Athletes being/not being paid

Athletes being/not being paid

Christopher Hawkins

Athletes being/not being paid

College is a place where people grow, experience a higher education and build for
their future. Individuals come to colleges and universities for a number of reasons, for a
lot of students, sports is a priority. Sports are more than just games, they are also
businesses, and in any business the employees or players should be compensated for the
hard work they put in. In todays society, the world of sports is expanding and branding
more than ever before. The majority of college athletes have been striving for one thing
their entire life, and that is to be the best in the sport they play and be able to play on a
professional level. College athletes should have some form of monetary compensation
because they have to balance academics and sports with little to no time to make their
own money for their own personal needs.
There are several division two college teams that have been featured on sports
channels all over. Young athletes mainly participating in recreational sports in their
community look up to the collegiate level athletes. When younger kids see these college
teams successfully conquering their athletic abilities, and talents, it persuades them to
make that school one of their top choices. Often times alumni support, is a prominent
factor in sponsoring their Alma Mater by donating money to these sports teams that they
once were involved in or simply because of the loyalty and passion they have towards
that University. In this case, with the teams being broadcasted on large networks, they are
bringing in revenue.
People want to meet these young stars and give them money so that they can be
bigger than what they are. For example Shepherd University just won the conference
championship with an undefeated season and are now preparing for their playoff season.

Athletes being/not being paid

That is going to bring in tons of people, which really brings in a cause and effect strategy,
because if there's more people in attendance at the game then there will be an abundance
of revenue gain for that school. Recruits are now happier than ever to come to Shepherd
and be a member of the football team even if that means they won't be able to participate
in their first season as a ram, they are just elated to be apart of a successful team.
Being a student athlete is a full time job in itself. Athletes are balancing time,
practices, games, social life and overall school work. Typical schedules for athletes are
practice, class, lifting, treatment and maybe a meeting. That takes time away from
academics and most of all, getting a job to take care of their own personal wants and
needs. Being that all of this time is consumed by athletics, they should be monetarily
compensated for all of their hard work. Yes, they did choose this life but they also
deserve to be rewarded for what they bring to their team and school.
A myriad of people all portray the athletes in todays society as the common
stereotype of jocks, that are all academically challenged and know nothing but the sport
they are good at. This stereotype could not be more off from the truth, hence the name
student athlete. Various Athletes excel in more than just the athletic arena, by
maintaining an above average GPA. Also, for athletes an average GPA of a 2.0 or above is
mandatory for the athlete to continue progress in the sport he/she loves. Academics is
always number one and if student athletes are able to do tremendously well in the
classroom and in their sport they should definitely be compensated for all of the work
that have to put up to get to that point.

Athletes being/not being paid

About 67% of all college students bet on sports. 30% of male student athletes
have wagered on a sports game in the last year. The NCAA has strict rules about college
athletes gambling. Males gamble more than women in college because of the intensity of
their sport; mainly bets on football teams. It is mainly NFL prospects mainly that will
autograph merchandise and sell it for profit before they make it to the National Football
League, in order to get money and promote themselves early.
Division 1 athletes that are featured on ESPN and other sports channels are well
admired and will often try and sell merchandise under their names. When new, hot
athletic talent is out and starts to become well known, scouts and recruits for the
professional leagues will try and give them money, against the NCAA rules so that they
will eventually sign with their teams. This is unfair to their teammates who have yet
achieved their level of success.
Although the majority of athletes are on scholarship, some are not. A few of the
team members are walk-ons who have a scholarship coming in maybe the next semester
or year so they have to pay for their education. Walk-ons are people that didnt get
recruited and commit to the school and also arent guaranteed a spot on the court or field.
If their parents dont have the money to pay for school they really wont have the money
to give them when they need it.
Some students come from families that are less fortunate and their opportunity at
a free education is a pure blessing but the scholarship only pays for their education, not
the several other college expenses. A lot of the players playing any sport are playing to
get away from the environment they are in at the time, for example high school. Their

Athletes being/not being paid

raw talent is what got them this far and they will use it until they make it as far as they
can. Female athletes arent even on a full scholarship as far as the NCAA works.
They have just enough money to pay for their classes and many of them still have
meal plans, books and other personal supplies to buy out of their own pockets. Shepherd,
for example, is a very expensive school with a cost of $30,000 a year when out of state.
That includes tuition, meal plan and room and board. So with expenses that high, thats
enough for any parent to be struggling to keep their homes stable and their children in
school. No parent should have to struggle to keep their child in college for a better
education for them.
Although being able to provide for them is the main issue why college athletes
should be paid, they also should be paid to learn how to manage their funds while in
school. You have a lot of athletes that are majoring in business but they are just majoring
in it for general purposes but on the other hand you have students majoring in what they
actually want to have a career in. Especially for football players whose chances of going
pro are higher than those of other sports, business is the main major or some other sort of
sports category.
They will major in business in order to try and be able to manage their own
financial records if they need to handle their own business. Money management should
be introduced to all athletes that would be getting paid. If they cant seem to manage their
money, they get their stipends suspended. No, they wouldnt have to turn in receipts but
they shouldnt be just blowing their money recklessly.

Athletes being/not being paid

Student athletes carry many responsibilities that should be privileged with a biweekly stipend. It should somewhat be like a work study type of thing so that it is still
fair amongst the rest of the student population, like around the minimum wage amount.
Sacrifice is the number one thing that makes life as a student athlete much harder. Its hard
to give up your time on things that will not last forever or will not get an athlete as far as
they want but they do it anyways because of the love of the game. Just think about it, if
they have to make major life adjustments for half of a scholarship and no time, wouldnt
someone want to be compensated for your exceptional hard work?
When athletes are fed up of not getting paid and have bills and other things they
need to pay for this is when they turn to people my boosters and NCAA rules get broken.
The athletes usually turn to boosters for things they need when they are struggling.
On NCAA.org they describe a booster as representatives of the institutions
athletic interests. It includes anyone who; provided a donation in order to obtain season
tickets for any sport at the university, participated in or has been a member of an
organization promoting the universitys athletics programs, made financial contributions
to the athletic department or to a university booster organization, and arranged for or
provided employment for enrolled student-athletes.
Things boosters can do according to the NCAA.org consist of; making
contributions to university programs and other gift-in-kind arrangements, attend
university athletic events and show student athletes you support their hard work and
dedication to the university, notify university coaching staff members about noteworthy

Athletes being/not being paid

prospects in the area and attend high school or two-year college athletic contests or other
events where prospects may compete, provided no contact occurs.
Things boosters cannot do according to NCAA.org consist of; contact a prospect
in-person on-campus or off campus, contact a prospect by telephone, email, internet or
letter, provide gifts or free or reduced-cost services to a prospect or the prospects
relatives or guardian, and employ relatives, guardians or friends of a prospect as an
inducement for the prospects enrollment and athletics participation at a university. Also
when boosters try to directly or indirectly give money or financial aid to athletes it is
illegal.
Now if a college athlete who just won the national championship and after the
game I have to come back tomorrow and eat noodles or cereal for dinner and I hear about
a story like this of course I am going to feel like I am being cheated and feel like I need to
get money in my pocket. This is where some boosters decide to step in so they do not
lose their star athlete.
For example the USC scandal two-year bowl ban, four years' probation, loss of
scholarships and forfeits of an entire year's games for improper benefits. Also the
Heisman Trophy was taken from Reggie Bush. Sam Gilbert reportedly arranged and paid
for abortions for players friends and helped athletes get discounts on cars, stereos and
airline tickets.
When any scandal is brought to life by the media the question always pops up
what did the coach know about the situation? Or what could the coach have done to

Athletes being/not being paid

prevent it from happening. But coaches go through so much on a daily, how are they
suppose to keep up with every athlete on their team.
Research has demonstrated that coaches experience stress because of the nature
of their job and that stress can affect their physical and mental well-being
(Richman,
1992; Wang & Ramsey, 1998).
But who is to blame for the coaches not having enough time to manage
their athletes? Could it be the university, Alumni, boosters, what if the coach has a family
to take care of, is he suppose to drop everything so that he makes sure his athletes does
not cheat?
One day my doctor sat me down and asked if I wanted to keep on coaching or
die in two weeks (Kolbenschlag, p. 97).
Not giving coaches any excuses either but their lob does come with a lot
of stress that can all be prevented if they were actually allowed to do their job the way
they want to without everyone elses opinion.
Student athletes are significant role models in societies nationwide, not only are
they role models for peers inside the school but they are also role models for the youth
that are in close proximity to where they play their sports at. Athletes are such a big factor
in the world because of the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices made to be where they are
now. Athletes have a tendency to work three times as hard trying to be better than the

Athletes being/not being paid

next athlete and still are faced with a ton of adversity and obstacles to handicap their
progress.
They struggle with juggling family and college life socially and academically,
which is not an easy job to do, but still make it look extremely easy. College is a place for
learning, growth, and life lessons and being a student athlete can enhance your life in and
out of college, positively and negatively. Besides, money is only an object that we, as
people, let control our lives.

Athletes being/not being paid

10

McManus, Jane. "PAY TO STAY? NOT OK: CROWDFUNDING COLLEGE

ATHLETICS IS A BAD IDEA." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 10 Mar. 2015. Web. 06
Oct. 2015.
"Role of Boosters." NCAA.org. N.p., 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
Trahan, Kevin. "'Booster' Is a Dirty Word in the NCAA's World, but Not in Court."
SBNation.com. N.p., 24 June 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
College athletes should be paid: Former UCLA star. (2015, March 24).
Strachan, M. (n.d.). NCAA Schools Can Absolutely Afford To Pay College Athletes,
Economists Say. Retrieved November 10, 2015.