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Brandon Williams
English 112
Ms. Douglas
6 November 2014
Round Table Essay

Is the big shame in college sports today the fact that student athletes are not receiving any
monetary value for their role at that University? Time after time we hear stories about college
athletes sneaking in money and profiting under the radar. Each time its a different story and the
media portrays these college athletes as if they are ultimately in the wrong. The NCAA
(National College Athletic Association) is really who is in the wrong. There are so many college
athletes who generate large amounts of money towards private companies and their colleges.
Big time college sports such as basketball and football are fully commercialized and each year
billions of dollars flow through because of these young unpaid athletes. Many would agree to
just pay these guys, but then a different perspective is brought up. Paying student athletes would
destroy the appeal of college sports. Paying athletes will ultimately result in weak moral
principles and a loss of integrity. Therefore it should stay the same and student athletes should
not be paid. After all, student athletes who receive scholarship money would be counted as a
paid athlete. The reason being, scholarships given to student athletes cover tuition, fees, room,
board, and textbooks (Block). Some athletes receive scholarships that cover only a number of
those expenses but the majority still receive more than enough aid.

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When we take a look at why college athletes should be paid, there a number of scandals
in the past that have brought us to the conclusion that we should pay them already before any
more cases get brought up. Cases that could lead to problems for the NCAA. For example, back
in 2010 the NCAA learned about the University of Southern Carolina star running back Reggie
Bush and his family received improper benefits by an agent to an estimated amount of
$300,000 in violation of the NCAA rules. Also some allegations included receiving free airfare
and limousine rides, a car and a rent free home in San Diego. As for making headlines, it was
not long before Reggie was stripped of his Heisman Trophy award he had won in 2005 and his
2004 national title. Another scandal that made national news involved Auburn University
football star Quarterback Cam Newton. An incident where his father allegedly used a recruiter
to seek up to $180,000 from Mississippi State in exchange for enrollment at that University back
in 2010 (Branch) The list continues to grow and sports writers continue to express their outrage.
The real outrage should not be that students are illegally getting paid or recruited, but that these
students are being exploited for their skills.
For some people, college athletes are amateurs who should not be compensated in any
way other than the free education. Decades ago when college football teams were limited to two
television appearances a season and the tradition of the athletes was to play for the glory of their
family. Today it would be normal for a schools regular season games to be televised each and
every week. Televised games means contracts, and contracts bring in money. All the athletes
can do is sit and watch their school rack up millions of dollars from televised revenue. Seems
like there would be a point in time where these guys said enough is enough. Although most
college athletes know their playing days end in college, they can go on having the satisfaction of
playing at a college level against possible professional athletes (Editorial). The game has always

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been played this way and todays society is taking a turn to play the game for money rather than
the love of the game.
The skills of college athletes make it possible for fans to admire the number of amateur
sports. These athletes are amateurs and not employees of their universities according to an
NRLB (National Labor Relations Board) director regarding Northwestern University football
players. Young men and women playing sports for money is not so bad. If Northwestern
players come together or unionize, it is unlikely they will be getting a salary due to the NCAA
rules. Instead they would probably negotiate for improved health care or things employees
would want (Rosenberg). Michigan State law professor Robert McCormick came up with the
question of whether or not players of the Michigan State basketball have attended class in March
of this year. He says and quote how could they? They cant possibly be in class. In 2006
McCormick wrote a paper called The Myth of the Student-Athlete. It ended up receiving an A
plus from a regional office of the NLRB which ruled that scholarship football players at
Northwestern University were in fact employees. Under law they are allowed to unionize.
In the end, giving college student athletes salaries would change college sports and
possibly reduce the amount of money they receive annually. Or it is just morally right to do so
because the NCAA technically states these students are workers. If college athletes were to get
paid, they might focus more on the cash and less on their grades. Then the problem of unfairness
comes in to play as well as certain school handing out different amounts of money to athletes.
For instance, no student is going to reject a scholarship that offers a higher salary than another
college. Therefore, student athletes should be getting paid a salary each year they are playing a
sport, whether that might be golf, track or even cheerleading. They deserve the amount and for
most of them, it takes more effort than a regular job. Dont forget to mention the amount of time

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they need to train and practice as well as travel and compete across their division (Cambio). Also
there is risk of injury from playing and a risk of a travel accident. Schools make their money and
make even more when student athletes put their time into winning a championship. As said
earlier, these guys are just watching the money fly by in to their universitys pockets and arent
getting any of it.

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Works Cited

Block, Molly. "College Athletes Should Not Receive Payment for Playing." The
University Star. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
Branch, Taylor. "The Shame Of College Sports. (Cover Story)." Atlantic 308.3 (2011):
80. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Cambio, AvaKivirist, Liam. "Should College Athletes Be Paid?." Time For Kids (Grades
3-4) 5.4 (2014): 7. MAS Complete. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
"EDITORIAL: College athletes should continue to be rewarded with scholarships."
Lubbock Avalanche Journal (TX) 16 Apr. 2014: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 6 Nov.
2014.
ROSENBERG, MICHAEL. "Workers' Comp." Sports Illustrated 120.14 (2014): 64. MAS
Complete. Web. 6 Nov. 2014

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