Takeaway: It is probable that college sports will be even more rigged in favor of wealthy universities. See how your profile ranks among thousands of other students using CollegeVine. Although the odds of a college athlete turning pro are low, the probability of them earning a degree is high, thanks in part to the academic support athletes are given. We Takeaway: Athletes bring in a huge portion of educational institutions income. Since the ruling, college athletes have been cashing in on NIL deals, with a few resulting in seven-figure incomes. At this point, the debate over whether college athletes should be paid really doesn't change anything. "This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image, and likeness opportunities," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. 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. As university leaders wait patiently for federal guidelines promising to corral some of the chaos, the free market will continue to dictate individual and institutional fortunes. [23]. Some argue that if bidding becomes a possibility, then the stronger teams will become even stronger. A report produced by the NCPA and Drexel University estimated the average annual fair market value of big-time college football and mens basketball players between 2011 and 2015 was $137,357 and $289,031, respectively, and concluded that football players only receive about 17% of their fair market value, while mens basketball players receive approximately 8% of theirs. Looking for more debate, speech, or essay topics? Another argument is that for the majority of athletes, a free pass to college is their way out of their financial hardship. Divisions II and III of the NCAA followed suit and the changes went into effect for all three divisions on July 1, 2021. In all likelihood, paying college athletes will benefit big-time, revenue-generating sports and hurt less popular sports. [13] [14] [41], 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). 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. And if theyre unable to play, they will lose their athletic scholarship. From a students point of view, paying college athletes will alter their college experience. The game airs on ESPN, one of three networks linked to the Big Ten, thanks to a $2.64 billion contract. WebShould College Athletes Be Paid? 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. This would possibly increase graduation rates, allow fans to see their favorite players mature through college, and ensure coaches are preparing athletes as much as possible for the next level. Title IX stipulates that colleges must provide equal opportunities for male and female athletes. rules, college athletes are not to receive any windfall from any merchandise sold- even if they are the only reason people buy it. College students should participate in sports for the love of the game, not for financial gain, following the long-forgotten credo held dear by Olympic athletes. Will each player receive the same amount? In other words, it would be more prudent and more profitable for college athletes to focus on education as their compensation. That's not likely. 3. Is the third-string left guard worth as much as the starting quarterback? And that doesn't include income from broadcasting rights and corporate sponsorships. Against this backdrop, here are both sides of the issue. Explain your answer. Money will only add to this fact. 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. Theres an important role for college sports in higher education, and that role needs to be placed in the proper perspective as part of the educational mission, not apart from it. [37]. 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. Many former collegiate players were compensated, but some felt it was inadequate and they were owed more. This article was published on January 21, 2022, at Britannicas ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. Takeaway: For the NCAA, student-athletes should be playing sports with education as its primary driver. [29] [30], Further, most college programs do not generate the income needed to run their athletic programs, much less pay athletes. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Con Scholarships are fair financial compensation If so, how? Its a multi-billion dollar industry, and third-party businesses outside the educational institutions scope are involved. The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. Meanwhile, 18 states have NIL laws in place. Student athletes and their parents have likely heard that the NCAA has opened the door to allow collegiate athletes the ability to profit off their name, image and likeness. 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. As it stands, NCAA athletes are allowed to receive scholarships that cover their college tuition and Students 13 and older are invited to comment. Takeaway: The elite 357 schools are the only ones taking the spotlight. Considering other scholarships and aid are widely available and not all college athletes require financial aid, the NCAA scholarships are generous. WebNPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Ekow Yankah, author of The New Yorker essay, "Why N.C.A.A. 1, 2021], Jessica Gresko, High Court Agrees to Hear NCAA Athlete Compensation Case, nsjonline.com, Dec. 16, 2020, Daniel Roberts, Poll: 60% of Americans Support College Athletes Getting Paid Endorsements, finance.yahoo.com, Oct. 8, 2019, NCPA, NCAA Refusal to Vote on NIL Pay Is Slap in the Face to Athletes, ncpanow.org, Jan. 11, 2021, Bloomberg, The NCAA Raked in Over $1 Billion Last Year, fortune.com, Mar. Group licensing deals in theory can allow lesser-known players to reap the benefits of appearing alongside a well-known player. 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). Giving them what they deserve right? Whats the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? But the state was quickly followed by more states. An N.B.A. Furthermore, it could also be a significant driving factor for them not to misuse their money. 4. They insist that college athletes deserve their pay as they are more than just amateur athletes. This would also help keep top talents playing for college teams, improve the level of competition, and potentially lead to even higher revenue. 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. 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. Paying college athletes will likely not totally eliminate corruption from college sports, but putting athletes in a less-precarious financial position would be a good step toward avoiding external influence, especially when you consider some of the players involved in the University of Toledo point-shaving scandal were paid as little as $500. A February 2020 USA Today article found that the average total pay for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football head coaches in 2020-21 was $2.7 million. He is not alone, college coaches dominate the list of public employees with the largest salaries. Theres a feeling that paying college athletes sends the wrong message and incentivizes them to focus on athletics instead of academics, when the reality is that very few college athletes will go on to play sports professionally. In Zion Williamsons Injury Has Some Saying He Should Quit Duke, Marc Tracy writes: A freakish injury to Dukes Zion Williamson, college basketballs best and most prominent player, only seconds into a game on Wednesday night has instantaneously renewed a debate about the contradictions of the sports economic foundation, shining a harsh new light on the N.C.A.A.s policy of amateurism and the influence of billion-dollar shoe companies. The main argument against paying college athletes is that this would lead to legal issues threatening collegiate sports integrity. On a crisp Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan is set to battle its archrival, The Ohio State University, for gridiron supremacy in the Big Ten Conference and perhaps a shot at the national championship. Football and basketball players cannot play professionally immediately after high school. 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. If each 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.) [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. The first case of note came in the 1950s, when the widow of Fort Lewis football player Ray Dennison took the college all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court in an effort to collect a death benefit after he was killed playing football. Other Division I schools had an almost $23 million collective difference between revenue and expenses. Its not just the time commitment that playing college athletics puts on student-athletes, its the risk to their health. [11], Additionally, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear a case (National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Shawne Alston, et al.) 1,217 will be draft picks, but only 791 will be drafted yearly, meaning about 9.9% of college baseball players will go pro, which is the largest likelihood in NCAA sports. Not just a regular issue at that, but a structurally racial issue on many levels. White People? 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. Williamson fell backward in a split, grabbing his right knee. 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. Should college athletes be paid? Ed OBannon, a former professional basketball player, won a lawsuit in 2014 where the NCAA was ordered to pay $44.4 million in attorneys fees and another $1.5 million in costs to lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Ed OBannon class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA. The NCAA is seemingly the final authority to decide whether college athletes should be paid to play college sports. Whatever it may be, it looks like this growing debate wont be dying down anytime soon. The vast sums earned from football and basketball subsidize all other sports on campus. California was the first state to pass a NIL (name, image, and likeness) law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023. Introduced in February by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the bill promises to be one of the most expansive yet in terms of getting college athletes officially recognized as employees. Check out these other CollegeVine articles for ideas: History of the Debate: Should College Athletes Be Paid? The NCAA is not above the law.. 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. Athletes Shouldn't Be Paid," about the NCAA's decision to allow college 3, 2021), NCAA, NCAA Defends Scholarships for College Athletes, ncaaorg (accessed Mar. Universities best positioned to pay athletes top dollar would win bidding wars and recruiting battles against institutions with limited budgets. For example, a student athlete will be compensated for the sale of a jersey featuring their name, or for a sponsorship deal in which they appear wearing a UNC jersey. College athletes may also play a second sport professionally and be compensated, such as Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker who earned a $1.4 million baseball signing bonus from the Colorado Rockies in 2010 while still playing football for the Tigers. He is the owner of Salarship, a job search engine where less-skilled candidates can find accessible employment opportunities. Should all athletes be paid? College Athletes Getting Paid? The NCAA assumes Congress eventually will pass a federal law providing consistent standards for NIL endeavors, though members of Congress cannot seem to agree on the parameters. WebAs Forbes' Chris Smith wrote, CBS and Turner Broadcasting make more than $1 billion off the games, "thanks in part to a $700,000 ad rate for a 30-second spot during the Final 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. The reason why student athletes are not 2. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average total cost of public college (tuition, fees, room, and board) for the 201718 academic year was $17,797. One of the most common reasons cited against paying college players is compensation. 23, 2018, Craig Garthwaite, Who Profits from Amateurism? Huma cited the example of a top football player who found himself with a more serious injury a few years ago; that player elected to end his college career prematurely, to limit the risk to his professional payday. Scholarships are fair financial compensation for college athletes, especially considering the precarious finances of athletic departments. Per N.C.A.A. If the bill passes, the law will go into effect on January 1, 2023. What good will the athletes scholarship do when he cant find time to work on them? 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. In theory, wouldnt it bring problems between players, due to one teammate potentially receiving more money? More than 100 Division I coaches earn over $1 million per year. Possibility, then the stronger teams will become even stronger at that, but some felt was! 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