Should College Athletes Be Paid free essay sample

These people feel that the promise of their education being paid for is enough for the college athletes. On the opposite side of this topic, people argue that the college athlete generates enough income for the universities, and they feel that the university owes the athletes more than a scholarship. Student athletes should be given a small amount of pay for their services to the university. According to the 2002-03Division I Manual, under bylaws: Article 12, Pay is the receipt of funds, awards or benefits not permitted by the governing legislation of the Association (Earle 69). This article was one of the rules that were put into the manual to protect the amateurism. College athletes are looked upon as amateur player, and the NCAA wants to protect the athlete from being influenced by money much like the professional players are. Though college players have not reached the professional level, they are required to work at their sports like they are professionals. We will write a custom essay sample on Should College Athletes Be Paid or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Larue, a MTSU football player says, My typical schedule is school, workout or practice, and sleep. I dont have much personal time or much time to study (Larue). To many college athletes, it is a job, and they are willing to put in all the work necessary to be the best. In sports an ace is A top-notch professional, or one who sets the standards for others, and in college level sports there are many aces (Palmatier 1). According to research done by Andrew Zimbalist, the NCAA is guaranteed income of 75 million between 1997 and 2002, and they market and receive sponsoring much like the professional leagues (Zimbalist 4). Giving the athletes a stipend of amounts that vary between 100 and 200 dollars per month is a small price to pay in order to maintain he athletes. Rep. Ron Wilson of Texas has filed a bill proposing such a stipend. According to Wally Renfro, a NCAA spokesman, the stipend would be a special benefit, but if it were allowed to all schools and all athletes them it would not be (Austin). This stipend could help to cover expenses that are not covered in the scholarship. Larue stated, A little money a month would go a long way (Larue). Many people are against paying college athletes because they feel that they do not need or already receive compensation for using their skills for the universities profit. Many say that receiving a scholarship for their education is enough, and education is a great gift to the students. For the people that believe that education is must important, Rep. Wilson says, (Many) of them wont graduate and the schools know it (Austin). In fact, according to NCAA 2001 Graduation Rates Report, among college athletes with a four-class average the graduation rate is 59%(NCAA). Student athletes are promised an education to play, and many do not get to receive it. The NCAA argues, most schools dont make money off athletics. In college athletic, the athlete is the talent, and people come to games to watch them. The NCAA makes deals with networks like CBS to televise tournaments, and school make deals with networks to televise certain games (Brawn). On top of that, college sports teams do not have to pay entertainment tax, which means that everything they make goes to the school (Brawn). The spectators that come to games, watch on television, and even the sponsors are interested in watching the athletes on the college level compete, which means that the universities are indeed profiting from the athletes. Why do college athletes need to get paid? The typical Division I athletic scholarship provides tuition, room and board and books (Austin). For many athletes that is were it ends. Well basically, I never have any money, states Larue, During the weekend I dont get to go many places unless another football player is going. Many college athletes take scholarships because, if it was not for the scholarship, they would not be able to get into college. Their families are unable to provide for them, so they are sent to college with a scholarship and expected to survive. With what little free time that they have, they are unable to go for a drive, go see a movie, or even have a relationship. Really, it is like you are stuck on campus (Larue). With a stipend or some other form of payment, the athlete could afford to catch a movie or go shopping for clothes. The athlete could afford the necessities in life that are not provided by the scholarship. Without the stipend, and unable to have jobs, the college athlete lives a life that only consists of schoolwork and athletic training, and they have to rely heavily on teammates for support. College athlete should receive some form of payment for the universities they attend or from the NCAA itself. College athletes are human just like every other student. By denying them the ability to make money and not paying them, the NCAA and its members are expecting the athletes to live a sub-human existence, and putting them at a disadvantage to finish their college education. Many argue that the system is fine just the way it is, but they are not fully considering the needs of the college athlete. College athletes make enough money for universities that it would not hurt to give some back. In conclusion, college sports will always be a big money maker for big time universities and colleges. They should take better care of their athletes by paying them for their services. Should College Athletes Be Paid free essay sample While other students may have a job, athletes are not so lucky. Their job is to play the sport they were brought to the university for. If you workout all day, and perform strenuous activities on your body, you need fuel for your body to recover. Not eating effects how they perform in the classroom, and on the field. The solution for many players is to sell their jerseys and other memorabilia to make money. Unfortunately, that is illegal under NCAA guidelines. I believe if the student can find a way, he or she should be able to endorse products.The best allege athletes in the two revenue producing sports, basketball and football, generate more money than tuition, room, board, and books. (ESP.) College is supposed to prepare for the real world, so engaging in entrepreneurship is not the worst activity these athletes could be involved in. If the NCAA is going to continue to not allow athletes to sell their personal items, scholarships should cover the full cost of living. We will write a custom essay sample on Should College Athletes Be Paid or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sports casters, along with many other outspoken people, share their reasons for being highly critical of the idea of supplying student athletes with more than they already have.In other words, tuition, room, and board are plenty for the athletes to compensate with. If you paid athletes, money would kill recruiting. Athletes would choose to play for the prestige universities, being as greedy as possible, just to benefit themselves. Also, a players ego might kill competition. The starting quarterback cannot possibly cope with the fact that he is receiving the same amount of money as the kicker. A situation like this would make college games less exciting, and dreary to watch. Lets take a realistic approach on this controversial topic.First of all, without sports programs at the universities, many would find it difficult to pay the professors at the salary they do. Solely, the players are the reason why a large amount of money is made. The fans that show up and pay to watch these events seemingly pay the coaches and professors salary. Spectators appear in attendance to watch the athletes perform; it is as simple as that. Football and basketball teams at topnotch universities generate hundreds of million dollars alone in a single year. It is only right for the universities to provide a little more than they do.Secondly, if you argue athletes would only flock to the moneymaking schools, you sound absurd. Only the best of the best have the talents capable of playing at a division one university. Thousands are not so fortunate and gifted enough to succeed on a division one plateau. Athletes will go to a school that will grant a scholarship for them to continue their dream. For many, sports are a life long passion they will never give up on. I see no problem in schools finding athletes to compete for them. Most of all, which many people do not understand, athletes are not seeking million dollar contracts.All they want are their scholarships to completely cover the cost of living. If that were the case, you would not see athletes selling a jersey for a few hundred dollars. As the old saying goes, money just does not grow on trees. Universities could use funds they receive from television contracts, and memorabilia that is procured to pay for the scholarships. Dont get me wrong; athletes are very fortunate to receive a free education. Looking at it from the other end of the spectrum, only 27 percent of student athletes, at a division one school, will actually receive a degree.WAS) It is safe to say, most athletes are not at the universities for the student part of the deal. A solution that should be considered is increasing student athletes scholarship by two thousand dollars more a year. For the most part, it will eliminate illegal selling of ones jersey and other sacred memorabilia. This gives athletes the financial security of being able to buy food, and will cover other costs not provided by scholarships. For as much time and hard work student athletes give to the university, that is the least schools could do to give back. Should College Athletes Be Paid free essay sample Over the past few years college athletics have gained immense popularity across the United States. Whether it be football, basketball, or hockey, ever since the turn of the century, intercollegiate sports have brought in a surplus of revenue to their respective Universities, as well as increasing the popularity of the College’s reputation. For example, in a study conducted by the Orland Sentientnel, it was estimated that the University of Texas’ Athletic Program had the highest revenue of any other University at $120,288,370 (How Much Revenue). Yet with this large sum of money, no college athletes are legally compensated for their work. According to NCAA rules, â€Å"You are not eligible for participation in a sport if you have ever: Taken pay, or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport† (NCAA Regulations 1). Due to this law, not only are college athletes having difficulty in paying off their college tuition, but also many athletes are being paid under the table through black markets. We will write a custom essay sample on Should College Athletes Be Paid? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These amateur athletes have no incentive to stay in college and finish their respective degrees, as many cannot afford to pay for the increasingly expensive college experience. While many argue that college athletes shouldn’t be paid as they are just amateurs representing their schools, I argue that athletes must be paid to save the legitimacy of college athletics. Student athletes should be compensated for their work, as they are the sole reason for the Athletic Program’s surplus in revenue. These athletes are working hard and bringing in money to the University every day, yet aren’t rewarded with any monetary value. These athletes are working for the schools and are doing a service to the college that seems to go unnoticed. This lack of pay is not seen anywhere else in the work place and shouldn’t be seen here. Some even argue, â€Å"College athletes are being exploited by their schools, which make millions of dollars off of intercollegiate athletics† (Should Student-Athletes Get Paid? ). Colleges are using these athletes to boost their respective reputations and bring in revenue while not compensating these athletes for their work. Everywhere else athletes are paid, so why shouldn’t college students too? Some critics may argue that these student-athletes are amateurs, and if paid then are becoming professional athletes. This statement can be easily disproved, however, as amateur is a very broad and controversial term. Hockey players a part of the AHL (Amateur Hockey League) are considered to be amateurs but are compensated for their work. Defining College athletes as amateurs creates another problem in addition to not being paid by the University: athletes can’t promote themselves. The NCAA states â€Å"student-athletes shall be amateurs†¦and should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprise. However, with this statement it seems that colleges and universities â€Å"are the entity that exploits† them. In 2000, due to the increasing cost of education, the NCAA â€Å"approved student-athletes’ employment in jobs paying up to $2,000 during a school year; the income can address educational expenses†. However, not only does $2,000 barley cover educational costs, especially if not on scholarship, but the NCAA is not allowing student athletes to promote themselves. Also, with all the time practicing and working in the classroom, how many athletes have time to actually get a job? In reality, they are already working by performing on the court, field, or rink. In a documentary conducted by ESPN entitled â€Å"Fab Five,† one of the college basketball players for the University of Michigan said, that It was hard to see his jersey in the stands and knowing that just his number was on it, not his name. He later goes on to say that he wasn’t receiving any money from it even though Addidas was promoting his jersey! This Michigan Basketball player then goes on to say that he couldn’t even afford the jersey that his fans were wearing. He wanted to buy a jersey for his mom, but couldn’t afford it. Another argument that supports paying college athletes, is that these â€Å"full-ride† scholarships given to the best athletes do not actually cover all their expenses. Many athletes still can’t afford to have their parents come to the stadium and watch the games. For example, in 2010, â€Å"Duke basketball players were valued at $1,025,656 while [the players were] living just $732 above the poverty line and a scholarship shortfall of $1,995† (â€Å"The Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sports†). With all of the respect and publicity of these athletes, it goes unnoticed that a great deal of the players live very near to the poverty line. Due to this lack of money, black-markets are created. Here, boosters that represent the University give these players’ cars, spending money, or anything they truly want, and in return, these players go to their respective University. There have been many instances of this injustice before, but one prominent example is that of Reggie Bush, the running back for the University of Southern California from 2003-2005. Bush was paid by boosters to attend USC, which violated NCAA rules. Bush was heavily criticized when the violations were revealed and had to return his Heisman trophy. While Bush’ actions were clearly wrong and him returning the Heisman trophy was warranted, its tough to give him much criticism. At the time, Bush didn’t come from much wealth and even with a â€Å"full-ride† football scholarship, he could not cover all of his expenses. Bush’s mother was having trouble paying rent, so a booster at USC offered to pay for his mother’s apartment in Pasadena. Bush felt obligated to take this offer, as there was no other way to make money and pay for his mother’s apartment. If Bush were paid for his participation in the NCAA, then Bush would have attended any University he would so please. These boosters’ actions are not only illegal, but create an imbalance in competition amongst the NCAA. These universities that violate NCAA rules have an upper edge in recruiting top prospects. Schools are then tempted to violate such rules to even out the playing field. The last and arguably the most important reason to pay college athletes, is that it will ensure that most college athletes will complete their college degrees. â€Å"Paying student-athletes would provide athletes an incentive to stay in school and complete their degree programs, instead of leaving early for the professional leagues†. If athletes are paid to play, not only can they cover some of their college expenses that scholarships couldn’t cover, but also now they will want to finish their education. NCAA prides itself on all student-athletes are students first and athletes second, however, it seems that more popular athletes leave early for the pros. In college basketball, many freshman stars are referred to as â€Å"one and done† players as they complete one year of college and go to the professional leagues early, as they want money and need it as soon as possible. The importance of their education is lost. The University seems to be hypocritical in its actions when it doesn’t pay its athletes, because it seems they support college athletes leaving for the Professional league early. According to the article, â€Å"A university’s primary objective is to provide its students with a quality education that prepares them to function in the world as opposed to in college. † However, without paying athletes, universities leave their students with no other option but to not graduate and withdrawal after a semester or a year to meet their financial obligations. Logistically, it should be very simple for the universities to compensate their student-athletes. One author suggests that every university pays the same flat rate to each college athlete for three years, then offer a raise to senior athletes. This bonus will create that incentive for students to receive their degrees. While it may seem odd and unjust to pay college athletes, the reality is that compensation of such athletes is a necessity not only to keep competition at a steady level in college athletics, but also to encourage students to graduate and get their college degrees.