http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21612156-americas-exploitative-college-sports-system-can-be-mended-not-ended-justice-jocks
In the article, Justice for Jocks, the author discusses the possibility that college athletes may be paid in the future. During a federal court case last week it was ruled that the NCAA’s ban on paying athletes for their name, performance, and or image infringed upon antitrust laws. However, it is unclear which athletes may be getting paid and how much they would receive. Elite college athletes are worth far more than the scholarships they receive, but others may not be as valuable. Whether or not all athletes will make the same amount has not been decided upon. The ultimate ruling will have to take into account the sport, gender, and university revenue among other things.
In the article, Justice for Jocks, the author discusses the possibility that college athletes may be paid in the future. During a federal court case last week it was ruled that the NCAA’s ban on paying athletes for their name, performance, and or image infringed upon antitrust laws. However, it is unclear which athletes may be getting paid and how much they would receive. Elite college athletes are worth far more than the scholarships they receive, but others may not be as valuable. Whether or not all athletes will make the same amount has not been decided upon. The ultimate ruling will have to take into account the sport, gender, and university revenue among other things.
Last year alone
college sports produced nearly $11 billion in revenue, more than any single
professional sports market. In fact, in the majority of states (39 of 50) the
highest paid public official is the college sports coach. It is evident that
college sports have become increasing entertaining and profitable over the
years. However, only a fraction of college athletes make it professionally and
many are left with serious injuries from their tenure. An even more serious
question is whether or not college athletes are receiving the proper education
during their time at school?
Only 44% of men’s
basketball players at high profile schools graduated in six years, far below
the national average. Some young stars are eligible for the NBA at the age of
19, but there are only a handful of them. Many athletes get recruited with
little concern for their grades, and spend too much time with their sport that
they cannot attend class.
Potential
solutions to paying athletes and improving their academic performance include providing
free education and or covering athletic medical expenses. This would help support
the term student athlete and relieve much financial stress. Still, a lot has to
be figured out, but the future is bright for college athletics and the athletes
that play the games.
I have read similar articles and some emerging ideas amongst top Division I programs include offering a degree guarantee (already announced to be employed by the University of Maryland) which means a student athlete can keep receiving the financial aid from the university even if the scholarship is for athletics and even if the athlete exhausts his/her NCAA eligibility. This effectively guarantees the financial aid needed by many students to continue and to allow the students to eventually earn their degrees even if their athletic career is over. The other option I have heard about involves universities putting together Associate's Degrees tailored to be streamlined for athletes (specifically basketball players, who often leave college after 1 year and may be forced to stay for a second year in the near future) so if the athlete goes pro, they will still have graduated with some sort of degree to show for their time at the school, keeping the term "student-athlete" relevant among all the talk of paying the athletes. These are just some of the ideas I have heard about and I think they are certainly movements in the right direction. As Sean stated in his summary, both graduation rates among athletes and the percentage of student-athletes successfully turning pro are low so some of these proposals are bound to make the future better for the thousands of young people playing college sports.
ReplyDeleteHaving read many articles in relation to whether or not college athletes should receive more than just athletic scholarship, I do feel that top college performers should receive, in part, some financial gain because of their contribution to the profit margin of their schools athletic program. When a student athlete is single handily filling stadiums, as well as having his name and face all over the media which promotes the sale of merchandise for that program, why shouldn't he or she receive some sort of financial beneficiary because of it.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the financial aspect, I feel schools should institute more emphasis on academics for athletes in order to ensure some security when their time playing their given sport comes to an end.
From what I have read in similar articles, it seems as if everyone profits off athletes’ talent and success but the athletes themselves. These near-professional level athletes bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars to their schools and athletic programs each year, only to receive nothing in return. This is pure exploitation. Even the athletes’ own coaches benefit off of their names and performances. Not uncommon is it for coaches to earn at least $100,000 per year, receiving bonuses for making it to the playoffs, winning championship titles and breaking school records. Perhaps most mind-boggling is that the NCAA, a non-profit company, is profiting off of the names of its star athletes yet will not allow them to do the same. Whether or not college athletes should be paid is an issue of fairness; I believe these individuals should be given what is theirs.
ReplyDeleteI think athletes at these big sport schools do deserve some type of reimbursement for the money they bring to their university. I feel it would be better if the profit for their sports team went towards their team or towards improvements to the university. It's unfair that these athlete put their health on the line and really never see the money they produce besides new gear. If they were paid they would also have more incentive to perform on the field and in the classroom. Just like how employes are expected to perform better if they are paid more. The NCAA should also relate pay to grade performance because education is supposed to be the most important thing while in school.
ReplyDelete