Paid to Play?
By Zach Gendron
Originally written in February 2013
Edited 10/21/16 -
Would you like not getting paid for something that is like your job? A USA Today poll states that college athletes devote more than 43 hours a week to the sport that they play, which is 13 hours more than the average college student works at an off-campus job. According to a study done by the National College Players Association (NCPA) and Drexel University Department of Sport Management entitled "The Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sport," the average college football player is worth more than $120,000 per year and a basketball player is worth over $265,000 per year. Despite these figures and the even higher revenue they generate for their schools, most of these student-athletes are living below the federal poverty line. Although they already get some money through scholarships, because college athletes spend so much time and effort playing sports, they should get paid to play.
A popular argument from those opposed to paying athletes is, “what would stop a star player from agreeing to shake hands at a local car dealership for $50,000?” The answer to that question is nothing. If a car dealer and player could agree to something like that, it would most likely benefit both the player and the car dealership. If they do that now, however, they will get into trouble with the NCAA, which leads to suspensions and fines. Sports agent Leigh Steinberg reports, “Athletes in football and basketball feel unfairly treated…the dominant attitude among players is that there is no moral or ethical reason not to take money, because the system is ripping them off” (Steinberg). If a college music student goes out and earns money by playing a few gigs, it is acceptable. The student journalist can go out, get story topics and ideas, and write for newspapers or magazines to make as much money as he/she possibly can without getting into trouble. All three of these people, the athlete, the musician, and the journalist, are all college students, so they should all have the same opportunities and chances to get money.
Many people agree that student-athletes should not be paid because college athletes already receive things like scholarships and trips to places to play games. On the other hand, you would think that the athletes that have to search under the sofa cushions for enough money to get a meal from McDonald's Dollar Menu, or in other words the labor force that makes it possible for coaches to earn millions and causes marketers to spend billions, should get at least some of the pay. Beginning in 2000, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allowed student-athletes to have jobs that pay up to $2,000 per school year to help out with educational expenses, but that amount comes nowhere near meeting college costs. Then in order to get more money, athletes sometimes do under-the-table things to get paid, which then, in turn, causes them to get into trouble.
Another argument for the side of college athletes not getting paid is that it would go against their amateur status. If the athletes got paid, they would then be stripped of that status and become employees of the institution that they represent. The NCAA quotes, “student-athletes shall be amateurs … and should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises” (NCAA). To think about that logically though, the sport they play is already their job. Like stated before, playing a main college sport like football or basketball takes up more time than any other low paying job that they might have, so it seems that they should be paid a little of the profit that the athletic department brings in. An article from the December 30, 2011 New York Times points out that the combined salaries of the highest paid college coaches is a staggering $53.4 million, and that the NCAA makes over $800 million per year. The article then goes on to say that the combined salaries of 13,877 Division 1 players is a whopping $0 (Nocera). An athlete could get a job at a fast food joint that pays small money and has bad hours that must be worked around the sport and classes. Or, if they would simply be paid for the sport they play in the first place, student athletes could focus exclusively on their sport and their classes.
An article in The Sports Digest referred to a survey done by R. G. Schneider in 2001: “A survey on college students’ perceptions about payment of collegiate athletes indicated that students supported the idea of paid athletes. The survey also suggested that cash payments should come from athletic departments, universities’ general funds, shoe and television contracts, and even increased tuition. Students’ willingness to pay their teams’ athletes through tuition increases clearly demonstrates that the student body values the athletic programs of a university highly” (Schneider).
In his autobiography, Tim Tebow writes, “The NCAA’s stance on paying players or not paying them seems unfair to me, with the preposterous amounts of money being made by the schools, television, coaches and the like. And the players?” (Tebow 203). Tebow also added in an interview on The Daily Show that “It’s a tough situation…You’re having a lot of athletes that work extremely hard and make millions and millions for universities, and they’re just struggling to go out to Outback to get something to eat. So I can see both sides. Something fair would be if some of the athletes got a little more...” (Tebow). Student-athletes are astute. Every day when they walk around campus they see jerseys with their names on them. On game days they look around the stadium and see more than 100,000 people watching them. During the season they can end up putting in a 50-hour week for sports. They make a lot of money for their universities, but get none in return. College athletes should get paid to play.
Works Cited
Brown, Larry. "Tim Tebow Thinks College Athletes Should Get Paid." Larry Brown Sports. Larry Brown Sports, 4 June 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
Downey, Maureen. “Should We Pay College Athletes? If So, How Much?” Get Schooled RSS. Atlanta Journal Constitution, 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Huma, Ramogi. "Study: College Athletes Worth 6 Figures, Live Below Federal Poverty
Line." Study: College Athletes Worth 6 Figures, Live Below Federal Poverty
Line. NCAP, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
NCAA. "National Collegiate Athletic Association." Remaining Eligible. NCAA, 31 May
2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
Nocera, Joe. "Here's How TO Pay Up Now." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 01 Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
Sander, Libby. "Students." Economy Affects ' Academic Performance as Well as Spending Decisions. The Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
Schneider, R. G. “Should Student-Athletes Get Paid?” Should Student-Athletes Get Paid? United States Sports Academy America’s Sports University, 2001. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Wieberg, Steve. "NCAA Survey Delves into Practice Time, Coaches' Trust –
USATODAY.com." NCAA Survey Delves into Practice Time, Coaches' Trust - USATODAY.com. USA Today, 15 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
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