Should College Athletes Be Paid?

There has been an on-going debate with college sports fans all over the country; “Should collegiate athletes be paid?”  This topic has very compelling points on both sides of the argument.  However, it makes much more sense for a student to be paid for their success as a young adult in college.  After reading many articles and texts on the issue, there are four major points that may persuade you to believe the students deserve it.  The first common point made is the fact that these big-time athletes are the reason the schools are as popular as they are.  All the television time and endorsement deals are because of the players success.  Another major reason is that all the money the fans spend on merchandise and tickets are to support their favorite players.  The players however, never see any of that money.  Third, some students come from very poor backgrounds and are planning to use their talent to help their families out.  This causes the student-athlete to go straight to the professional level and leads to many problems for them down the road.  Lastly, there are many desperate coaches in todays game that are risking their jobs and legacies to just recruit an 18-year-old ball player.  Is it really fair to those trying to make their team better when others are just illegally paying the players? Why not make it legal and level the playing field when it comes to recruitment processes.  These major arguments are just the start to the many reasons why college athletes deserve to make money from their school.

A Day in the Life of a Student Athlete

Before actually speaking on the topic of whether or not student athletes should actually be paid, you must first understand everything that goes on in a typical Division 1 athlete’s life.  As a young person just trying to figure out who they are in life, it is hard to find the right guidance and others who are really there to help you succeed.  Believe it or not, with all the talent an athlete of this caliber comes a lot of responsibility.  It’s very hard to see what’s really beneficial to you and what’s just going to slow you down.  As high school students, it is often easier to recognize a gifted athlete.  Most cultured schools praise their athletes and put them on higher pedestals than other students.  This of course is meant to help push them to succeed but sometimes it inadvertently puts a lot of stress over their head.   It is tough for kids to adapt to the spotlight.  They have a lot to think about between their future and their current situation and constantly doing the right thing.  Finding the right guidance is also tough.  There are usually a lot people trying to be a part of your life just because of your name not for who you actually are.  This is whole process is very tough for these players.

Students-athletes that play for Division I schools also are rumored to be completely broke and struggle to have any spending money for themselves.  Professional Basketball Player, Shabazz Napier weighs in on the issue, “We do have hungry nights that we don’t have enough money to get food in. Sometimes money is needed. I don’t think you should stretch it out to hundreds of thousands of dollars for playing, because a lot of times guys don’t know how to handle themselves with money. I feel like a student athlete. Sometimes, there’s hungry nights where I’m not able to eat, but I still got to play up to my capabilities.”  Former University of Connecticut star point guard is letting others know the struggle of a college student who has no time to get a job because their life revolves around their athletics.  Not being able to eat at night is definitely something that harm your body as well your productivity in practice or even games.  Many former athletes have spoken on the fact that yes, a scholarship to a big university is a lot of money, but where does the money for food or clothes or any necessities come from?  This is a question that lingers in every players mind that could easily be taken care of when an athlete is paid.

 

The Role of the Student Athlete

The whole reason the top schools are as popular as they are today is because of the players that are a part of their system.  The extremely talented players bring these schools their success and recognition.  Top athletic colleges remain at the top because they continue to bring athletic superstars to their school.  Professional sport organizations look to bring these athletes to the next level, which adds more popularity to the huge sports fan base that we already have today. Thus, more people will go to the college’s games which will also make the school more money. Most college games are already televised because people want to go see these future superstars play. More money is brought in by these games being televised and colleges are getting the money. This is significant because the players are the ones drawing the attention and therefore should be at least get some portion of the money made because they’re the reason people are buying tickets.

According to ESPN Analyst and Pardon the Interruption co-host, Michael Wilbon; the NCAA has become rich more now than ever before.  The NCAA is making various deals to nationally televise as many games as they possibly can, including a $10.8 billion deal with CBS.  Wilbon states, “We’re talking $11 billion for three weekends of television per year. On top of that, there’s a new four-year deal with ESPN that pays the BCS $500 million.”  The whole reason the NCAA even has the chance at an opportunity like this is because of how talented and successful the student-athletes have grown to become.  People watch collegiate sports just as much as professional sports.  A big reason for that is the role the athlete plays.  Fans aren’t watching their favorite schools because they like the athletic director or because the jersey has a nice design.  The fans are tuning in to watch the athletes put on a show day in and day out.  The multi-billion-dollar deal is the players doing and they don’t even get a sniff of it.

One and Done

A very important thing to remember is these players upbringings.  A lot of these players come from harsh backgrounds.  The players are using their talents to get away from everything that’s holding them back.  A year in college is usually seen as something that will benefit you but really, it’s just another year without making money and being able to support those who are still struggling.  When an athlete’s motivation is their family and the only thing in the way of being able to support them is a year of college, it leads to other alternative ways to make the money they need.  Players move overseas and don’t get the education they actually need.  Even players that stay in America and play a just one year are hurting themselves.  If colleges were to give the players some type of money, it would make the players stay in school for longer amounts of time and get the education they really need.  Although being a professional athlete makes life a lot easier financially, it’s always good to have a back-up plan when it comes to your future.  Unexpected injuries and issues are very common and unpredictable.  If their career is cut short, it would be good that they were able to graduate college.  Its something stable to lean back on in case of emergencies.  Players today don’t stay in school because the amount of money they’d make in the pros.  This would all be changed if the college offered them some type of money.

The “One and Done” situation is becoming more and more popular in todays collegiate systems.  This is when a player goes to school for one year; only so they could be qualified to enter the professional draft of their respective sport.  So, when a player like Bryce Love tells the media that he plans to graduate in December, this comes as a shock to many people and critics.  Love had decided to miss his schools Media Day, a day where players and coaches are interviewed before the season to see how they feel and what they’ve been up to during the offseason, so he can be at class.  To many people this seems like the prestigious thing to do and he should have been maybe even praised for it.  However, Art Carden of Forbes writes, “I’m stunned, though, that his decision to skip media day so he can go to class is called a ‘bad precedent.’”  NFL recruiters actually see this as a negative act.  Trying to get an education has become secondary to the NCAA and if that is the case, the players should be treated more like professionals with a salary and a higher pedestal.

NCAA Coaches

Over the last few years the public has been introduced to many issues within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the athletic programs of Division 1 schools.   These highly praised men and women are causing many controversies strictly due to how talented they are.  Rather than bringing joy and happiness; the success of the student-athletes seems to be causing the coaches to believe they’re in competition to see who can win the chance to recruit them.  This big issue is showing that the athletic programs are actually desperately doing illegal things to make their school seem more appealing.

According to Marc Edelman, writer for Forbes.com, “When the NCAA was first founded in 1905, the opposition to paying student-athletes was akin to the opposition to paying coaches.  (If you doubt this, research early criticism of Alonzo Stagg).  But, coaches today get paid, and handsomely too.”  Reading this information truly was shocking because now coaches are making millions of dollars whereas paying the coaches in a non-profitable sports league was once looked upon over a century ago.  It’s also very easy to use a small amount of that money to convince a high school student to come to their program over any other.  In a Washington Post article written by Fred Bowen, the reader is led to believe that college athletic programs are really only working for the paycheck rather than benefitting the players.  Giving the coaches all this money for a players success is a prime example of the corruptness behind the NCAA and their financial situation for the players.

Others may say that student-athletes don’t deserve to get paid and they are praised enough.  They believe that the opportunities they are given are enough.  Students have their school paid for, they get to stay at special dorms, and their food is paid for.  Although these are all very beneficial, its not very convincing when try to get the player to stay rather than going to their respective professional sport.  The money is so significant in this decision that the players are often one and done, referring back to the former argument on the importance of schooling.  Not making money at all in college is actually making the player ignore the small benefits that being a student-athlete comes with and that’s very understandable.  The argument that the players are taken care of isn’t strong enough to keep them in school.  These young people want to make money fast and being a professional athlete is a good place to start.

How to Pay these Student-Athletes

Although paying the athlete seems like the clear decision, a big part of the reason why a change hasn’t been made just yet is because how do you pay fairly?  Tyson Harnett is a former professional and collegiate basketball player and now writes for the Huffington Post.  Harnett’s article on paying athletes speaks about maybe just giving them a small amount of spending money so they will be able to eat and buy anything else that is a necessity to them.  Giving them money at a time where they have coaches and directors that want them to do good will also put them in a position where they learn how to manage that money.  This is another way to benefit the students.  Harnett suggests, “If each athlete got $2,000 paid over the course of the semester, this would give them some spending cash and an opportunity to start managing their money.”  The significance in Harnett’s suggestion is that he has been through the everyday struggle and can relate to the proposition on a personal level.

Another possible way to pay these players is by creating a salary cap according to Joe Nocera of the New York Times.  In professional sports, every team has a salary cap, an amount of money that can’t be exceeded to spend on their players.  The only major difference would be a lot lower of a number.  This would also impact recruitment processes.  A player could literally choose what school they would want to go to sole based on the money they were offered.  Giving these players a small salary would also keep them in school for a longer time.  They would feel pressured to reach the pros so quickly, giving them an education and a chance to support themselves.

To conclude, collegiate student-athletes should be paid for their athletic abilities they offer to the school.  The athletes are every Division I school’s major marketer.  They are the reason any university takes in any revenue.  People are paying to watch and support them.  The ridiculous amounts of money the NCAA makes off them is unfair to the players.  These big-time athletes spend on average, about 40 hours on their game a week, leaving no time or energy to work for any money.  This makes it very hard to be able to support themselves while their very own coaches are millionaires.  If the athletics are going to be put ahead of the schooling, the players should be paid like that.  Athletes miss classes and tests to go to games and work out.  This could affect their future in the long-run.  The NCAA should the right thing and find a way to give back to these players with some type of salary or intake of money.