about whether the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by restricting college athletes compensation. WebHere are Main Pros and Cons of College Athletes Be Paid Pros of paying college athletes Motivates to be more beneficial: Rewarding school competitors and obviously, their Here Are Some Pros and Cons, Should College Athletes Be Paid? Takeaway: College is expensive. What determines how much each player should earn? about whether the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by restricting college athletes compensation. Introduction College sports, particularly football, are a big deal and a big business. A decision is expected in June 2021. This money is used to finance a variety of paid positions that support athletics at colleges and universities, including administrators, directors, coaches, and staff, along with other employment less directly tied to sports, such as those in marketing and media. WebThe average college receives around 95 million dollars per season. Its a legitimate question, said Ramogi Huma, the founder and president of the College Athletes Players Association, an advocate for players rights. Panel Recommends," nytimes.com, June 28, 2021, Alan Blinder, "College Athletes May Earn Money from Their Fame, N.C.A.A. Do you find his argument persuasive? 31, 2021 as the NCAA March Madness tournament headed into Final Four games just days later, on Apr. ], ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons. WebTwo writers take opposing sides in the debate over paying college athletes He writes about the future of work and higher education, student political activism, and expanding educational opportunities. Here Are Some Pros And Cons. Very few college athletes will go pro, so athletes should take advantage of the education being offered in exchange for playing a college sport. Students 13 and older are invited to comment. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Williamson fell backward in a split, grabbing his right knee. Takeaway: For the NCAA, student-athletes should be playing sports with education as its primary driver. 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. 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. Some 107,000 spectators have packed the "Big House," paying an average ticket price of $141. As he planted a foot to reverse direction, his left sneaker collapsed and tore apart from the sheer torque of the move. [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. Paying college athletes would go against sportsmanship as richer colleges could attract other college students with their bigger budgets. African Americans make up the majority of college athletes at the top levels in three major sports: mens and womens basketball (Division I) and the upper FBS level of the NCAAs Division I, according to Travis Waltons HuffPost article Black Americans Support Paying College Athletes. Against this backdrop, here are both sides of the issue. Managing Editor Even if a student receives a full-ride scholarship, the award doesn't provide pocket money for incidentals and entertainment. Gabe Feldman, JD, Professor of Sports Law, Director of the Sports Law Program and Associate Provost for NCAA compliance at Tulane University, noted that the last time the NCAA was at the Supreme Court was in 1984 (NCAA vs. the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma). 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. 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. 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. College football players should not be treated as professional football teams. List two to three ways. Recommendation: Find College Student Jobs on Salarship. On Feb. 20, less than a minute into a nationally televised game against archrival North Carolina, Williamson injured his right knee when one of his Nike sneakers exploded. (Watch here to see what happened to the shoe.) If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. WebPaying the athletes in the team will make them put their focus on why should college athletes be paid essay and athletic with no worries about money. Title IX stipulates that colleges must provide equal opportunities for male and female athletes. A weighty argument against paying college athletes is that not all sports are popular. In June, the governing boards for all three NCAA divisions approved what they termed "a uniform interim policy" that suspends previous rules regarding endorsements for all incoming and current student-athletes in all sports. 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. [20]. As it stands, NCAA athletes are allowed to receive scholarships that cover their college tuition and The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) generates eleven billion dollars annually, some of which could, and should go to college athletes. Get your troublesome papers finished by our competent writers now! Pros: The ruling is a massive win for student athletes, of course. Athletes constantly risk injury and therefore deserve proper compensation. If a university decided to pay student-athletes, where would that money come from? 3, 2021), National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Facts: Tuition Costs of Colleges and Universities, nces.gov, 2019, NCAA, Finances of Intercollegiate Athletics, ncaa.org (accessed Mar. Further confusing the issue, the NCAA does not have a consistent or fair definition of amateurism and allows some significant forms of financial compensation. According to the same article, A majority 52% of black respondents are strongly or somewhat in favor of paying college athletes, while only 15% strongly or somewhat oppose the idea. We They are, get over it!. The NCAA is seemingly the final authority to decide whether college athletes should be paid to play college sports. 3. It does not go to the players, what I call the unpaid workforce. [3], As of Nov. 17, 2020, the University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was the highest paid NCAA college football coach, making $9.3 million per year. A federal judge in Northern California, Claudia Wilken, will soon decide if student-athletes should instead be paid more like professionals. The NCAA warned that because California schools might have an unfair recruiting advantage over schools in other states, institutions would be banned from championship competition. This is something that has been a growing issue in recent years. Explore the NCAA site and think critically about the organization as the governing body of college athletics. The NCAA also does not prohibit schools from canceling injured athletes scholarships, leaving athletes without a sport or education. The odds are even lower for womens basketball at 0.6%. Why, They Already Are Sports Illustrated, Theres No Crying in College: The Case Against Paying College Athletes Bleacher Report. In the first minute of top-ranked Dukes game against its archrival, eighth-ranked North Carolina, Williamson, a 6-fotot-7, 285-pound forward whose game is a blend of quickness and power, pivoted with the ball near the free-throw line. They will lose that hunger and passion that we see in college. Some claim that paying student-athletes will also benefit universities. Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. However, players lived $778 below the federal poverty line and owed $3,624 in tuition. Colin Cowherd states, 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!. He is the owner of Salarship, a job search engine where less-skilled candidates can find accessible employment opportunities. How about only football and basketball players? Whats the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? If you were Williamson, would you continue playing for Duke this season and risk injury? [12] The Supreme Court heard arguments on Mar. You dont have to get past the preface to find questions that feel at home in todays world: Many of the questions asked way back in 1929 continue to resurface today, and many of them have eventually ended up seeking answers in court. And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. Scores of college athletes are being used to generate money for NCAA sports in a pandemic without the NCAA enforcing any COVID standards. [17], The NCAA reported over $1.06 billion in revenue in 2017 (the most recent available numbers). 4. Similar measures in additional states have passed but are slated to be in effect sometime in the future. Respondents were split 50/50 in a June 1, 2021 New York Times survey about whether the NCAA strictly limiting paid compensation is constitutional. WebShould College Athletes Be Paid? Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. The same 60% now agree that college athletes need monetary compensation. 3, 2021), John Thelin, Paying College Athletes, insidehighered.com, Feb. 12, 2018, NCAA, Estimated Probability of Competing in Professional Athletics, ncaa.org, Apr. Funding the student-athletes would be a massive shift in budget distribution. Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. The Department of Education reported that college athletic programs collected $14 billion in total revenue in 2019, up from $4 billion in 2003. We do have hungry nights that we dont have enough money to get food in. The average athletic scholarship is roughly $18,000. Here Are Some Pros and Cons HuffPost, Should College Athletes Be Paid? Financial irresponsibility Amateur players receiving compensation just seems like a complete disaster. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The NBA requires players to be at least 19 and a year out of high school, while the NFL requires players to be three years out of high school. It would eliminate the line between amateur and professional sports. That means athletes who are exceptionally skilled at not-so-popular sports, such as swimming and softball, would not be given a chance to complete their studies through sponsorship and scholarship programs by the NCAA. One of the most common reasons cited against paying college players is compensation. Just because there are rules prohibiting the compensation of college athletes doesnt mean it doesnt happen, and over the years there have been numerous scandals. An N.B.A. https://www.britannica.com/story/pro-and-con-paying-college-athletes, according to the Business of College Sports. As mentioned before, college athletes can put in upward of 40 hours a week practicing, training, and competingbeing a student-athlete is a challenge when youre devoting full-time hours to athletics. The economics of a paid-athlete system is messy at best. [20], The highest paid mens basketball coach was the University of Kentucky head coach, John Calipari, who was paid $8.2 million per year. One of the most common reasons cited against paying college players is compensation. Its not just the time commitment that playing college athletics puts on student-athletes, its the risk to their health. Universities best positioned to pay athletes top dollar would win bidding wars and recruiting battles against institutions with limited budgets. Paying players would destroy that illusion, the N.C.A.A. Paying student-athletes would help eliminate the need for these student-athletes to take out loans, burden their families for monetary support, or add employment to their already busy schedules. If a majority of these college athletes, who are bringing in staggering amounts of money to these schools were white, would this even be a conversation? 1. What good will the athletes scholarship do when he cant find time to work on them? (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken), Black Americans Support Paying College Athletes. Of the 36,011 college baseball players, only 8,002 are eligible to play professionally each year. Meanwhile, 18 states have NIL laws in place. 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. According to the NCAA, over 150,000 Division I and Division II student-athletes receive $2.9 billion in scholarships each year (Division III schools don't offer athletic scholarships). Williamson, widely considered the nations best college player, is expected to be available to Duke in time for its conference tournament or the N.C.A.A. From a students point of view, paying college athletes will alter their college experience. Everyone, that is, except the players. [46], The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. On the opposing side, many argue that there are major differences between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports First of all, they should not get paid as very few college players are taking the spotlight. Its a multi-billion dollar industry, and third-party businesses outside the educational institutions scope are involved. rules, Duke is not compensating Williamson, an 18-year-old freshman, beyond a scholarship and the related costs of studying at, and playing for, the university. The NCAA is not above the law. [43] [44], On June 28, 2021, the NCAA Division I Council recommended to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors that student athletes be allowed to profit from their name, image, and likeness. WebNPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Ekow Yankah, author of The New Yorker essay, "Why N.C.A.A. A handful of big Unfair compensation between players How will players be compensated? On a side note, this would incentivize athletes to complete their degree, making them more employable after the end of their athletic career. The Pros And Cons Of Paying College Athletes However, the decision whether to provide compensation to students or not is one that is difficult to resolve. However, in 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Play Act that allows college athletes to hire agents, sign endorsement deals, and be paid for the use of their likeness. Calculate your chances at your dream schools and learn what areas you need to improve right now it only takes 3 minutes and it's 100% free. Explain your answer(s). College athletes generate billions of dollars per year for schools, media outlets, and corporate Feldman explained, That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. It also raised an important question: Should Williamson ever suit up for another college game? But as we've discussed, this is seldom the case most athletes only receive partial scholarships. Will all college athletes get compensated equally? 23, 2018, Craig Garthwaite, Who Profits from Amateurism? In 2019, the NCAA reported $18.9 billion in total athletics revenue. [27], About 25% of Division I athletes reported food poverty in the past year and almost 14% reported being homeless in the past year. 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. It could lower tuition rates. 8, 2020, Steve Goldstein, Nine out of 10 New Jobs Are Going to Those with a College Degree, marketwatch.com, June 5, 2018, Gallup, A Study of NCAA Student-Athletes: Undergraduate Experiences and Post-College Outcomes, gallup.com, 2020, Greta Anderson, Study: College Athletes Have Better Academic, Life Outcomes, insiderhighered.com, June 24, 2020, Griffin Connolly, Wealth distribution is bad except when it comes to college athletes' money, top Republican senator suggests, theindependent.co.uk, Sep. 15, 2020, B. David Ridpath, A Path Forward for Reforming College Sports, jamesgmartin.center, Jan. 15, 2020, Molly Hensley-Clancy, NCAA Vows to Improve Conditions at Womens Basketball Tournament, as Outcry Continues, washingtonpost.com, Mar. Would a university have to pay female athletes in aggregate the same amount as their male counterparts? What possible difficulties or downsides might there be in providing monetary compensation to players? Some argue that if bidding becomes a possibility, then the stronger teams will become even stronger. Sports' considerable time commitment cuts into students' study time. That adds up to about $400,000 a year. draft where he will likely be the No. 3. At worst, it's chaotic and threatens team morale. Governor of California Gavin Newsom, stated, Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. Pending further testing, the general sense is that Williamson and Duke, and Nike, which made the shoe had avoided the worst. Essay Example, with Outline Published by gudwriter on November 23, November 23, Here is an essay example on whether college athletes should be paid or not. Listen, 90 percent of these college guys are gonna spend it on tats, weed, kicks, Xboxes, beer and swag. He walked off the court, and did not return. And not, of course, from the NCAA. He is not alone, college coaches dominate the list of public employees with the largest salaries. 2021, the NCAA was composed of [n]early half a million college athletes [who] make up the 19,886 teams that send more than 57,661 participants to compete each year in the NCAAs 90 championships in 24 sports across 3 divisions.. "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons." But 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. Not likely from the school itself. Do You Want to Find College Student Jobs? Tuition shortfalls amount to thousands of dollars per year and leave about 85% of players to live below the poverty line. The vast sums earned from football and basketball subsidize all other sports on campus. Scholarships are fair financial compensation for college athletes, especially considering the precarious finances of athletic departments. The age-old debate over whether college athletes should get paid is still alive and well. Part of HuffPost News. Not just a regular issue at that, but a structurally racial issue on many levels. Student-athletes are students first and foremost, attending college primarily to receive an education and secondarily to compete in their sport. People see fit that students get paid for their performance as they are the fundamental piece that drives external revenue to universities. The highest-paid college football coachthe University of Alabamas Nick Sabanearns $9.3 million a year and is the highest-paid public employee in the country. A seriously injured athlete could lose their scholarship (which is guaranteed only for one year at a time), jeopardize their opportunity to play professionally and potentially earn millions, or even face lifelong disability if the damage is permanent. One of the primary arguments against paying student-athletes rests on the assumption that they already receive full college scholarships. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Go to ProCon.org to learn more. Nine other NCAA executives were paid more than $500,000 in 2018, with one paid more than $1.3 million. Athletes may never go to class Lets face it, if they give these kids money, theyll never have any incentive to go to class. This scenario offers too many thorny questions and too few sufficient answers. Others will mimic as they try to keep up but eventually will fall short in trying to outbid Auburn University, Florida State, the University of Southern California or the University of Texas in the college player arms race. [33], The reality is that the vast majority of college athletes will never play professionally. All of this begs the question, that if the NCAA did choose to pay college athletes, what would be the advantages or disadvantages of doing so? Might this exacerbate booster interference and create a black market for top talent funded surreptitiously? WebWhy College Athletes Should Not Be Paid Compensation Conundrum. Why Are There Nine Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court? The only people not receiving a paycheck are the stars of the show: the athletes. That is, should Williamson elect to return. 20, 2020, Christian Dennie, Governor of Nebraska Signs Name, Image, and Likeness Bill into Law, bgsfirm.com, Aug. 28, 2020, Gregg E. Clifton, UPDATE: Michigan Joins Growing Number of States Granting Name, Image, Likeness Rights to Collegiate Student-Athletes, natlawreview.com, Jan. 1, 2021, Suzette Parmley, Murphy Signs Bill Paying NJ College Athletes and Allowing Them to Hire Attorneys/Agents, law.com, Sep. 14, 2020, Student Player, studentplayer.com (accessed on Mar. Many of them dont want to go already, combined with the fact that some may be receiving grades without doing any work. and shoe companies like Nike are taking advantage of college athletes like Williamson? No Division II or III schools revenue exceeded expenses. Do you think well-established minor-league systems would be attractive to high-school graduates and college athletes less interested in (or ill-prepared for) higher education? Keep in mind, it was just in March 2021 that the NCAA made national news for its unequal treatment of the mens and womens NCAA basketball tournaments. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard If a student doesn't hold a part-time job, where does that money come from (besides their parents)? To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, discussion questions, and ways to take action on the issue of paying college athletes, go to ProCon.org.