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Name: Professor: Course: Date: Why college athletes should be paid The sports industry is extremely diversified made up of segments including professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, health and fitness and recreational sport. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the body in charge of athletic programs. Formed in 1906, the body initially aimed at reducing injury to players. However, with increasing competition amongst colleges and universities post World War 2, it took other roles including regulation of recruitment costs, ensuring stability of athletic programs and media popularization of sports. Through its evolution, the NCAA split into three in competitive divisions, in 1973 -I, II and III, with I and II allowed to give financial aid to students. In 2006, Division I further classified football into Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) made of 126 institutions and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) made of 122 institutions. Furthermore, women sports, according to Title IX amendment to Higher Education Act of 1972 allowing gender equality in sports, came under NCAA (Sanderson & Siegfried, p.117). However, racial representation inequality; lower graduation rates and the issue of compensation of student athletes continue to arouse debates in the NCAA. Black Athletes both men and women dominate high profile sports of football, basketball and track/field events. The two games, football and men’s basketball receive the greatest media attention, television contracts, and corporate sponsorships and attract the greatest number of fans who pay to attend the game and purchase merchandise such as jerseys and other apparel ( Harper, p.3). However, the NCAA’s regulations for college athletes limit player’s potential for career development. NCAA limits opportunity of a college athlete to transfer in case of dissatisfaction with a college by giving coach ability to dictate where the athlete may not enroll, and is required to sit out from playing for a year. Furthermore, NCAA limits the amount that a college athlete can be paid in form of grants-in-aid that covers room, board, tuition, books, and fees (Sanderson & Siegfried, p.127). Student athletes also struggle to obtain academic and athletic success since sports are physically demanding so do higher education, but since their colleges expects wins to continue their scholarship programs; many student athletes ultimately prioritize Sports over education, leading to lower graduation rates for student Athletes (Simiyu, p.53). Therefore, since student follow work ethics code (social media control, how they dress up, conduct in public etc.), are subjected to multiple hours of training and playing, and are a revenue making asset for colleges; they should be compensated like other student workers. College students are made to follow certain rules and procedures unlike other students on campus that is comparative to professional athletes. The key central social environment for student athletes with the greatest influence are the NCAA, coaches and athletic administrators who shape day-to-day life of student athletes (Druckman et al, par.4). However, according to Druckman et al, the NCAA and affiliate universities refuse to recognize play for pay programs terming student athletes as “students who play sports” and any effort to turn student as athletes undermines the role of college in providing education (para.6). Beside controlling students’ academic tutoring ,annual scholarships and day-to-day logistics such as meals and training schedules, some school college coaches regulate student athlete speech on social media platforms-Facebook and Twitter, even when their sport is not in session(Edelman, par.8). Such control extends to student athletes conduct in front of television and public and control of sharing information relating to game plans. Therefore, since students have to go through a cumbersome process of representing themselves as professionals, conducting in a way that is in tandem with institutional policies, they should be considered as formal employees, and compensated. Student athletes put in a lot of time and effort in gaining a spot and playing within the team, taking toll on their academic performance and financials, thus should be compensated.According to Martinez, “Being a college student athlete is a full time job involving juggling between weight room, the field/court, classes and film sessions…” (par.4). Despite college athletics being co-curricular activities, NCAA tournaments are scheduled in periods that require extended periods of missing classes. Eldeman says “a typical Division I college football player devotes 43.2 hours per week to his sport which is 3 more hours for an American worker... The men’s annual NCAA basketball tournament affects more than six class days…” (par.3 &7) This has led to the decline of graduating student athletes as the effort takes toll on their academic life. The greatest beneficiaries of the input effort are not the players however. The NCAA currently generates approximately $11 Billion annually (Eldeman, para. 10) through television contacts, corporate sponsorships and fans who buy tickets and apparel. However, the bulk of the money remains in hands of few coaches, athletic directors and athletic administrators while the players get none. Currently the NCAA policy for compensation of players is through grants in aid that cover most but not all of their college expenses and include room, board, tuition, books and fees (Sanderson & Siegfried, p.127). Meanwhile some coaches have gained a celebrity status and huge compensatory packages in six figure salaries with the median head football coach in the 126 FBS institutions making $1.9 million in 2013 while the head basketball coach made $1.2 million (Sanderson & Siegfried, p.115). The students athletes work hard in the field and court to earn such sports revenues, and while coaches have an influence, the effort and time the students athletes at the expense of academia and extra-time to earn own money justifies the need to pay student athletes. Colleges not only use athletes as brand ambassadors, but also use them a revenue making machines. According to Sanderson & Siegfried, “The financial health of athletic departments depend on demand for TV broadcasts rights… and large, stable game attendance” (p.119). The rise in broadcast rights fees for college football and basketball games is the major income generator with live sports attracting a multitude of advertisers who use players .Most FBS programs also enjoy a large gate attendance from the community, students, alumni and fans from a large geographic base willing to drive for several hours further generating revenues. Most schools also use participation and success in college sports to attract more revenues from increased state funding, private donations and increased applicants and enrollment courtesy of the sports (p.121-22). Since universities make tons of money from its athletics activities all that from the help of those students that take part in such environments, they should get a cut from it in terms of pay or compensation Those against paying student athletes salaries claim that students are actually paid in form of grants and scholarships that cover most college expenses and that college is mainly to further education for future careers not work for pay. Maurice also claim colleges lack enough money to pay coaches, athletic directors and players simultaneously while upgrading sports facilities (par.2). However, this is untrue since the amounts of money teams generate for their institutions. For example, Eldeman says, “the University of Alabama reported $143.3 million in athletic revenues, more than all 30NHL teams and 25 of the 30 NBA teams. Moreover, this money do not go directly to academia, remaining in the “hands of a select few administrators, athletic directors and coaches” (par.11-13). Thus, colleges cannot justify their claims to lack enough money to pay players. Secondly, the grants given to their players “masks an enormous disparity across member institutions in the dollar value of that financial aid package”, with differences in full year fees between institutions (Sanderson & Siegfried, p.127). The NCAA and affiliate institution terms as quoted by Druckman, “treating of college athletes as employees is incompatible with education” (par.6). Martinez further says that college athletes play at an advanced level but not professionally and therefore it is not their job to play sports, but as a co-curricular activity that is pursued while pursuing further education, with an offered incentive of lowered costs through scholarships (para.15). The claim is that paying student athletes would change their motives of going to college, that of focusing on money than education. However, this statement is a lie. Similar to professional players college athletes follow strict rules, code of conduct and the provided academic and sporting schedules and their claim to payment is valid. The couches receive bonuses for winning big games, reaching offseason and for braking records while players get none despite their effort and dedication. Opponents also say payment to students undermines their discipline since the players would only care about is money and thus affecting their character in the professional world. However, this is untrue since players have a code of conduct. Maurice also urges that “most colleges do not make enough money that put into their sports programs” (para.2). However, evidence show that over $1 billion of student tuition and fees was transferred annually to athletic departments in NCAA Division I to support intercollegiate sporting ventures. (Sanderson & Siegfried, p.120). Students work tirelessly to ensure that the community is entertained, and this proves that they are just like professionals who have to keep a code of conduct. Therefore, in conclusion, student-athletes need to be paid since without them there would be no revenues generated by schools to the enjoyment of the coaches and those in authority. Works Cited Druckman, James N. et al. “The Role of Social Context in Shaping Student-Athlete Opinions.” PLoS ONE, vol. 9 no. 12, 2014, pp. e115159. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone- Edelman, Marc. "21 Reasons Why Student-Athletes are Employees and Should be Allowed to Unionize. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2014/01/30/21-reasons-why-student-athletes-are-employees-and-should-be-allowed-to-unionize/#-d8d05 Jones, Maurice. "Why College Athletes Should Not Be Paid." https://www.theodysseyonline.com/college-athletes-should-not-be-paid Martinez, Madisen. "Should College Student-Athletes Be Paid? Both Sides of the Debate." https://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/athletics/blog/should-college-student-athletes-be-paid-both-sides-debate/ Sanderson, Allen R. and Siegfried, John J. “The case for paying college athletes.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 29, no. 1, 2015, pp. 115-138. https://search.proquest.com/business/docview/-/2B187B61E7374CCFPQ/1?accountid=45049 Harper, Shaun R., Collin D. Williams, and Horatio W. Blackman. "Black male student-athletes and racial inequities in NCAA Division I college sports." Center for the Study of Race & Equity in Education 41 (2013). Simiyu, Wycliffe W. Njororai. "Challenges of being a Black student athlete on US college campuses." (2012).