What about the top level talent? Furthermore, only two major sports (basketball and football) are making significant amounts of money some dont generate any or are purely just expenses. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) generates eleven billion dollars annually, some of which could, and should go to college athletes. The main argument against paying college athletes is that this would lead to legal issues threatening collegiate sports integrity. What about earning good grades and positioning oneself for the competitive job market? Former ESPN, and current FOX Sports, personality Colin Cowherd made news in 2014 when he voiced a popular argument against paying college athletes: financial irresponsibility. NCAA mens basketball players have even slimmer odds of playing in a major professional league (1.2%), while the chances of a professional career are particularly grim for women basketball players, at a mere 0.8%. College athletes are young and full of enthusiasm and this makes the games very competitive because they play with heart and passion. Our peer review tool allows you to receive feedback and learn the strengths and weaknesses of your essay for free. In other words, it would be more prudent and more profitable for college athletes to focus on education as their compensation. Or is a college scholarship and other non-monetary perks like the opportunity to play in front of cheering fans enough? 1, 2021), Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg, NCAA Delays Vote to Change College Athlete Compensation Rules, espn.com, Jan. 11, 2021, Sarah Polus, NCAA Tables Name, Image and Likeness Vote after DOJ Warns of Potential Antitrust Violations, thehill.com, Jan. 12, 2021, Adam Liptak, Supreme Court to Rule on N.C.A.A. This option is better than being forced into an entire program they cant complete due to the lack of time. 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? This argument holds true especially for football and basketball players, who become household names during their respective seasons. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated, traditions alone cannot justify the NCAAs decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [24], B. David Ridpath, EdD, Associate Professor of Sports Administration at Ohio University, noted, The only amateur quality about college athletics is that colleges refuse to pay their players. Ridpath explained, The United States is the only country in the world that has a significant portion of elite athletic development and commercialized sport embedded within its education systems. Student-athletes are students first and foremost, attending college primarily to receive an education and secondarily to compete in their sport. OBannon and 19 others sued the NCAA, claiming the organization violated United States antitrust laws by not allowing athletes to get a share of the revenues generated from the use of their images in broadcasts and video games. Listen, 90 percent of these college guys are gonna spend it on tats, weed, kicks, Xboxes, beer and swag. Last October, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina introduced the NIL Scholarship Tax Act, legislation seeking to tax the scholarships of college athletes earning more than $20,000 per year. Explain your answer. Explain your answer(s). Williamson fell backward in a split, grabbing his right knee. The Fair Pay to Play Act would enable athletes at California schools earning more than $10 million in annual media revenue to make money from their likenesses and hire agents without losing eligibility. The only people not receiving a paycheck are the stars of the show: the athletes. Of the 73,712 NCAA football players, about 16,380 are draft-eligible and 254 will be drafted, meaning about 1.2% of college football players will go pro. Have you heard of the salary controversy regarding college athletes? Pending further testing, the general sense is that Williamson and Duke, and Nike, which made the shoe had avoided the worst. The big question is:what are the arguments for and against paid college athletes? Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated, traditions alone cannot justify the NCAAs decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated. 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. 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. If so, how? He has 30 years of experience in higher education as a university administrator and faculty member and teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University. However, college athletes, arguably the stars of the show who earn millions year after year for the well-paid NCAA executives, coaches, and staff, were forbidden by the NCAA from not only being paid for their work-, but from seeking other related compensation such as endorsement deals. Group licensing deals in theory can allow lesser-known players to reap the benefits of appearing alongside a well-known player. [21], Azmatullah Hussaini, MD, President of the New York/New Jersey chapter of the American Muslim Health Professionals, and Jules Lipoff, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, offered additional context: especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, [g]iven that athletes are disproportionately Black in the biggest revenue-generating sports football and basketball this dynamic also evokes Americas horrific history of unpaid slave labor. 4. 1. Its just not less-popular sports that paying athletes could threatenwomens programs could also find themselves in the crosshairs of budget-conscious administrators. That's just the institutional side of it. The first reason is college athletes put their bodies on the line and risk injury to entertain people. A paid student-athlete could be free from financial distress. 3. believes. 69 other head mens basketball coaches were paid more than $1 million annually, and another three more than $500,000. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [42], The NCAA was scheduled to vote on new NIL rules in Jan. 2021, but it then postponed the vote, citing external factors. [10] Days before the scheduled vote Makan Delrahim, JD, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice under the Trump administration, questioned the proposed rules compliance with antitrust laws. Rules," nytimes.com, June 30, 2021, Becky Sullivan, "UNC Becomes the First School to Organize Group Endorsement Deals for Its Players," npr.org, July 21, 2021, Josh Moody, "Lack of Clear-Cut NCAA Rules Creates Confusion about NIL," insidehighered.com, Jan. 4, 2022. Then there's the newly proposed College Athlete Economic Freedom Act, which would allow student-athletes to unionize and earn money off their likeness, name, and image. The NCAA also does not prohibit schools from canceling injured athletes scholarships, leaving athletes without a sport or education. Not necessarily but a school would be required to ensure that female athletes receive proportionate opportunities for scholarships. Athletic competition nationwide would suffer as a result. The difference is less pronounced among females, with non-athletes averaging a 3.24 GPA and recruited women athletes at 3.18. If college athletes were to get paid, then large, well-funded schools such as those of the Power Five would be best positioned to acquire top talent and gain a competitive advantage. 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. [11], Additionally, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear a case (National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Shawne Alston, et al.) Compensating athletes for their contribution would only be fair. Despite their expensive sportswear, which comes from their sponsors, they are living a financially difficult life. [34], The NCAA noted, [p]rofessional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a high school or even college athlete becoming a professional athlete is very low. It would only be fair to compensate for this loss of knowledge with a decent revenue. Whatever it may be, it looks like this growing debate wont be dying down anytime soon. Similarly, will compensation take into account talent? But some are. 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? This was quite a change from polling conducted in 2017, when 60% believed college scholarships were enough compensation for college athletes. Tennis players may earn up to $10,000 in prize money yearly while playing college tennis and college football players may earn up to $550 in bowl gifts. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? While theNCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) earns billions in revenue, it prohibits athletes from earning a single penny. Would a university have to pay female athletes in aggregate the same amount as their male counterparts? Not just a regular issue at that, but a structurally racial issue on many levels. Tuition shortfalls amount to thousands of dollars per year and leave about 85% of players to live below the poverty line. Why or why not? about whether the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by restricting college athletes compensation. [3], California was the first state to pass a NIL (name, image, and likeness) law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023. He writes about the future of work and higher education, student political activism, and expanding educational opportunities. Takeaway: College athletes learn less than regular students. To continue to risk his future in an unjust system that doesnt allow him to be compensated just doesnt make sense, Huma said. Universities best positioned to pay athletes top dollar would win bidding wars and recruiting battles against institutions with limited budgets. [25] [26], The study found that [t]he player-level analysis reveals that the existing limits on player compensation effectively transfers resources away from students who are more likely to be black and more likely to come from poor neighborhoods towards students who are more likely to be white and come from higher-income neighborhoods. [25], College athletes are required to make up the difference between NCAA scholarships and the actual cost of living. They will lose that hunger and passion that we see in college. 3. WebShould College Athletes Be Paid? 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. Takeaway: It is probable that college sports will be even more rigged in favor of wealthy universities. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Below are a few potential pros and cons of paying college athletes. As he planted a foot to reverse direction, his left sneaker collapsed and tore apart from the sheer torque of the move. 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. Go to ProCon.org to learn more. Find The Perfect Job: 201,546 College Student Jobs Are Available on Salarship. Historically, the debates over paying college athletes have only led to more questions, which is why its raged on for more than a century. Even if a student receives a full-ride scholarship, the award doesn't provide pocket money for incidentals and entertainment. Is it unfair? Very few college athletes will go pro, so athletes should take advantage of the education being offered in exchange for playing a college sport. [27], About 25% of Division I athletes reported food poverty in the past year and almost 14% reported being homeless in the past year. Writing an essay on whether college athletes should or shouldnt be paid? [23]. 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