Michael Jones
English 1001
College Athletes
Our world today is all about how much money we have. And not many can deny
that 30 millions people attended a college sporting event in 2012. Those people who
attended those events are watching players who don’t get paid for playing. However,
those people watching do not see the blood, sweat, and tears of the players who are the
sole reasons for getting those backsides in the seats each game day. College athletes are
reeling in more money than ever for their individual universities, but there’s one problem,
they are seeing none of it. Many People think college athletes should keep their amateur
status because it makes college sports ‘special’; however, the only ‘special’ thing amateur
status does for college athletes is make them especially easy targets for exploitation by
various corporations, associations, and universities.
Is it time to make a change and give these players what they deserve? Or should
we continue making these student athletes get nothing for their work they have put in.
These college athletes deserve to be rewarded for their effort, which accounts for more
time than an average fully employed individual at his workplace. The university athletic
departments are worth millions if not billions of dollars. What does the university do with
this money? They pay the coach’s, update the facilities, But not a dime of that money
goes to the student athletes that work so hard to put those fans in the stands. When I
interviewed one college athlete he told “ he puts in over 40 hours of week in training or
practice”. What I get out of this is that these athletes are putting in work like a full time
employee, and getting nothing out of it. Yes they get a full tuition but is that enough
when I asked the same college athlete what he thinks if college athletes should be getting
paid he responded with “yes I work hard and contribute enough to the university that I
should be getting a least a little money” this just shows there are some athletes that
believe they should be getting paid for the work they put in. Universities and college
give these kids full or close to full tuition for school, but do the kids get enough time
during season to even focus on school? When I asked that question to the same college
athlete he give me a quick responses “no school is difficult during season” when I asked
him why he responded with “I’m either to tired or always in a rush to do things”. This
just shows that the athletes going to school for free don’t even have time to focus on the
schoolwork, as they should be. With this interview I have learned that some athletes
believe that they should be making money. But to me for good reasons they make their
school money. They put in enough work they should be more rewarded.
The world we live in is all about money and people work for that money. The
college athletes are no different then the teachers that teach them or the coach’s that
coach them. The NCAA and University are making more money then ever on these
athletes and those kids putting in all their effort get nothing back in return. Are the people
in charge of the NCAA or the people in charge of the colleges athletic department getting
the fans in the stands or is it the players? To me all I have to do is think about it, the
players should be receiving the money.
College media is at an all time high and this question is being asked more and
more. And these student athletes are getting more pressure on them everyday. A great an
example of media and a player is Jonny Manziel. He couldn’t take classes on campus due
to the fact everywhere he went people were taking pictures of him or harassing him. So
the Northwestern football players have taken it into their own hands in order to get
something done. (Ganim, Sayers) The issue is out there and there will not be any
stopping on the debate for quite some time as it swirls around the NCAA. I am a sports
fan that has been to many college-sporting events. I played sports in high school and I
know how much work it takes to be able to get on the floor/field/rink.
Being a college athlete is like maintaining a full-time job. “On average the typical
Division I athlete devotes 43.3 hours per week to his/her week, 3.3 more hours than a
fully employed worker. On a typical day, a college athlete will wake up before classes,
get a lift or conditioning session in, go to class until 3-4 pm, go to practice, then come
home to do homework or study for a test, leaving them nearly no time to do anything
else.”(Forbes Magazine) I interview a current college football player and asked the
question. “How hard is school in season he responded with “I have hardly anytime to
study that’s all I can speak on about that topic”. So these college universities are paying
for these kids to get to school but schools aren’t even giving them enough time to do the
work needed in class. They are just worried about the money the make off these college
atheletes. Money is tough to come by for many of these kids when you can’t have a job
and play a college sport. Also many of these players come from low-income families
making certain necessities such as food and clothes hard to pay for. Prime example is the
Shabazz Napier, a national champion from the UCONN Huskies basketball. “He went to
bed hungry at night because he didn't have enough money to buy food”.These kids
playing the sports winning the national championship for the school can even get their
food paid for. They are not allowed getting jobs or working for anyone without getting
suspended from the NCAA. So tell me how are they suppose to have the money to pay
for their school?
Players have put their school on the map and in some cases jumpstarted a revenue
surge that has brought in millions and millions of dollars for an athletic program. Just
take Johnny Manziel for example. Manziel has been estimated to be worth $37 million
during his time at Texas A&M (The Week Magazine), a number that is staggering but the
sad part, he saw none of that. Manziel created a media frenzy on the campus of Texas
A&M during his time there not only putting backsides in stands, but driving almost
everyone to crave a replica Johnny Manziel #2 jersey. The numbers of jersey sales are
astounding, but guess what? Manziel did not see a single penny on the money earned
which used his last name as a driving force for the product. These highly regarded college
athletes are all over the place in the NCAA. Whether it be Tim Tebow, Andrew Wiggins,
Jabari Parker, you name it, these top-notch athletes are the focal points of fans around the
country that are providing these sales and these athletes deserve to be a part of the profit.
Without the athletes what do you have, nothing. They are the ones putting the blood,
sweat, and tears out on the playing field, but what for, the university to see all the profit?
That does not seem right at all and something must be done.
In the news recently has been the ongoing process of how the Northwestern
football players are taking things in their own hands when it comes to getting paid. In
March, the National Labor Relations Board in Chicago has ruled that football players at
Northwestern University are employees and can unionize, meaning these student-athletes
are separate from the NCAA and have the right to be paid to play. The board’s decision
indicated that there was enough evidence presented from the athletes to prove that these
kids were employees of the university, not students. These athletes used strong points
regarding the idea of getting paid in forms of scholarships, working between twenty and
fifty hours a week and generating millions of dollars for their institution. Along with
getting paid these athletes are seeking “better medical coverage, concussion testing, as
well as guaranteed four-year scholarships that would take away the risk of losing it in the
various ways possible.”(Ganim, Sayers) This unionization has set the stage for many
athletes and universities out there to really take a step back and re-evaluate their prior
positioning. If these athletes can make a stand for what is just and right, why can’t all
athletes? A question that is surfacing on more and more college campuses, and one that
the NCAA will have to take a serious look at. It has been no surprise that the movement
to unionize has sparked a vicious debate over what athletes do and do not deserve. This
ruling, a small step that could lead to a big shakeup in the college world, and one that
would change the landscape forever.