There has been more talk about money this past week in college sports rather than who is going to the next big star or winner. A group of Northwestern University athletes have brought to the NCAA’s attention that they strongly feel college athletes should receive pay for their hours put forth and the inherent risks associated involved. In the article “College athletes take labor cause to Capitol Hill,” the Chicago-region director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled last week that Northwestern's football players on scholarships are employees of the university under the National Labor Relations Act and therefore have the right to vote to unionize.(Raum and Hefling) What has college sports come to? Is collegiate level still at the “amateur” status or not? Should student-athletes be paid or otherwise make up beyond scholarships?
All these questions are to be solved but it will take some time. People have just become greedy and feel that they need money for there name and performance rather then sitting back and looking at the big picture of free education and many other great opportunities given to them that other non athlete students do not receive. Mr. Brandt said, "That would be a historic case if some marketing [and] publicity rights are given to players who are amateurs," (Adage)
The Courier Journal states, “The university and the NCAA disagree, arguing that student-athletes are students first and athletes second.” (Jennings) I know being an athlete here at Quinnipiac they really push this as well. My coach always stresses you’re here to get an education first and that you are seen as a “student athlete.” Many players complain that all the hours they put at the field, arena or courts spent on the sports practice for the school it is an outrageous amount of time consuming their everyday life and it’s like a job. It is hard to stay up with academics and still perform how they personally would like to as well as meeting the coaching staff expectations.
Many people support the college athletic programs especially at the larger schools with the football and basketball programs. As the Men’s and Women’s March Madness is currently going on, people believe that this has become a huge business. 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 Four." Athletic conferences receive millions of dollars in payouts from the NCAA when their teams advance deep into the tournament. Ditto for the coaches of the final squads standing. The NCAA, as a whole, makes $6 billion annually. (U.S. news and World Report) The other arguments and lawsuits filed were claiming that none of the players see this money. The players in the past have been in trouble for selling their jerseys or signed for money because of finical problems or just not having the time to work outside of school and sports. Many players feel that the NCAA makes so much money off of them and their level of performance. All the merchandise for example, video games, jersey’s, etc., generates a huge amount of revenue for the NCAA. Kain Colter, starting quarterback at Northwestern: ‘‘we're up here raising awareness.'’(Raum and Hefling)
If we do pay college athletes, how much do we pay them? There needs to be equal salaries for each player and each sport, not just the revenue generating ones. For example, the women’s lacrosse goalie should receive equal pay as the star quarterback on the men’s football team. It is when there is a difference in pay that it violates Title IX and crosses over to professional status. But on the flip side, the argument can be made that the opportunity to both receive an education and get the exposure to win a major professional contract more than compensates NCAA athletes for their efforts. "Rather than push college athletics further and further from academics, we need to bring it closer," says NCAA president Mike Emmert. (U.S.News)
People believe that “There has been a remarkable step made that could revolutionize college sports.”(CBS video) Is it the right steps? Will it take away from the college sports overall? Joe Nocera wrote a New York Times article, "Let's start paying college athletes". In the Collegain University of Richmond’s newspaper, outlined a five-step plan for paying student athletes. This plan included, a free market approach to recruiting, a salary cap for every team as well as a minimum annual salary for every scholarship athlete, a 6 year scholarship so the athletes can finish academically when their eligibility runs out, life time health insurance for each player and creation of a College Players Association. (Barry) Mr. Nocera summarized to say "college sports will become more honest once players are paid.”(NY times)
Overall with the Northwestern University football team unionizing this has brought national attention to the sports media and marketing in collegiate sports. Time will tell….lets level the playing field!
"College Athletes Can Unionize, Federal Agency Says." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
Nocera, Joe. "Let’s Start Paying College Athletes." The New York Times. The
New York Times, 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Northwestern Ruling Won't Lead to Mad Dash of College Endorsers."
Advertising Age News RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
"Pay College Athletes, but Keep Union Bosses out of It." Pay College Athletes, but Keep Union Bosses out of It. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
"Should College Athletes Be Paid?"University of Richmond Collegian. N.p., n.d.
Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
"Should NCAA Athletes Be Paid?" US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI think your article is interesting, as it points out how valuable student athletes are seen to colleges, and at this point, motions are being set to begin giving them more rights. As you are a student athlete, seeing your perspective also added to the argument, since you have lived the live of a student athlete. I do have to say as a non-student athelete, I do not agree that student athletes should be compensated. The article by Raum and Helfing pointed out that student athletes at Northwestern University are looking for rights to unionize stated college athletes “dedicate the same hours to their support as full time employees as other workers;” this is a good argument, but it could also be argued that college athletes choose to play their sport. I doubt any athlete would play a sport, which is so time consuming and physically demanding, unless they truly enjoyed playing.
I didn’t agree with how in the article, it states that the football players at Northwestern who have scholarships are employees of the university. (Raum) These football players have a choice whether to play or not, and by saying athletic scholarship recipients are employees, then would that extend to those who receive academic scholarships as well? What’s slightly bothersome about the mentality the students at Northwestern have, is that it’s not only athletes at the collegiate level who dedicate just as much time as professionals in their field. Even though I am not on the student newspaper in at QU– I know that they put out an issue every week, and the editorial staff are always extremely busy, as are the radio station and Q30 members. QU’s media organizations are just as professional as the sports teams at QU, and each serve the QU community in their own way. By declaring that sports players are allowed more rights than academic students or students who operate other offices on campus, it is in a way claiming that athletics are more important to colleges than the academic organizations.
I understand why Northwestern U, as well as the NCAA, wants to appeal the decision the NLRB made. As the NCAA stated, “We strongly disagree with the notion that student-athletes are employees. We frequently hear from student-athletes, across all sports, that they participate to enhance their overall college experience and for the love of their sport, not to be paid.” (Fornelli) If you think about it, aren’t scholarships for athletic ability already a form of payment for athletes playing for the school team? They’re getting their education subsidized because they’re playing a sport for the school. I’m sure most if not all QU athletes have some sort of athletic scholarship(s), and while I have one for academics, I was always confused as to why athletes at times receive more scholarship money than some students who do well academically – especially those who have financial need. Plus I know QU also excuses absences for athletes who miss classes for games; students who do not participate in athletics are not awarded the luxury to skip more than one week of classes without being penalized. In 2012, my grandmother passed away, and I missed one extra class than I was allotted for a Tuesday/Thursday class, and a teacher actually reduced my grade because of this. So in a way, this is a perk of being an athlete. Granted, student athletes are missing for a University sponsored event, but that also states that athletics are slightly being placed over academics. Even though the Fornelli article states that 99% of college athletes will never make it to a professional team, playing in college does increase that chance – though it’s still quite slim. By ignoring academic responsibilities in favor of sports could hurt a student athlete’s future should they miss too many courses and do poorly as they would not have participation grades in certain classes, miss important lectures, or other imperative course material. The Fornelli article also states that the NCAA believes student athletes should be more concerned with academics, as well, since the success rate after college is so low.
DeleteBy paying college athletes, it would be reinforcing that they are more valued by a school than other students; which as a non-athlete, it is something many of us think about already. Of course when colleges have great sports teams, it helps promote the universities and spread the name of the school, but great academic programs can do the same as well. I’m guessing is why QU is working to establish itself academically, seemingly after our sports department seems settled – with the new TD Bank stadium, and our Men’s Hockey Team doing well for the last two seasons. It should be noted we are actually planning on building a new athletic facility on Mt Carmel campus in the next few years, even though QU barely has enough room for classrooms on main campus at this point. I’m not trying to say that student athletes don’t deserve any perks or recognition, since I know most of them work extremely hard, but by paying athletes and considering them employees, it says that a university cares more about student athletes than other students which would cause an upset in a school community.
Christine
Works Cited
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
In my opinion I don’t feel that students that happen to play sports at the collegiate level should be financially compensated.The key word that needs to be remembered is “students’ meaning they aren’t employees that work for the school. They are here for the same reason that every other student is here for and that’s to get an education. This debate about college athletes, and whether to start paying them has been going on a long time, and quite frankly I think it’s silly.
ReplyDeleteMost of these athletes know the deal of college sports, and know that they are making money for these colleges. You mention this in your blog where you said, “many players feel that the NCAA makes so much money off of them and their level of performance.” “All the merchandise for example, video games, jerseys, ect generate a huge amount of revenue for the NCAA.” My thing is ok, and?
These students signed up for this, nobody forced any of these kids or put a gun to their head and made them play college sports. If you don’t like the way things are done, to don’t play college sports and just be a regular student. All the complaining from athletes in college about the amount of time playing their sport consumes their time and is like an everyday job is nonsense in my opinion. Unlike men & women in the real world, like I said, they have a choice.
People in the real world don’t, if they don’t do their job than they don’t eat and can’t take of their family. I definitely agree with you that people, and especially student athletes need to sit back and look at the bigger picture. Student athletes do have access to more opportunities than the average student. I’ll give you a classic example; at Quinnipiac a lot of the student athletes have additional money on their meal plan for food, while I and other students on campus don’t. Athletes on campus are also treated differently socially, and on some cases academically on some campuses because of who they are, and what they mean to these college programs.
I mean I’d say outside of financial compensation, lots of college athletes are treated already as if they are pro athletes, and now they want to be paid like one. It’s this type of self-entitlement by most athletes (not all) that really gets on my nerves and quite frankly if I must be candid pisses me off. At the end of the day, these kids in my opinion need to focus on what really matters and that’s their education, because that is ultimately their success is going to be rest on and sustained at. My position is supported when Tom Fornelli says “We want student athletes – 99 percent of whom will never make it to the professional leagues – focused on what matters most – finding success in the classroom, on the field and in life” in his article. At the end of the day I don’t feel any of the complaints of these student athletes are legitimate.
I feel a lot of their issues with the college system futile. Whatever the issues are paying them money isn’t the solution. This is supported when it says, “A Northwestern official has said that the students were not employees and that unionization and collective bargaining were not the appropriate methods to address their concerns”(Raum). So in conclusion no I don’t feel college students get paid.
Works Cited
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
ReplyDeleteI think whether or not college athletes should be paid is an interesting topic. I have never really thought about this before. According to the CBS Sports article on Blackboard, there could be a change in college athletics in the near future. “The College Athletes Players Association (CAPA) won its case at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday, which means that Northwestern football players are seen as employees rather than student-athletes, and that they can form a union” (CBS Sports). I do not agree with college athletes being employees. The article further states that if college athletes are able to form a union, there would be drastic changes in college athletics, and “everything from increased value of scholarships, concussion reform, improved medical coverage for athletes, athletes being allowed to accept endorsements, and possibly athletes being paid as well” (CBS Sports). I do not think the game would remain the same if college athletes were being paid.
Like you said in your blog post, Quinnipiac stresses the fact that student-athletes are students first. Education comes first and athletics come second. College athletes do have busy schedules and have many commitments. According to an article, College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill, “College athletes dedicate the same hours to their support as full-time employees and deserve the same protections as any other worker” (Associated Press). I think that with anything you do at college, there are many benefits. People are dedicated to sports, organizations, and other causes that take up a lot of time. However, people join sports, organizations, and other causes because they are passionate. Many students commit a lot of time to involvement at school. At some colleges, executive boards get paid for their positions. I feel that this would affect the people interested in applying, and I feel that people should be involved with something because they love it, and not because of the added perks. I realize that there are probably more risks when playing college athletics. However, I think that it is an incredible experience to be able to play sports in college, and that college athletes gain valuable experience and lessons that are worth more than being paid. You mentioned in your blog that student athletes need to look at the bigger picture, such as free education and the other great opportunities that college athletes have as opposed to non-athlete students. I do not know too much about all of the opportunities provided for college athletes, but I think that it is a valuable opportunity and students gain great skills.
I also agree with you about equal pay for all college athletes. It should not matter what sport is being played; all athletes regardless of their position should receive equal pay if college athletes start getting paid. You made an interesting point that many college athletes have financial problems because of the time commitment spent between academics and athletics, and many college athletes do not have time to work outside of school. I think before athletes start getting paid, there could be other benefits and compensations.
I thought your blog was really interesting and I am curious to see what will happen with college athletes and the possibility of them being paid.
Works Cited:
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association." CBS Sports. 26 Mar 2014: n. page. Print.
Raum, Tom, and Hefling, Kimberly. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill." Associated Press. 2 Apr 2014: n. page. Print.
I agree that paying student athletes has become a very difficult subject. There are so many questions that arise if it were to even happen.
ReplyDeleteRecently, Northwestern athletes have been attempting to be recognized as employees of the University instead of students. In “NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association,” the author quoted Vice President for University Relations at Northwestern University stating, “Northwestern University is disappointed by today’s ruling by the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board finding that Northwestern University’s football players who receive grant-in-aid scholarships are employees…Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes are not examples, but students” (Fornelli). A student athlete should be a student before being an athlete. Many receive scholarships and receive a free education yet are still fighting for an actual salary. In my opinion, it is an athletes decision to play the sport and knew going into the college that they would not be paid. Therefore this should not even be a present question but more a situation for future athletes.
The author of this article also quoted an NCAA representative saying, “We want student athletes – 99 percent of whom will never make it to the professional leagues – focused on what matters most – finding success in the classroom, on the field and in life” (Fornelli) Paying student athletes will only lead to less emphasis on education – which is not what the NCAA or the University intended.
In the Associated Press,” a Senator from Ohio was quoted saying, “College athletes dedicate the same hours to their support as full-time employees and deserve the same protections as any other worker” (Raum and Hefling). So, students interning, or taking extra classes – do they deserve to be paid too? I know that a lot of students are putting in the same hours as full-time employees too. What’s the difference if an athlete is playing their favorite sport?
While I don’t believe that athletes should be paid for playing and practicing the sport. I believe they should be paid if their name is used or on any of their own products. They should be able to be endorsed and make their own money for their sports careers instead of the school making millions.
Continued:
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Nielsen article “2012 Year In Sports,” millions of people are watching NCAA games. Some of their top advertisers include, “AT&T Wireless, Bud Light, Capital One” (Nielsen). NCAA Football spent a billion dollars on ads within 2012. They should at least allow players to sell their own autographs, jerseys, shirts, etc. This way they are still students, they are still not being paid for participating in the sport, but they are working to build their own careers. Putting in a lot of work and receiving nothing is unfair. I don’t play a sport so I am not affected directly, but I see how much time Quinnipiac athletes put into their sport. In big schools such as Michigan and Maryland, I am sure even more time is spent on practicing. If players worked hard enough for people to want to purchase their products, they should be able to sell them. It is one thing to deny pay to student athletes because it is their choice to play, but if they need extra money and want to sell items, they should definitely be allowed to.
The student athlete’s debate is complicated. Like you said, there would be so many questions if students were to get paid. How much would they be paid? Would females and males be paid the same amount? Would less popular sports be paid the same amount as say, hockey, football, or basketball? There needs to be changes within the NCAA that give some sort of compensation to athletes – especially since they spend so much time on the sport and most end up not going to professional leagues.
"2012 Year in Sports." Nielsen.com. Accessed 15 Dec. 2013. Web.
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
Olivia, an interesting topic that creates a wide arrange of discussion across the United States (US). From reading the previous comments, it’s pretty apparent that if student athletes are to be paid then the value of education /college is being undermined. Before I begin, I would like to raise a point of perhaps introducing new employment ways for athletes on campus as the ‘full-ride student’ isn’t eligible for work-study. Yes, they are covered for the grand price of education at the institution but when it comes to external expenses such as bedding, food and weekend activities they are stuck. Do you agree Olivia that this should be something that needs to be considered?
ReplyDeleteAs Christine mentioned the value of the NCAA ‘student-athlete’ terminology is crucial in determining whether or not athletes should be paid. Personally, I agree with all of the above statements about why athletes shouldn’t be paid. It’s important to understand the methods behind the NCAA Student-Athlete. The emphasis is placed upon the academic aspect of collegiate athletics to ensure education isn’t overlooked or in some cases, tampered with. Yes, athletes dedicate endless hours to practice, video and games but I think it’s a little extreme to reference them as ‘employees’. I’m an athlete because I love the sport I play. I love training, I love playing and I love watching the sport. For any collegiate athlete the facilities and other resources available should surpass any monetary benefit.
The US is the ONLY country in the world that provides a somewhat ‘professional’ platform for collegiate athletics. Collegiate athletics doesn’t exist in Ireland. The top facilities at universities across the United Kingdom and parts of Europe are strictly for sport science research and the developmental centers for Olympic teams. We talk about the revenue that big football and basketball programs bring into colleges and the NCAA governing body. But we rarely focus on the facilities and resources provided by these two organizations. If athletes are paid, I would argue that collegiate athletics has lost sight of the academic value of attending university. College athletics is an experience that a player has decided to partake in. They are not forced.
continued:
ReplyDeleteAccording to NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association, the article points out the drastic changes we will see to the ins and outs of college athletics if a union is formed. “Everything from increased value of scholarships, concussion reform, improved medical coverage for athletes, athletes being allowed to accept endorsements, and possibly athletes being paid as well” (Tom Fornelli). It’s absurd to think that this could actually happen. We must begin to doubt the reasoning why athletes play the sport in the first place. Amateurism is driven by heart, soul and overall passion for a game. There is no monetary benefit. Yes, there are other external factors that help the overall benefit of the game BUT players play because they love it. To discourage amateurism by the introduction of professional and ‘pay for play’ for collegiate athletics would be a shame. The article “College Athletes Take Labor cause to Capitol Hill” points out the senators views in similarity between athletes and employees. “College athletes dedicate the same hours to their support as full-time employees and deserve the same protection as any other college worker” (Tom Ruam, Helfing). I disagree and think that athletes need to remember that they are at university/college (educational institution) in the first place. They ought to question why they representing their university at collegiate level.
Overall, I think the discussion between whether or not athletes should or shouldn’t be paid will continue to whirlwind across campuses. Collegiate athletics in the US is a massive business that I can’t quite seem to get my head around. Amateurism, as sad as this sounds, needs to be enforced across all college athletic administration boards. Full-ride scholarships allow many athletes from across the globe to stage their talents and gain a higher education. If that’s not enough then I don’t know what is.
Works Cited:
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog to be an eye opener as what to our society has become. It’s crazy how our society can’t be just a “society” without capitalism. I find it so unrealistic that we base our lives on money. You talked about greed, and it’s sad because the world is greedy. In the present, students are not basing their lives on education, values and ethics but they are basing them on materialistic things such as money. Because that’s what really money is. Money is a thing.
I think it’s ungrateful from their part that even though with scholarships and free education they want to get paid for their “hard-work”. Newsflash nothing comes easy in life, it’s a sacrifice we all make. If that was the case, I should complain to Quinnipiac and demand them to pay for my gas because I commute an hour back and forth three times a week and I am always broke. But would that be fair? Let’s think about this for a second, who chose to go to Quinnipiac knowing the commute? I did. It is the same thing with student athletes. They chose to attend their perspectives schools because of their great athletic programs and their scholarships. Technically speaking it’s sort of a deal; they give you free education as long as you do your part as the student athlete and maintain the hard work.
Although Northwestern football players are now seen as employees, I can’t help but be disappointed as the school is. In Tom Fornelli’s article NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association, Northwestern’s Vice President for Universal Relations Alan Cubbage shared his disillusion after learning that students had won the case, he said,” Northwestern University is disappointed by today's ruling by the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board finding that Northwestern University's football players who receive grant-in-aid scholarships are employees and directing that a secret ballot election be held to determine whether the football players should be represented by the College Athletes Players Association for purposes of collective bargaining with Northwestern University. While we respect the NLRB process and the regional director's opinion, we disagree with it. Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes.”(1) Cubbage is not only disappointed by the decision but he does make a valuable point when he said that earning money shouldn’t and is not the answer to student athlete’s problems. Where is the education in all of this? How is paying college athletes’ money educating them? If anything they are being taught to be capitalists themselves, this isn’t Wall Street! They’re not even consider men, they’re still boys- they are still amateurs and immature for that matter. It’s ridiculous that they want to get paid for their long hours of practice and hard work, are you kidding me? Quit complaining!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI understand though as well that in some cases for example as mentioned, with march madness the students feel like they are being exploited because of the capitalism that goes behind their back as the NCAA is making money off them- but the truth is that is how reality works. But you can't complain either as the student; you can’t possibly say that you do what you do because you are forced to do it. I am sure as a student athlete you have a passion for that sport. You want to be in the game. So you are not getting exploited completely as you are benefiting as well not just by having free education but you are having fun!
ReplyDeleteIn the article College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill by Tom Raum and Kimberly Hefling in the Associated Press, Senator Sherrod Brown said, ''College athletes dedicate the same hours to their support as full-time employees and deserve the same protections as any other worker.”(1) I can’t help but disagree with him. What the hell is he evoking? So pretty much every single school athlete should get awarded from their hard work, even though money is already spent on them to offer them free education which is truly the most important thing a student can have. It sucks because Brown is a public figure and here he is supporting capitalism really, because that is what really is happening with these college students and their greedy desires.
The question is not how much they should get paid. The question should be how important is education to them and what they will do with it, because you’re not going to get any younger and even if you are a great player, know that you’ll get old and you will be replaced. Think about your future in the long run.
Works Cited
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
Paying student athletes is a very interesting topic of debate I had never considered until I read your post. It is hard for me to choose a side in this because I am not a college athlete, so I do not share in their experience. But I can also see their side that they have a lot more pressure on them in terms of balancing school and sports. And regardless of my opinion, it looks to me like paying students athletes is something that we wont see put in place, at least for a while.
ReplyDeleteI think that the philosophy that the NCAA and Northwestern University have presented is much stronger in their argumentation. Student athletes are stamped with the title of “students” as primary to the fact that they play sports as well, which makes it difficult for student athletes to argue for special treatment. In response to the NLRB’s ruling, which turned Northwestern football players into being seen as employees rather than student athletes, the Vice President for University Relations, Alan Cubbage, commented, “While we respect the NLRB process and the regional director's opinion, we disagree with it. Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes." (Fornelli) It is a clear that stance Universities and the NCAA would take would be that paying college athletes is absurd. They might do this because they think that it would tarnish their reputation as an academic institution.
Similarly, the NCAA commented, “We strongly disagree with the notion that student-athletes are employees. We frequently hear from student-athletes, across all sports, that they participate to enhance their overall college experience and for the love of their sport, not to be paid.” (Fornelli) Taking the same stance as of Northwestern University, the NCAA argues that student athletes aren’t there to be paid. They are there to get an education while participating in a sport that they love.
Contrarily to the academic side of the argument comes the view from the student athlete perspective. Ramogi Huma, president of the College Athlete Player Association said that, ''Health and safety of athletes is the concern, especially to reduce the risk of brain trauma.'' (Raum) We see that there are valid concerns from the perspective of student athletes that their health and safety are subject to certain risks non-student athletes don’t have to worry about. I do agree with that fact that there should be some sort of compensation for student athletes, which aids them in terms of health and safety, but I don’t know if I agree with an additional salary as the remedy to this concern.
Ultimately, I think that college athletes who are working for this movement will not find their efforts to bring about the effects they work for. Athletes do have benefits provided and although it’s not a salary, they are designed specifically to aid in the experience of being a college athlete. Once again, I am not a college athlete so I can’t form an opinion on weather or not certain benefits like scholarships are substantial enough. But I do think that that is where the real issue lies, and that is how should we accommodate student athletes adequately.
Works Cited
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
Ike Azotam
ReplyDeleteOlivia, you made very valid points on whether or not college athletes should be paid. As a Division I collegiate athlete, I have very mixed feelings about the subject. For me, two key factors in the conversation are the school the athlete decides to go to and the sport he or she plays. Student-athletes who play basketball at the University of Kentucky are treated differently than the football team at Central Connecticut, or in this case the Northwestern football team. Personally, I believe my teammates and I are treated fairly by the athletic department. Another reason I have mixed feelings is because of the fact that a ton of Division I athletes are transferring or struggling at universities. Who is to say paying athletes wouldn’t help improve their conditions at schools all around the country? Ultimately, Division I athletes probably shouldn’t be compensated because, at the end of the day, they are students and playing a sport is their choice.
The players of the Northwestern football team unionizing and bringing this issue to the NCAA’s attention is proof that this is a serious issue at some universities. (Raum and Hefling) At first, I was actually surprised when I heard this story about a week ago on ESPN. I guess I felt it was so surprising because outside of basketball I feel like I am treated nicely without being compensated. Universities usually offer many benefits to student athletes. Quinnipiac University gives us a nice meal plan, kitchen checks, clothing and at the end of the day we get to represent the school, sometimes even on national television. These players believe that they are helping their university make money so they deserve to be compensated. They are also trying to “raise awareness,” according to Northwestern starting quarterback Kain Colter. (Raum and Hefling) It is interesting thinking how different college athletics would be if players were compensated. Sources believe that it “would be a historic case if some marketing and publicity rights are given to players who are amateurs.” (Adage)
Olivia, I believe the best argument you made in your post was related to the section on how the NCAA is becoming an even more profitable business because of March Madness. Turner Broadcasting made over one billion dollars airing games on four of their networks. (U.S. news and World Report) I am doing my consultant report on the need for a Division I college basketball streaming service. Your post helped me out because I feel like it feeds directly into my idea. So many people want to watch college basketball and if games could be streamed all year, the business could be even more profitable in the next couple of years.
Despite all of the money these kids are making for the NCAA, I still believe we are all amateurs and the universities offer more than enough benefits.
In conclusion, I don’t believe student-athletes should be paid for their performances or the fact that their lives are consumed by their sport. Some student-athletes forget that many Division I athletes receive full rides, not having to pay a cent to attend their schools. I think it is an interesting issue, but I ultimately believe college athletes won’t be paid.
Works Cited
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
"Should NCAA Athletes Be Paid?" US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
"Northwestern Ruling Won't Lead to Mad Dash of College Endorsers."
Advertising Age News RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI am actually really happy that this was a topic for a blog post this week. My father and I actually had this debate over the past weekend, and we really hit all sides of the argument. Yet we still can’t find the overall “right” answer.
Even as a non-student athlete I personally see both sides of the argument. I remember being recruited for in high school by smaller schools to come play football and one school in particular wanted me to play both football and lacrosse. Knowing the academic difficulties and the work I would have to put in, I knew then that college sports weren’t something for me. I continued this internal debate when John Hopkins wanted me to play football, and I felt with their rigorous academics I wouldn’t have survived doing both. Now hearing these kids want to get paid, it makes me a little upset.
In the article by Raum and Helfing it pointed out that student athletes at Northwestern University are looking for rights to unionize because ''college athletes dedicate the same hours as full-time employees and deserve the same protections as any other worker''(Raum). Even though this might be true, these athletes signed a contract with their schools agreeing to the time commitment and the academics.
It is understandable that some of these athletes want money to compensate them for their time, but it truly isn’t right. According to NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association, there would be some changes if this were to actually happen. “Everything from increased value of scholarships, concussion reform, improved medical coverage for athletes, athletes being allowed to accept endorsements, and possibly athletes being paid as well”(Fornelli). I think a really great example of this came to my attention with UConn’s Shabazz Napier. In a CNN article the opening line reads this, “He's one of the best basketball players in the country, and he led his team to victory in Monday night's NCAA championship game. But the University of Connecticut's Shabazz Napier recently told reporters he sometimes goes to bed "starving" because he can't afford food, despite that UConn's student-athlete guidelines include provisions for meal plans” (CNN).
If you think about it, it is ridiculous that one of the greatest basketball programs in the country has players, actually its star player, complaining about food. Now this is just one side of the whole argument, that these players don’t have the time and need the money to help support themselves. But yet even though these guys are athletes, some regular students suffer through the same problems. Some kids don’t have the time to get a job and make money to buy groceries or go out to eat. Not to mention they also have to pay for a majority of their tuition.
DeleteI think the main point in the argument was well covered by Fornelli. “We strongly disagree with the notion that student-athletes are employees. We frequently hear from student-athletes, across all sports, that they participate to enhance their overall college experience and for the love of their sport, not to be paid” (Fornelli). When you play a college sport you should do it because you love it. It is a game that you have played since you were “enter age” old. It is something that you are truly passionate about and your abilities got you a full scholarship to get an education. It really is best said, “we want student athletes – “99 percent of whom will never make it to the professional leagues – focused on what matters most – finding success in the classroom, on the field and in life” (Fornelli).
Overall I think that college athletes shouldn’t be paid. Student-athletes are just that; students. They aren’t professional athletes just yet and while they provide us entertainment and put themselves at risk there are a lot of students who aren’t athletes under the same stress of money and course work. If you pay these kids money for the time they put into their sport they will focus on that rather than the lager picture of getting an education. College is here for us to educate ourselves further, and to better ourselves as individuals. But when there is money on the table that is when things start to get shuffled on the priority list and things get into a gray area we don’t want to venture into.
Work Cited
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Ganim, Sara. "UConn Guard on Unions: I Go to Bed 'starving'" CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.
I personally think that college athletes should not be paid. I understand where people are coming from who disagree with me but there is a reason the minor league and being a professional athlete is different. I think getting college paid for is the payment they are receiving for the sport that they are playing. You get paid to do a job but these students are choosing to play these sport. Senator Sherrod Brown said, “the right to fair treatment is why all workers, no matter the job or venue, should have the opportunity to unionize. College athletes dedicate the same hours to their support as full-time employees and deserve the same protections as any other worker” (Raum). So if these sports players are providing as much work as a job would, does that mean clubs like Q30 which create and film real newscast every single week with the same amount of hours a real studio would put in get paid? Athletes are already getting money towards their education for the skills that they possess and put onto the field or court. Other students put in the same amount of work with their own personal skills and don’t see a dime so why should athletes get all of the special treatment. I understand scholarships but to get paid even more just doesn’t make sense to me because you were scouted to go to SCHOOL not work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that The Courier Journal stated student-athletes are students first and athletes second. I think that athletes already get some leeway with missing classes if needed and first pick at classes based on their schedule so the school does work hand in hand with the teams. I agree that many athletes have a crazy work out schedule on top of their classes, which may seem like a job. I am not taking any skill or time away form them I just think that many other students put in the same amount of work in different areas on campus and do not get any special treatment what so ever. College sports are where the best of the best prepare to go on to get paid as a professional. That’s how it has always been and that’s how I think it should stay. College is for learning and also to have the college experience. I think that if athletes got paid they would think school comes second and if they are already working their dream job who cares how much effort they put into school.
The fact that the players are not aloud to sell their own autograph or their jerseys is ridiculous. Although I do not think they should be gaining a revenue for playing, I believe that it is their life and if they are good they should be able to sign something and if someone is willing to buy it, why cant they make some cash? I also think that should be aloud to sell their jersey’s if they want to.
The five-step plan that was in the New York Times article is ridiculous. The marking plan makes sense, the salary cap is ok, a six-year scholarship is pushing it, but a life time of health insurance for each player is so absurd. Just because they played a sport and put themselves in danger during school does that mean they should get life time coverage?
ReplyDelete“We frequently hear from student-athletes, across all sports, that they participate to enhance their overall college experience and for the love of their sport, not to be paid. 99 percent of whom will never make it to the professional leagues – focused on what matters most – finding success in the classroom, on the field and in life” (Fornelli). The NCAA makes so much sense in their statements. College is to learn and the athletes that realize that and embrace it while playing the sport that they love are the smart athletes. If college athletes start getting paid it will just unleash a gray area, as nick said, and then what will come next?
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association,"
CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Raum, Tom and Kimberly Hefling. "College Athletes Take Labor Cause to Capitol
Hill," Associated Press 2 April 2014. Web.