Amateurism or Capitalism: A Practical Approach to Paying College Athletes
I. Introduction:
On April 7, 2014, the University of Connecticut (UCONN) men’s basketball team was poised to reach their goal of a national championship. The AT&T Stadium was packed with 79,000 fans who paid an average of about $500 to watch the Final Four games. CBS cameras were setting up on the sidelines; the network paid approximately about $800,000,000 a year for the media rights to show the NCAA Tournament on its platform. UCONN’s Shabazz Napier was preparing for the biggest night of his entire career when a reporter brought up the topic of paying collegiate athletes. Napier responded, “we as student athletes are utilized for what we do so well, and we’re definitely …show more content…
Yet the only compensation they see is in the form of academic scholarship. There are also many college athletes that endure the same rigorous schedules but aren't in the same spotlight as Napier and those like him. Those athletes that attend smaller schools and do not generate billions of dollars like their division I counterparts endure similarly hectic schedules and grueling work requirements. These athletes also deserve compensation for their hard work and the commitment they offer to their college institutions. Further, the social justice implications and the antitrust issues surrounding this issue strongly favor the idea that college athletes deserve to be paid. The NCAA’s amateurism regulation exploits collegiate athletes and violates antitrust laws, specifically the Sherman Act. Therefore, the NCAA should require its member colleges to allow athletes to be paid royalties through endorsements, merchandise, media that uses their name, image, or likeness, and all college athletes should qualify under the federal work study program and receive payment as a school employee if the athlete’s compensation from his/her NIL is less than the revenue that would be earned through the work study …show more content…
Although this may be true, it does not fully address the whole picture. The NCAA is a nonprofit institution and therefore is incentivized to spend all its earnings. This is not a bad thing, but it does illustrate that just because the NCAA spends a lot of money does not indicate that what it spends its money on cannot be changed. What this means is that the money is there, it now is only a matter of deciding whether the NCAA should pay the athletes, and if so the question becomes how.
III. Issue One: Should College Athletes Be Paid: The initial question that must be answered is whether college athletes deserve monetary compensation in the first place. Many believe that scholarships are an adequate form of compensation and to take the next step into monetary compensation would have negative effects on the NCAA and its players. However, the arguments in favor of paying the athletes is a much more compelling one due to the workload and schedule that athletes endure as well as the social justice and antitrust issues that surround the
I. Introduction:
On April 7, 2014, the University of Connecticut (UCONN) men’s basketball team was poised to reach their goal of a national championship. The AT&T Stadium was packed with 79,000 fans who paid an average of about $500 to watch the Final Four games. CBS cameras were setting up on the sidelines; the network paid approximately about $800,000,000 a year for the media rights to show the NCAA Tournament on its platform. UCONN’s Shabazz Napier was preparing for the biggest night of his entire career when a reporter brought up the topic of paying collegiate athletes. Napier responded, “we as student athletes are utilized for what we do so well, and we’re definitely …show more content…
Yet the only compensation they see is in the form of academic scholarship. There are also many college athletes that endure the same rigorous schedules but aren't in the same spotlight as Napier and those like him. Those athletes that attend smaller schools and do not generate billions of dollars like their division I counterparts endure similarly hectic schedules and grueling work requirements. These athletes also deserve compensation for their hard work and the commitment they offer to their college institutions. Further, the social justice implications and the antitrust issues surrounding this issue strongly favor the idea that college athletes deserve to be paid. The NCAA’s amateurism regulation exploits collegiate athletes and violates antitrust laws, specifically the Sherman Act. Therefore, the NCAA should require its member colleges to allow athletes to be paid royalties through endorsements, merchandise, media that uses their name, image, or likeness, and all college athletes should qualify under the federal work study program and receive payment as a school employee if the athlete’s compensation from his/her NIL is less than the revenue that would be earned through the work study …show more content…
Although this may be true, it does not fully address the whole picture. The NCAA is a nonprofit institution and therefore is incentivized to spend all its earnings. This is not a bad thing, but it does illustrate that just because the NCAA spends a lot of money does not indicate that what it spends its money on cannot be changed. What this means is that the money is there, it now is only a matter of deciding whether the NCAA should pay the athletes, and if so the question becomes how.
III. Issue One: Should College Athletes Be Paid: The initial question that must be answered is whether college athletes deserve monetary compensation in the first place. Many believe that scholarships are an adequate form of compensation and to take the next step into monetary compensation would have negative effects on the NCAA and its players. However, the arguments in favor of paying the athletes is a much more compelling one due to the workload and schedule that athletes endure as well as the social justice and antitrust issues that surround the