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Shervin Mirshab
Dr. Abigail Heiniger
Composition
12/9/2014
A Case for College Athletic Reconstruction
As one of the oldest, and most prestigious sports associations, the National Collegiate
Athletic Association or NCAA never fails to spark controversy. Founded in 1906 by the great
Theodore Roosevelt, the NCAA was formed to protect student-athletes. At the primary stages,
the system worked and was beneficiary to both parties, but as time has progressed, and college
athletics has grown, the system has not changed. Now the system is outdated and needs
reconstruction, with the most discussed aspect being the payment of college athletes. College
athletics should be reconstructed because of the growth of college athletics, the NCAA’s
profound control of college athletes, and restructuring would lead to further growth.
Part of the American dream is to be able to capitalize monetarily by hard work and
dedication; however, the
NCAA has neglected to allow
college athletes to do so.
College athletics has grown
from a crowd of students
watching and attending a
game, to national
prominence. In fact, according
to Eric Chemi of Bloomberg Business Week, since the year 2000, the revenue of big time college
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sports programs has almost tripled. With billions of dollars going to the NCAA and colleges
each year, it is safe to say that college sports is at an all-time high. In 2013 combined sales of
college football and college basketball tickets surpassed ticket sales of the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
Even college sports apparel has grown into a 4.6 billion dollar business. With the growth of
college sports, everyone seems to benefit, except the athletes.
When the NCAA was drafted
in 1906, there was no such thing as
the television, and the radio was at
an extremely primitive stage. The
writers of the NCAA constitution
could not have been able to predict
the growth of sports and the money
produced by the media. Recently,
ESPN signed a contract with the NCAA for the right to televise the new College Football Playoff.
The deal is a 12 year deal worth $500,000,000 a year. There are a total of 3 college football
playoff games each year, so that means each game is worth approximately $167,000,000.
Media money doesn’t just come from big games either; according to Ty Duffy of
thebiglead.com, Johnny Manziel’s Heisman winning year (award for best college football player)
earned the school $37,000,000 in media exposure, and none of that money went to Johnny
Manziel. All of this money produced by individuals and the team go toward the school, the
NCAA and coaches. Universities know that college football is a great cash cow, it produces so
much money that Forbes Magazine’s Marc Edelman points out “in 40 out of the 50 states, the
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highest paid public official is the head coach of a state university’s football team” (Edelman 2).
The constitution needs to be restructured because this growth benefits everyone but the
athletes.
The United States economic philosophy is based on the principle of supply and demand.
College athletes provide a product that is small in supply, and in great demand, but are
restricted from receiving their share of the money. The main reason college athletes are not
allowed to profit from their school or name is because the NCAA classifies student athletes as
“amateurs.” In "Markets Cartel Behavior and Amateurism in College Sports" (winter 2007)
Lawrence Kahn calls the NCAA a cartel because the NCAA takes advantage of college athletes by
calling them “amateurs,” but at the same time profit millions of dollars from their “amateur”
status by forcing them to play nationally televised games and signing multiple endorsements
and sponsorships with companies (Kahn 2). In the early 1900s, these players were amateurs
because they played the sport on the side of being a student. Now, being a Division I college
athlete has truly become a full time job. According to Chris Isidore of CNN.com, athletes spend
40-50 hours a week practicing and doing other sports related stuff during the season of their
respective sport (Isidore 1). The term “student-athlete” no longer applies to college athletes
because they are athletes before students. Every year college basketball players miss at least a
week of class in order to play in the NCAA tournament. Rather than working around the
athlete’s schedule, the NCAA works on the schedule of primetime TV and what makes the most
money.
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College football and basketball players are not brought to the school in order to study,
they are brought there to play their sport. Most college football and basketball players would
not get admitted into the school if it wasn’t for the sport. In fact recent scandals show that
schools actually provide sham classes for athletes to take in order for them remain eligible.
Schools such as North Carolina provided sham classes that athletes didn’t have to attend with
only one grade that was a paper turned in at the end of the semester. These papers weren’t
even written by the student-athlete; rather their tutors wrote the paper. Former Jim Boeheim,
the coach of the Syracuse Orange basketball team praises former Syracuse player Carmelo
Anthony for his mediocre grades in his book “Bleeding Orange.” (November 2014) Boeheim
says “He made four C’s and a D in his first semester, and if anyone wants to roll his eyes at that,
plenty of freshman who aren’t carrying a basketball team on their back do a lot worse,”
(Boeheim 196). According to Boeheim, his subpar mediocre grades were justified because of
basketball, but the NCAA calls athletes “student-athletes” meaning that the student comes first.
A 1.8 GPA does not come from somebody who is a student first.
To this day a college athlete is limited by the NCAA to only have 3 meals a day because
more than 3 meals is considered “payment.” It is so strict that the NCAA will allow coaches to
give a recruit a bagel, but not cream cheese because the NCAA considers cream cheese as
excessive and payment (Nocera 1). Players who violate the strict rules set forth by the NCAA get
suspended and may lose their scholarship; and schools may be sanctioned for their part in the
violations. Players are also not allowed to sign endorsement deals with any company’s because
it is against the NCAA rules. Yet the NCAA, the schools, and coaches all have the ability to sign
endorsement deals and sponsorships. It is unfair because players are the ones who generate all
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of the media exposure. There is a huge double standard in college sports; the NCAA is allowed
to show player faces and names in advertisements, but the players are not allowed be on
commercials of their own. The 108 year old NCAA constitution is unsurprisingly out of date; at
the time it was drafted nobody saw this sort of increase in popularity and revenue. It is only
natural that the NCAA constitution be revised.
The growth of college sports effects multiple industries. From local restaurants to
international companies, college sports impact both. Restructuring the NCAA would not only
benefit athletes, but benefit the college athletics as a whole, and multiple industries. By
allowing college athletes to accept sponsorships and endorsements, the athlete would make
more money, the NCAA would make more money, and other businesses would make more
money. If players were allowed to be on commercials, national exposure of college sports
would increase. When Johnny Manziel was finally allowed to sell his jersey (NCAA restricts
selling of jerseys) it quickly became the number 1 most sold NFL jersey (Rovell 1). In "Big Men
on Campus: Estimating the Economic Impact of College Sports on Local Economies" (May 2008)
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Robert Baade and Robert Baumann both believe that allowing players to profit off of their
name would bring in more money into college athletics due to the fact that more exposure for
college athletics would lead to more recognition and a deeper connection to college sports as a
whole (Baade, Baumann 2).
College athletics doesn’t only affect businesses. In "Intercollegiate Athletics and Student
College Choice: Exploring the Impact of Championship Seasons on Undergraduate Applications"
(Spring 1998), Michael Cross and Douglass Toma did a study on the impact of successful
seasons in college sports and undergraduate admissions. The results showed that not only did
undergraduate applications increase significantly, but the quality of applicants increased
significantly (Cross, Toma 4). Marc Edelman of Forbes Magazine points out that “Patrick Ewing’s
basketball performance during the 1982-83 NCAA season helped generate a 47% increase in
undergraduate applications and a forty-point rise in freshman SAT scores during the following
admissions cycle at Georgetown” (Edelman 2). This shows that athletics prove to affect more
than just the pockets of the school, it also impacts the quantity and quality of students applying
for said school. Restructuring the NCAA’s current system would allow for the athletes to also be
able to earn some of the money they profit the school.
Points of Change Wanted:
-
Remove restrictions on food for athletes
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Why? Because athletes (especially football players and basketball players) are very large
people. They need much more food than the normal person in order to accommodate
for their workouts and large bodies.
-
Allow athletes to sign endorsement deals and sponsorships (not have colleges pay
players directly).
Why? Because college athletes have limited marketability and deserve compensation
for their efforts. Players are swarmed by the media 24/7, leading to media money for
the school and the NCAA. If players are relevant enough to warrant media attention,
they should be allowed to endorse a product to earn some extra money. Many college
athletes come from broken homes without much money, and even though the
scholarships pay for most necessities, some things come from the pockets of the
athletes.
-
Appoint a group of individuals who meet yearly to discuss possible changes in the NCAA
system. These people should not be employees of the NCAA, rather a group of people
with experience in the business fields and completely neutral views (sort of like a board
of trustees)
Why? Because they could monitor whether the NCAA is being fair, or if things need to
be changed within the NCAA.
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-
Major revenue earning sports should be able to unionize and have a union leader.
Why? Because right now in college sports there is nobody that fights for or protects the
interests of the college athletes. Unions would be able to fight unfair jurisdictions and
other issues concerning athletes.
Counterarguments:
Many would argue against the restructuring of the NCAA system with arguments like:
1. The system has worked, why change it?
2. Allowing college athletes to get paid would eliminate competitiveness
3. Why don’t colleges pay the players?
4. College athletes should wait until the professional level to sign endorsements and
get paid.
5. Isn’t an education enough of a reward for athletes?
Rebuttals to counterarguments:
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1. The system has actually not worked well. To this day scandals and other forms of
cheating plagues the NCAA. From the infamous SMU Mustangs team who had a
payroll system for their players, to USC paying Reggie Bush, to the countless
autograph scandals, it is safe to say the system is quite flawed. According to
"Point/counterpoint: Paying College Athletes" by Dennis Johnson and John
Acquaviva “In a study of 3,500 former college football players 41.6% of players
admitted to receiving under the table payments” (Acquaviva Johnson 4). This
proves that the rules don’t stop players from getting paid in the current system,
and while some follow the rules, others do not.
2. From my research allowing college athletes to get paid would NOT eliminate
competitiveness. It may actually increase competitiveness because players
would have more of an incentive to play well. If one looks at sports at the
professional level they would notice that competitiveness INCREASES.
3. Colleges should not pay their
players directly because not all
athletic departments make
profit. Forbes.com’s list of
athletic department revenue
shows that only 53% of athletic
departments make a profit. The
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reason for the small profits is because athletic departments spend profits from
major sports on other smaller sports such as tennis. Funding and scholarships for
the various other sports offered by an institution come from the profit earning
sports.
4. Successful college athletes skill sets sometimes do not translate to the
professional level. Players such as Heisman award winner (award for the best
college football player) Troy Smith did not get drafted and never started an NFL
game. However, his marketability in college was very high and he could’ve signed
deals during college that could’ve earned him money.
5. There is no denying the importance of a college education. However these
athletes earn the schools much more than the value of tuition. Also, being an
athlete doesn’t enhance the educational experience for athletes such as Division
I football and basketball players; it actually takes away from it because the
length of practices and traveling make players miss classes. Colleges don’t value
education more than sports, it is obvious due to the large sums of money spent
on coaches and trainers and the continuing of letting less than mediocre
students participate in athletics.
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Steps To Take in Order to Reform NCAA:
1. Remove the current system of the NCAA.
2. Allow Division I players and conferences to choose a leader that represents their
demands.
3. Set up a meeting and attempt to negotiate a deal that favors both sides equally.
4. Restructure college football, basketball, and other major sports games to fit better
within player schedules
5. Reelect NCAA officials and develop a board of trustees
6. Allow teams to unionize
7. Create a checks and balances system in order to maintain balance of power between
players, board, and NCAA officials.
8. Redraft the NCAA constitution.
The NCAA system has slugged through the past 108 years, but right now is the time to
reform. It may be easy for us as fans to accept the fact that many college athletes get exploited
by the NCAA, but put yourself in their shoes. Rules and regulations plague an NCAA athlete’s
life; and scandals have tarnished the NCAA’s reputation since the start. It is part of the
American dream to be rewarded for your efforts and tribulations and these athletes are no
different than the rest of us. They provide a product and people want this this product, it’s the
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cornerstone of US economics (supply and demand). Take in consideration all of the point made
in this and stop supporting this corrupt system.
Sources:
Acquaviva, John and Dennis A. Johnson "Point/counterpoint: Paying College Athletes." Health
Reference Center - Academic. Gale, Winter 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
Baade, Robert A., Robert W. Baumann, and Victor A. Matheson. "Big Men on Campus:
Estimating the Economic Impact of College Sports on Local Economies."ABI/INFORM
Archive. ProQuest, May 2008. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
Boeheim, Jim, and Jack McCallum. Bleeding Orange: Fifty Years of Blind Referees, Screaming
Fans, Beasts of the East, and Syracuse Basketball. N.p.: Triumph, 2011. Print.
Chemi, Eric. "The Amazing Growth in College Football Revenues." Bloomberg Business Week.
Bloomberg, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Cross, Michael E., and Douglass J. Toma. "INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND STUDENT COLLEGE
CHOICE: Exploring the Impact of Championship Seasons on Undergraduate
Applications." JSTOR. Springer, Spring 1998. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
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Duffy, Ty. "Johnny Manziel Heisman Run Generated $37 Million in Media Exposure For Texas
A&M." The Big Lead. N.p., 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
Edelman, Marc. "21 Reasons Why Student-Athletes Are Employees And Should Be Allowed To
Unionize." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
Gaines, Cork. "CHART: The Most Profitable College Sports Teams." Business Insider. Business
Insider, Inc, 03 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Isodore, Chris. "Why Being a College Athlete Is a Full-time Job." CNNMoney. Cable News Network,
31 Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Kahn, Lawrence M. "Markets Cartel Behavior and Amateurism in College Sports."ABI/INFORM.
OCLC, Winter 2007. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
Nocera, Joe. "The Stupidest N.C.A.A. Rule." Joe Nocera The Stupidest NCAA Rule Comments. New
York Times, 17 Feb. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Rovell, Darren. "Johnny Manziel's No. 2 Leads sales." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 21 July
2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.