Eric Bergeron
ENG1001
Assignment Three – Final Draft
One major controversy among young adults and sports fans alike that has been debated
across the country for the past few years is whether or not student-athletes should get paid by
their respective university or college. This idea of paying student-athletes has received mixed
emotions, feelings, and opinions. Some argue that National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) sports are starting to become big businesses such as collegiate basketball and football
and suggest that a portion of profits gained from these sporting events should go out not only to
the schools but also to the players (Zissou). However, student-athletes should not get paid by
their respective school of attendance for playing for various reasons.
This idea of pay for play started only a few years ago when the football players attending
Northwestern University decided to unionize against the school and wanted to be recognized
nationwide as laborers instead of being labeled as students because they believe that the whole
purpose for them to attend the university was only to play football. Originally on March 26, 2014
the Chicago district of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the football players
attending Northwestern University are employees for the school and are allowed to unionize
(Farrey). However, a year later the head coach of the school's football team at Northwestern
appealed the case and then a year later on August 17, 2015 the National Labor Relations Board
overruled their previous decision and stated that football players at Northwestern University are
not allowed to unionize (Farrey). Even with this court decision, the debate over whether studentathletes should get paid continues.
The large amounts of revenue universities make whether through tuition or from sporting
events should be focused more on education and not athletics. Basketball and football games at
the collegiate level get as much attention as the National Football League (NFL) and National
Basketball Association (NBA) at the professional level. These sports attract large audiences
whether at the campus itself or on television such as viewing college football game broadcasts on
ESPN or FOX Sports making them the only sporting events that make money for the university.
Furthermore, collegiate sports such as tennis, swimming, and volleyball which do not
receive much of an audience at their matches would have to drop out (Zissou). If student-athletes
were to get paid then this would create a problem because then all student-athletes from all the
sports a university has in its athletic department would have to get paid (Zissou). It is also very
important to note that schools competing in Division II and III won't have as much money as
their Division I to play all of their student-athletes should they were to get paid.
In addition, if all of the student-athletes on campus were to get paid then that could also
potentially increase tuition costs for other students arriving on campus. This could affect
prestigious universities such as Ivy League colleges attracting students all over the world from
attending because even though some have met the universities requirements they might not have
a chance of attending the school since tuition would be extremely high. Therefore, it will benefit
the majority of the students on campus for the university to spend their money more wisely on
more important things relating to education purposes.
Paying student-athletes would also present several issues towards the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (Simzak). ''First among them would be the fact that by paying college
athletes, whether by salary or stipend, the athletes would lose their amateur status and become
employees of the institution that they represent" (Simzak). By losing their status as amateurs then
this could create a problem worldwide because the Olympics (winter or summer games) do not
pay the athletes competing in the sporting events and it is important to note that most of the
athletes representing the countries including the United States are college and high school
students around the ages of 16- 24. Should universities start to pay their student-athletes then
who would the United States send overseas to compete at the Olympics. This could also possibly
mean that the Olympic Committee would have to change their policies and start paying the
athletes at the games themselves. In addition, this could also mean that students competing in
athletic events at their respective university outside of the United States would have to get paid
then.
Competition between rival schools for recruits could also have an impact on paying
student-athletes if they were to get paid. Recruiting is a very complex and challenging process as
a way for many college coaches to sit down and talk to talented high school athletes to attend
their school. If student-athletes were to get paid then that will affect the whole recruiting process
between schools within the same general area because larger, more prestigious universities such
as the University of Alabama and University of Notre Dame have more money than schools that
compete in Division II and III. For example, Nick Saban the head football coach at the
University of Alabama makes $5.5 million alone (Zissou).
Furthermore, the University of Texas at Austin makes almost $170 million a year from
athletic events (Gaines), whereas the average Division II school makes only $4.5 million a year
(Division II Athletics Expenses). Using the University of Texas as another example is that "it
would be hard for a top recruit to turn down an offer guaranteeing a higher compensation from a
wealthy athletic department, such as the University of Texas, for a school that is equally
competitive on the field, but not so much with its checkbook a la Kansas State" (Merkle).
Therefore, it will be unfair for these smaller schools to compete with larger schools for attracting
high school talent.
Many schools might not even have the money to pay all of their athletes. In 2012, only 23
out of 228 Division I schools made just enough money to cover the expenses of their studentathletes (Zissou). If student-athletes were being paid then each college or university will have
different salaries to pay their athletes which will also affect the recruiting process since different
schools have a certain number of athletes on their respective roster. For example, the football at
the University of Michigan has 143 players on their roster (2015 Michigan Football Roster). For
comparison with a Division II school, for example Saint Augustine University (located in
Raleigh, North Carolina) has only 70 players on their football roster (2015 Football Roster).
Should student-athletes get paid then a lot of unanswered questions will arise such as the salaries
for student-athletes with the number of players on each school's roster, how much a football
player will make in comparison to a swimmer, and whether certain colleges and universities will
be able to pay every single one of their student-athletes.
Student-athletes I think should look towards getting an education instead of debating
whether or not to unionize. According to one article, people need a college education as an
avenue for future success because only a small fraction of college athletes will be drafted by
professionals (Hearn). As an alternative to paying student-athletes, universities should use the
money they make each year and use it towards educational purposes such as field trips or even
the latest technologies for research.
Furthermore, it is important to note that student-athletes are just the same as other
students attending school; therefore they shouldn’t get paid and be labeled as laborers and that
getting an education is the whole purpose of a college or university. Should student-athletes get
paid to play then this could potentially cause a rift on campuses nationwide because students
who do not participate in athletics nor attend the school's matches and are only interested in
getting an education won't be paid money whereas some students will.
In addition, I believe it is necessary for students who were recruited to play sports at a
particular school should focus on a more legitimate career possibility. Research conducted by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association showed that only 2.0% of all collegiate football players
make it to the National Football League (NFL) and that only 1.3% of all collegiate basketball
players make it to the National Basketball Association (NBA). There are thousands of options
and numerous opportunities given for students attending college to pursue a more possible career
choice instead of becoming a professional athlete.
There are some that feel that student-athletes should be paid by their respective
university. According to one article, many Division I schools make millions of dollars from
television deals, advertising, and even ticket sales from the major sporting events; therefore with
all of this money the athletes should get paid a portion of the profits (Eitzen). Some schools such
as the University of Texas at Austin and Brigham Young University have their own television
network, ESPN Longhorn Network and BYUtv respectively (Normand).
It is true that many of the top Division I schools such as the University of Alabama or
University of Michigan make a lot of revenue from their athletic programs, however this does
not mean schools from Division II or III make the same money as their competition since these
schools don’t attract large audiences or have TV deals with ABC or ESPN as examples. If
college athletes were to get paid then Division II and III schools would have to drop most of their
sport programs simply because they don’t have the money to do so.
According to another article, student-athletes spend on average 40 hours a week
practicing, training, and competing making it hard for them to find a part-time job while in
school and therefore should get paid (Zissou). It is true that it is very difficult for student-athletes
to find a another job during their season but it is important to consider that many other students
don’t have the same work week as athletes so it would not be fair to them. In addition, studentathletes should instead look towards a legitimate future career by looking for part-time jobs in
that department of study when their season is over. "For better or worse even if an athlete does
not pan out in the professionals, they at least made a name for themselves. It will help them find
a job when they graduate - - debt free - - out of college" (McCauley).
Another problem that colleges and universities across the country might face if they were
to pay their student-athletes is whether or not the male and female athletes will get paid the same
amount of money. As already mentioned, many sporting events on campuses such as collegiate
swimming, tennis, and volleyball do not attract large audiences or even get broadcast on major
networks such as ESPN, FOX Sports, or even CBS let alone on national television.
"The NCAA reported that 28.3 million viewers watched the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division
I National Championship between Wisconsin and Duke. They also reported there were 3.1
million viewers for the 2015 NCAA Women’s Division I National Championship between Notre
Dame and UConn" (McCauley). These statistics show that more people nationwide prefer to
watch men sports than to watch women sports even though the female athletes put in the same
amount of practice and hard work each week as the men do. "The same goes for Division II and
Division III sports. Why shouldn’t those athletes be paid the same if they put in the same amount
of time to practice, travel, and play games?" (McCauley). As already mentioned, Division II and
III schools do not generate the same amount of revenue as Division I schools do, so just like the
women who put in the same amount of hard work, practice, and preparation each week before
each match these student-athletes should get paid the same amount of money as student-athletes
from Division I schools should student-athletes get paid in the future.
I decided to conduct field research around my local campus at the University of
Cincinnati at Blue Ash as well as talking to some of my close friends who played varsity football
at my former high school. The type of field research that was conducted was a survey and this
consisted of asking students what their thoughts were on this issue and a brief explanation as to
why they felt this particular way. The majority of students I surveyed agreed that college athletes
should get paid and most of them came to a same explanation for the way they felt which was
that the schools make millions of dollars each year from jersey sales, TV deals, attendance at the
sporting events, etc.
However, there were a few students who thought differently and took the same position
on this issue as myself. One student explained that student-athletes shouldn't get paid since there
are so many universities and colleges alike in this country that all differentiate in terms of the
level of competition and that it would be unfair for a school such as Marshall University (the
example this particular student gave) compete alongside a more prestigious university such as
the University of Alabama.
One of my fellow classmates also agreed that student-athletes shouldn't get paid simply
because universities such Ohio State have so many football players on their active roster in
comparison to professional team competing in the National Football League. Another student
explained to me that it would be unfair for universities to start paying their athletes because that
might give the students a sense that maybe they don't have need to go professional in order to get
paid and instead just get paid lots of money from their school they're currently attending right
now and that NCAA football would be like in quote "just another NFL."
As you can see paying student-athletes is the wrong thing to do because the NCAA is not
a professional league or a big business like the NFL, NBA, and MLB and that these athletes are
simply amateurs not professionals. As mentioned, most student-athletes should look towards a
more legitimate career since only a small percentage make it professionally and simply unfair
towards the athletes competing at Division II and III schools who make less revenue at their
sporting events than the average Division I school. Most of the collegiate stars that we watch on
TV such as the eventual Heisman Trophy winners in the future will most certainly be part of that
small fraction of NCAA athletes that will make it professionally and eventually get paid to play.
I feel that student-athletes should stop thinking about forming unions and demanding
money from their school and instead take pride in representing their school, feel the rush of
adrenaline when they step out onto the field, and give their hearts out for playing their respective
sport and to their fellow classmates and fans. "Most college football fans love the game because
the foundation of college athletics is, and always has been, competing for the love of the game
rather than playing for a paycheck" (Merkle).
Work Cited
1. Hearn, Thomas K. “College Athletes Should Not Be Allowed to Unionize.” Should College
Athletes Be Paid? Ed. Geoff Griffin. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Rpt. from “The
Culture of Sport and the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics: Address to the Association of
Governing Boards, Boston, MA.” www.wfu.edu. 2002. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8
Oct. 2015.
2. Eitzen, D. Stanley. “College Athletes Should Be Paid.” Sports and Athletes. Ed. James D.
Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from “Slaves of Big-Time
College Sports.” USA Today Magazine Sept. 2000: 26. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8
Oct. 2015.
3. Zissou, Rebecca. “Fair play: should college athletes get paid?” Junior Scholastic/Current
Events 9 Dec. 2013: 15+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
4. Farrey, Tom. "Northwestern Players Denied Request to Form First Union for Athletes."
ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
5. Gaines, Cork. "The 20 Colleges That Make The Most Money On Sports."Business Insider.
Business Insider, Inc, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
6. "Division II Athletics Expenses." NCAA.org. N.p., 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
7. Normand, Travis. "How Strong Are the Cougs' TV Ties?" Bleacher Report. N.p., 5 Mar. 2012.
Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
8. Simzak, Michael. "Bowling for Dollars: Should College Athletes Be Paid?"The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
9. McCauley, Kieran. "College Athletes Shouldn’t Be Paid." College Athletes Shouldn’t Be
Paid. Daily Local News, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
10. Merkle, Andrew. "NCAA Would Be Making Mistake by Paying Athletes." The State News.
N.p., 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
11. "2015 Michigan Football Roster." Official Roster. University of Michigan Athletics, 2015.
Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
12. "2015 Football Roster." Saint Augustine's University Falcons, 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.