A paid student-athlete could be free from financial distress. What about earning good grades and positioning oneself for the competitive job market? Divisions II and III of the NCAA followed suit and the changes went into effect for all three divisions on July 1, 2021. Similarly, will compensation take into account talent? Student athletes and their parents have likely heard that the NCAA has opened the door to allow collegiate athletes the ability to profit off their name, image and likeness. The average athletic scholarship is roughly $18,000. White People? Before we dive into the debate over paying student-athletes, let's be clear about the NCAA's position. Takeaway: College athletes learn less than regular students. Do You Want to Find College Student Jobs? Currently, the government is working with lawyers, psychologists, philosophers, economists, and many geniuses to one day improve if not finally decide which is the right choice: to pay student-athletes or not. No longer would fit, college, university reputation, and values factor into their college decisionsrather, choices would be made simply based on who was offering the most money. From a students point of view, paying college athletes will alter their college experience. rules, Duke is not compensating Williamson, an 18-year-old freshman, beyond a scholarship and the related costs of studying at, and playing for, the university. In fiscal year 2019, the collective expenses of the 65 Power Five schoolsthe largest and richest Division I schools in the NCAAexceeded revenue by $7 million. In Cowherds words: I dont think paying all college athletes is great Not every college is loaded, and most 19-year-olds [are] gonna spend itand lets be honest, theyre gonna spend it on weed and kicks! Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. Giving them what they deserve right? 2021, the NCAA was composed of [n]early half a million college athletes [who] make up the 19,886 teams that send more than 57,661 participants to compete each year in the NCAAs 90 championships in 24 sports across 3 divisions.. WebThe average college receives around 95 million dollars per season. At 6 feet 7 inches and 285 pounds, Williamson, a freshman basketball player at Duke University, is impressing fans with his combination of size, strength and leaping ability. But California was quickly followed by more states. The same 60% now agree that college athletes need monetary compensation. That is how the college sports economy works, even as Duke; its conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference; television networks; and, of course, Nike, the apparel company that sponsors Duke and made the shoe that so spectacularly ripped apart, reap billions of dollars from the efforts and talents of preprofessional athletes like Williamson. Is the third-string left guard worth as much as the starting quarterback? In contrast, the likelihood of an NCAA athlete earning a college degree is significantly greater; graduation success rates are 86% in Division I, 71% in Division II and 87% in Division III. [34]. Governor of California Gavin Newsom, stated, Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. Just 1.6% of college football players will take an NFL field. Athletes Shouldn't Be Paid," about the NCAA's decision to allow college WebThe NCAA has long contended that players are "student-athletes," not employees. He walked off the court, and did not return. Have you heard of the salary controversy regarding college athletes? 1, 2021), Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg, NCAA Delays Vote to Change College Athlete Compensation Rules, espn.com, Jan. 11, 2021, Sarah Polus, NCAA Tables Name, Image and Likeness Vote after DOJ Warns of Potential Antitrust Violations, thehill.com, Jan. 12, 2021, Adam Liptak, Supreme Court to Rule on N.C.A.A. Just because there are rules prohibiting the compensation of college athletes doesnt mean it doesnt happen, and over the years there have been numerous scandals. As always, there are two sides to any argument. In other words, it would be more prudent and more profitable for college athletes to focus on education as their compensation. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. WebShould College Athletes Be Paid? 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 If a majority of these college athletes, who are bringing in staggering amounts of money to these schools were white, would this even be a conversation? As of June 10, 2021, 18 states have passed NIL laws; five more states have passed bills that were awaiting the governors signature to become law; 14 states have introduced NIL bills; and one state has a bill passed by the Senate and awaiting a House vote, according to the Business of College Sports. "This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image, and likeness opportunities," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. Programs like football and mens basketball would likely benefit greatly, but smaller, unprofitable sports such as gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling could find themselves at best cash-strapped and, at the worst, cut altogether. Among whites, however, the numbers flip: Just 27% support paying those athletes, while 43% oppose it.. 7, 2018, Steve Berkowitz, NCAA President Mark Emmert Credited with $2.7 Million in Total Pay for 2018 Calendar Year, usatoday.com, June 2, 2020, USA Today, NCAA Salaries, usatoday.com, Nov. 17, 2020, Ian McMahan, Athletes Are Paying the Physical Price of Playing College Sports, si.com, Oct. 31, 2017, Azmatullah Hussaini and Jules Lipoff, Op-Ed: COVID-19 Is Making the NCAAs Exploitation of Student-Athletes Even More Obvious, latimes.com, June 23, 2020, Meghan Walsh, 'I Trusted 'Em': When NCAA Schools Abandon Their Injured Athletes, theatlantic.com, May 1, 2013, Jon Solomon, The History Behind the Debate over Paying NCAA Athletes, aspeninstitute.org, Apr. Not So Much. These also happen to be the highest revenue-generating sports in college athletics. The Supreme Court heard arguments on Mar. Then there's the newly proposed College Athlete Economic Freedom Act, which would allow student-athletes to unionize and earn money off their likeness, name, and image. A handful of big He holds a master's degree from Columbia University and a 2023 BestColleges.com, a Red Ventures Company, The Public Ivies, Little Ivies, and Other Ivy League Equivalents, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, long-term effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, proportionate opportunities for scholarships, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It could lower tuition rates. Looking for more debate, speech, or essay topics? On a crisp Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan is set to battle its archrival, The Ohio State University, for gridiron supremacy in the Big Ten Conference and perhaps a shot at the national championship. Sports' considerable time commitment cuts into students' study time. An N.B.A. WebWhy College Athletes Should Not Be Paid Compensation Conundrum. Former ESPN, and current FOX Sports, personality Colin Cowherd made news in 2014 when he voiced a popular argument against paying college athletes: financial irresponsibility. But I do find it interesting as to why so many are widely opposed to this idea. Is it racial? Here Are Some Pros and Cons HuffPost, Should College Athletes Be Paid? A 2009-2010 CDC report found that more than 210,000 injuries are sustained by NCAA student-athletes each year. Feldman explained, That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. African Americans make up the majority of college athletes at the top levels in three major sports: mens and womens basketball (Division I) and the upper FBS level of the NCAAs Division I, according to Travis Waltons HuffPost article Black Americans Support Paying College Athletes. As of June 10, 2021, 18 states have passed NIL laws; five more states have passed bills that were awaiting the governors signature to become law; 14 states have introduced NIL bills; and one state has a bill passed by the Senate and awaiting a House vote, according to the Business of College Sports. The ruling changed the broadcast regulations for college football. Managing Editor The opportunity cost of not working is considerable. All of this begs the question, that if the NCAA did choose to pay college athletes, what would be the advantages or disadvantages of doing so? Student-athletes are students first and foremost, attending college primarily to receive an education and secondarily to compete in their sport. Paying college athletes will likely not totally eliminate corruption from college sports, but putting athletes in a less-precarious financial position would be a good step toward avoiding external influence, especially when you consider some of the players involved in the University of Toledo point-shaving scandal were paid as little as $500. For example, will the star quarterback receive the same amount as the backup catcher on the softball team? What determines how much each player should earn? Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated, traditions alone cannot justify the NCAAs decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated. To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, discussion questions, and ways to take action on the issue of paying college athletes, go to ProCon.org. If college athletes get paid, they will be more in control of their subjects. UNC athletes will be able to earn money for NIL marketing including UNC trademarks and logos in groups of three or more athletes. Full scholarship itself is a misnomer; the same study found that the average annual scholarship for FBS athletes on full scholarships was actually $3,222. CollegeVine can help! The age-old debate over whether college athletes should get paid is still alive and well. Perhaps the earliest group to examine the quandary was Andrew Carnegies Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which produced a mammoth study in 1929 of amateur athletes and the profits they generate for their universities. And that doesn't include income from broadcasting rights and corporate sponsorships. - SmartAsset College athletes work hard and make lots of money for their colleges. A seriously injured athlete could lose their scholarship (which is guaranteed only for one year at a time), jeopardize their opportunity to play professionally and potentially earn millions, or even face lifelong disability if the damage is permanent. [28]. As university leaders wait patiently for federal guidelines promising to corral some of the chaos, the free market will continue to dictate individual and institutional fortunes. A likely scenario would involve universities cutting minor sports to pay athletes competing in the marquee sports. Its just not less-popular sports that paying athletes could threatenwomens programs could also find themselves in the crosshairs of budget-conscious administrators. Tuition shortfalls amount to thousands of dollars per year and leave about 85% of players to live below the poverty line. [31], If students were paid, the NCAA argues, many colleges and universities would have to offer fewer scholarships and the remaining scholarships would be distributed unfairly to top football and mens basketball players because those two sports bring in the most revenue. Students, read the entire article, then tell us: Do you think college athletes should be paid? Similarly, if a team improves its win total by five games in a season, alumni donations go up 28%. Universities best positioned to pay athletes top dollar would win bidding wars and recruiting battles against institutions with limited budgets. As he planted a foot to reverse direction, his left sneaker collapsed and tore apart from the sheer torque of the move. We explore the pros and cons and conclude that college students have a right to be paid. Like other college students, athletes need spending money. The NBA requires players to be at least 19 and a year out of high school, while the NFL requires players to be three years out of high school. Respondents were split 50/50 in a June 1, 2021 New York Times survey about whether the NCAA strictly limiting paid compensation is constitutional. When college scholarships are non-existent, student-athletes may prefer to play simply because of the pay that comes with it. [47], By Jan. 2022, without a clear NIL structure from the NCAA, some schools were questioning how to navigate deals for players or whole teams without violating NCAA policy. In 41 states, the highest-paid public employee is a football or basketball coach. Limits corruption from external influences Compensating athletes in college will limit the corruption involving agents, boosters and others. [25] [26], If college players earned about 50% of their teams revenues like the NFL and NBA players do, the average football players yearly salary would be $360,000 and the average basketball players yearly salary would be $500,000. For example, a student athlete will be compensated for the sale of a jersey featuring their name, or for a sponsorship deal in which they appear wearing a UNC jersey. Some argue that paying student-athletes will make way for a more transparent usage of NCAAs revenue. If you were Williamson, would you continue playing for Duke this season and risk injury? Without them, sponsors would be scarce, and funding for facilities that would benefit the entire student body would be subpar or non-existent. Others will mimic as they try to keep up but eventually will fall short in trying to outbid Auburn University, Florida State, the University of Southern California or the University of Texas in the college player arms race. [33], The reality is that the vast majority of college athletes will never play professionally. Compensating athletes for their contribution would only be fair. With March Madness less than a month away, his injury has revived an age-old question: Should college athletes be paid? and shoe companies like Nike are taking advantage of college athletes like Williamson? Should they receive more because they were All-Americans? We're far more savvy today about concussions and the long-term effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). On Feb. 20, less than a minute into a nationally televised game against archrival North Carolina, Williamson injured his right knee when one of his Nike sneakers exploded. (Watch here to see what happened to the shoe.) Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admissionand how to improve them. WebPro According to N.C.A.A. WebHere are Main Pros and Cons of College Athletes Be Paid Pros of paying college athletes Motivates to be more beneficial: Rewarding school competitors and obviously, their Panel Recommends," nytimes.com, June 28, 2021, Alan Blinder, "College Athletes May Earn Money from Their Fame, N.C.A.A. Analyze the argument that paying athletes would ruin college sports from Cody J. McDavis, former college basketball player. A New York Times study found a 0.20-point difference in average GPA between recruited male athletes and non-athletes. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Explain your answer(s). [1] As of Mar. And ever since that 1984 decision, courts have been relying on that language to try to interpret antitrust law applies to all NCAA restrictions, including player compensation., On June 21, 2021, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the NCAA cannot ban certain payments to student athletes under the premise of maintaining amateurism. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated, traditions alone cannot justify the NCAAs decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated. While the Court's decision doesn't necessarily permit colleges to pay athletes salaries, it does allow them to compensate students for "education-related benefits" including paid internships, study abroad programs, tutoring computers, equipment, and graduate scholarships. That is, should Williamson elect to return. I mean the bottom line is, isnt this what they deserve for their labor? 1. 2. "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons." That means all of its income should be spent on collegiate sports organizations. Nathan Brunner is a labor market expert. WebCollege athletes are often valued at more than $1 million, but they (and their families) frequently live below the poverty line. WebAccording to the same article, A majority 52% of black respondents are strongly or somewhat in favor of paying college athletes, while only 15% strongly or somewhat 8, 2020, Steve Goldstein, Nine out of 10 New Jobs Are Going to Those with a College Degree, marketwatch.com, June 5, 2018, Gallup, A Study of NCAA Student-Athletes: Undergraduate Experiences and Post-College Outcomes, gallup.com, 2020, Greta Anderson, Study: College Athletes Have Better Academic, Life Outcomes, insiderhighered.com, June 24, 2020, Griffin Connolly, Wealth distribution is bad except when it comes to college athletes' money, top Republican senator suggests, theindependent.co.uk, Sep. 15, 2020, B. David Ridpath, A Path Forward for Reforming College Sports, jamesgmartin.center, Jan. 15, 2020, Molly Hensley-Clancy, NCAA Vows to Improve Conditions at Womens Basketball Tournament, as Outcry Continues, washingtonpost.com, Mar. , they will be more in control of their subjects, let 's be clear the. 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