that “[n]o person… shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance…” was created so that men and women of all sports were to be treated equally but it is evident that those rules are not carried out to their fullest extent (Cox 35). Although evenly distributed money and opportunity was the goal and purpose of Title IX, society has inevitably destroyed these ideals. Many argue that “there is no possible way a university could pay every student athlete… there would be some discrimination to the non revenue sports” (Journal of Physical Education 10). If student athletes were to be paid, Title IX would have to be amended in some way which gives a set of rules as to how much money is given to each sport at each school because a Division I university is going to bring in more money than a Division II school. Therefore, the Division I schools should be allowed to give higher compensation to their athletes than schools of lower divisions. Another reason it would be difficult to distribute money evenly to all the athletes is because athletes are all on different scholarships. Some would argue that it would be nearly impossible to keep track of which athlete should get how much money and how would it be made fair if higher scholarship athletes were to receive a higher compensation. The solution would be that if a student is on the roster as a participant of a college athletic association, then he or she should receive money. There should not be different amounts of money given based upon talent, fame in the sports world, or different scholarship levels. A fixed compensation rate should be set and no athlete should receive more or less than any other student athlete.
As a student athlete, I give a lot of myself both mentally and physically to my sport, the program, and also to my education— which gives me a different perspective compared to those who have never been a college athlete. I understand athletes’ lack of money for extra curricular activities is a problem. I understand that an athlete’s schedule does leave time to partake in there activities. I understand that revenue is an issue for certain sports, which would lead to less compensation. Lastly, I understand that students athletes undergo an immense amount of physical and mental stress compared to the average college student. Taking all of these issues into consideration, student athletes deserve to be compensated for partaking in their sport.