College sports, such as men’s football and basketball, generate millions of dollars for there institutions. In 2014, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) reported $989 million dollars in revenue (NCAA, 2013-14 Financial Statement, NCAA.ORG). However only a small portion of this money goes to the student athlete in the form of scholarships. This raises the question, since these athletes are making all this money for their collegiate institutions should they not get a part of the revenue they create? The NCAA was originally formed in 1906 to draw up competition and eligibility rules for intercollegiate sports. As college athletics grew the NCAA started creating rules committees and conducting national championships. These national
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The student athletes on the other hand receive very little for their performances. The athlete benefits fall into three categories, full scholarships, partial scholarships, or none. Full scholarships cover tuition and fees, along with room, board, and course-related books. The NCAA, however, caps scholarships below the price tag of every school, leaving the full scholarship player with an average scholarship deficit of $3222 per year. Partial scholarships cover part of the cost of college and can increase and decrease from year to year depending on athletic performance. The athletes that receive no aid must pay for everything out of pocket. A recent study found that a college football player at the university of Texas is worth, on average, $578,000, which is more than fifteen times the amount the University of Texas spends on each player at the school ($37,000)(CHART: The Average University Of Texas Football Player Is Worth $578,000). Even for athletes with full scholarships, basic needs are sometimes gone without, due to stipulations in the amateurism policy. In a press conference after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Shabazz Napier revealed that he was forced to go hungry on many nights because he had no money and his school limited his …show more content…
This is more hours than a normal employees fulltime workweek. Athlete’s sports schedules allow very little time for academic success or to hold a part time job. These are the two major issues being brought up by athletes, graduating with a degree they can use and getting a portion of the money they generate for their school. Some coaches discourage students from taking on hard majors because it may interfere with their sport. The University of North Carolina went as far as to make fake “paper classes” in which advisors would sign athletes up to keep them eligible to play without actually participating in a class. This allowed the student athletes more time to focus on their particular sport and in turn make there college more money. The University and the NCAA has been reprimanded for this fraudulent behavior but the student athletes who graduated with a “fake “ degree are the ones who have had to suffer the
The student athletes on the other hand receive very little for their performances. The athlete benefits fall into three categories, full scholarships, partial scholarships, or none. Full scholarships cover tuition and fees, along with room, board, and course-related books. The NCAA, however, caps scholarships below the price tag of every school, leaving the full scholarship player with an average scholarship deficit of $3222 per year. Partial scholarships cover part of the cost of college and can increase and decrease from year to year depending on athletic performance. The athletes that receive no aid must pay for everything out of pocket. A recent study found that a college football player at the university of Texas is worth, on average, $578,000, which is more than fifteen times the amount the University of Texas spends on each player at the school ($37,000)(CHART: The Average University Of Texas Football Player Is Worth $578,000). Even for athletes with full scholarships, basic needs are sometimes gone without, due to stipulations in the amateurism policy. In a press conference after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Shabazz Napier revealed that he was forced to go hungry on many nights because he had no money and his school limited his …show more content…
This is more hours than a normal employees fulltime workweek. Athlete’s sports schedules allow very little time for academic success or to hold a part time job. These are the two major issues being brought up by athletes, graduating with a degree they can use and getting a portion of the money they generate for their school. Some coaches discourage students from taking on hard majors because it may interfere with their sport. The University of North Carolina went as far as to make fake “paper classes” in which advisors would sign athletes up to keep them eligible to play without actually participating in a class. This allowed the student athletes more time to focus on their particular sport and in turn make there college more money. The University and the NCAA has been reprimanded for this fraudulent behavior but the student athletes who graduated with a “fake “ degree are the ones who have had to suffer the