FREE ESSAY ON SHOULD COLLEGE ATHLETES GET PAID?

SHOULD COLLEGE ATHLETES GET PAID?

For years, Division I athletes have been pouring their hearts out day after day, week
after week, to protect the pride and tradition of their universities. With television
contracts and shoe deals alone, the athletes are really bringing in the money and other
forms of revenue. Sure, you can say that the typical athletes scholarship is enough to
compensate, but are they? A true athlete plays the game simply because he loves it. When
you're at the Division I level of sports, it is more or less a business and it is their
job to make money for the school. Also, these athletes give up many freedoms. For a given
number of hours per week, they give their blood, sweat, and tears just to play a
sixty-minute game or run two times around a track. Take these factors and combine it with
the athlete's academic responsibilities, and it's a lot to account for. When all is said
and done, how much money does the athlete see? Well, aside from scholarships...zero.
I mentioned earlier that intercollegiate athletics is more or less a business in itself.
Let me break it down for you. A business has different departments; the owner, the
management, and your employees at the bottom rung making everything run smoothly. The
owners of course have provided the money for the company, the managers run the company,
and the laborers perform the work. I've never heard of a business that doesn't pay its
employees. And of course no one would work for them if such a thing did exist. Most
people think that an athlete should just be thankful for the education he receives in
exchange for a few hours of practice. But an enormous amount of cash is being circulated
within that school, at the athlete's expense, which that athlete will never lay eyes on.
Author and sports writer Steven Wulf says, "They are required to put in long hours of
hard work for next to nothing, in hostile conditions, always under intense scrutiny of
their bosses". (Wulf)
Of course this is a controversial topic, and there are obviously two sides to this
argument: a side for and a side against the argument. "It is true that student-athletes
aren't your typical college students. They are unable to deposit that measly check most
us work toward outside academic duties. Time and physical constraints do not allow these
individuals living in a fish bowl to actively pursue a part-time job." (Henry) Judy
Runge, a coach for the women's basketball team at the University of Oregon said, "I don't
know that I even care for the idea because it professionalizes college sports." Why? The
athlete is not asking for a yearly salary or weekly paycheck, but just a stipend or
allowance. The only item that will make it professional would be making a college athlete
to sign a contract saying if you perform "X" amount then we will pay you "Y" amount. I
believe that Judy Runge explains the most common point of view of someone that really
stands against college athletes being paid. I hate to say it, but her thoughts and her
comment seem to be weak. My side of the argument of paying college athletes is far more
superior and well supported with evidence. 
Mike Belloti, the head football coach at the University of Oregon says, "You already
subsidize athletics...it's not going to make it anymore of a professional sport by giving
them $100 per month to enable them to have a lifestyle that's not even the average of
some students." (Henry) The average student can hold jobs and afford to experience the
real college life, while the athlete spends his free time in the weight room or cramming
for a final. According to NCAA rules, Section 2, Title V reads, "It is a violation of the
NCAA rules for athletes to accept money or gifts while intending to remain eligible."
(NCAA) The NCAA is afraid that boosters and friends would offer athletes jobs, the
possibility of a "no show" job. So the ability to hold a job is not possible. The
athletes cannot work, even a second, and still be paid in wages. Most college athletes
are on scholarships and receive money for their education, room and board. However, my
point is that these athletes don't have an opportunity to make money for their personal
needs. Mike Belloti also mentions that, "Student-athletes deserve a little more money
because they don't get the opportunity to work during the year and their time frame is
busy. Their scholarships cover tuition, books and board, but when you talk about phone
bills, transportation, entertainment, laundry, toiletries, etc.- Student athletes just
don't have the opportunity." (Henry)
We run into another deciding question of, what if college athletes were to be paid? Where
would the money come from and is it possible to pay them all? College athletics is
already a billion-dollar industry and has been for quite some time. The reason of course
for the attention would be the ratings these college athletes are getting on television.
I want everyone to understand this: Big time college athletes generate big time bucks.
Since 1965, the NCAA increased its revenue by 8000 percent. (NCAA) CBS signed a contract
through the year, 2002, for $72 million to cover the NCAA tournament. (Lipana) Now with
all this money they're making, why doesn't any go towards their workers. The workers
being the athletes on the field, the students that are making it all happen for one of
the most profitable businesses in the world. No money for the athletes that are isolated
from their peers and keep difficult hours of training and practice. Can my message be
anymore clear? I understand that these athletes get to go to college for free with their
scholarships, but the money does not weigh properly compared to what they bring in and
what is spent on them. 
Recently, all over the nation, we hear of athletes leaving school early to play
professional sports. And it's simply because that these athletes can't survive merely on
their scholarship money. Athletes, similar to us, also have bills to pay; where do they
get the money without a job. The cost of living or just making ends meet, forces the
athlete to leave school and find work. That's what happens when you play professionally,
it becomes your work, your job. That's what puts food on the table and money in the bank.
Chris Weber, of the University of Michigan, had to scrap for money to go to the movies
while his uniform jersey was being sold in the bookstore for $50 a pop. (Plummer)
Athletes leaving school early has become a major problem in the most recent years. Most
would be better served to stay in school, get an education, mature, and then go to the
next level. The amount of money these players bring to the table is obscene, but yet they
don't see a penny of it. Dean Smith, former basketball coach at the University of North
Carolina, made thousands of dollars, for himself and the school; by letting his players
wear Nike shoes. Of course Smith's players made nothing for making them popular. Where's
the players money? When I say they should be paid, I don't mean millions of dollars, but
rather a small stipend of maybe $100 per month. Many athletes come from single parent
homes or the projects and barely have enough money to do the laundry. Simply paying for
the tuition, room and board is not enough for many athletes.
Contrary to this point of view, an article states that, "If these athletes can't wait for
their agents to SHOW THEM THE MONEY, then they should by-pass college and go straight
into either a minor league team or the pros. College should not be an arena for spoiled
future millionaires, it should be a place to get an education. If you pay college
athletes money, what kind of message does that send to an English major that is busting
their butt to get an "A"? Why don't we pay them $500 a month.?" (Pandoras) Comparing
athletes to students is unfair. It's great that students are busting their rear end in
the classroom as well, but do Nike and Reebok sponsor the student while studying. The
university profits from the athletes; millions of dollars. To compare students to
athletes is like comparing apples to oranges, no correlation. They're not the same. When
was the last time an "A" student was sponsored by Nike and the school made millions? It
never happened and I'm very certain it never will. I'm sorry for being so rude about the
subject matter, but I like to call it as I see it. 
Whether it's ethical or not, or whether it professionalizes college sports, the bottom
line is that athletes juggle athletics with academics, while the average student makes
his own money and enjoys it. Personally, I was brought up in a stable environment that
was centered on morals and values. I was always taught to stand up for what I believe in,
and for what I recognized was the right thing to do. My parents also taught me to be my
own man, and to remember my family values in everything I do. My morals tell me that
slighting someone of a credit or acknowledgement is wrong. It's demeaning and oppressive.
To work without pay is simply wrong. It sounds so evil, but that's exactly what money is;
sadistic in many senses. Did you know that the University of Michigan grosses over $20
million from football alone? In being able to formulate my own opinion for the
student-athlete through research, I have become extremely sympathetic. Merchandise being
sold with a specific athlete's number on there, but yet that athlete doesn't touch any of
that green; this bothers me. I can't lie; money is corrupting our society left and right,
on every avenue in this country. So should they, or shouldn't they get paid? Some say
yes, some say no. Just think of this: 6 days a week of enduring pains of tough workouts
at practice, and later putting on your academic hat to fulfill education requirements. Of
course, I believe the athletes should be paid; not because of the decision to play but
because of rulings of the NCAA prohibiting athletes to hold jobs. How else do they make
money? The athlete's main accomplishments go unnoticed and the dedication to the school
is unappreciated. The paying of athletes would not be a paycheck but rather a stipend for
the entertainment and flash (money) that they bring along with them to the University. 
Bibliography
Jones, p223; College Life
Harry, P22; Deal with the money