Pay to Play Approach to College Athleticism - Essay Example

? PAY FOR PLAY Antwaun Jones Kristen Shelton ENG 215 8/22 Introduction One of the realities of the current and collegiate system is that they derive a residual level of profitability from whatever sports programs that the school offers. This residual level of revenue has come to be an important funding stream that colleges and universities rely on to ameliorate the economic pressures of hard times. However, regardless of the degree of revenue that these institutions are able to garner as a result of their sporting programs, the student athletes are not paid for their work outside the scholarships that they are oftentimes offered as an incentive to play the game. Moreover, the athletes or sportsmen are not given much consideration when it comes to upholding their rights within this situation of labor exchanged virtually for free. When it came to my college, I saw that our college athletes were not given due respect with regard to the reward structure. I have chosen to write about this topic as I have seen college athletes undergo much sacrifice and bring money but not be paid in return. Second reason I chose this topic is because I have been a football player in college and I understand what it means to be able to have spending money to survive during the university experience; a luxury that those not playing sports can readily achieve merely by picking up a part time job while in school. Thus, it is the belief of this author that those college athletes who participate in major money making sports, such as football in the SEC, should be paid. College athletes have developed into un-remunerated and undefined athletic heroes who strive and struggle to bring a prestigious fame and earn an overly demarcated reputation for the institute. This has been counted as their performing duty that calls for no justification to be paid financially. However, I strongly believe that the regulations regarding payment of college athletes should be changed because these players bring in too much money and put in too much work for them not to be earning a paycheck. Major sports played at college - Sports have been an integral part of college education and it has always encouraged and inspired students to be more active and contribute to the college heritage. The colleges hold sport events on a regular basis and it has been a way to explore the talent and skill of students from a different dimension. Sports have united and inspired young men to be able and fit to become professional sportsmen. The major sports played at college and university level are football, basketball, baseball and softball. The history of sports at college and university can be traced back a couple of centuries. History of college sports - The history of college sports is thought to originate around 1850s and since then it has evolved to become a major mission in educational campuses across America. It has been regarded as the perfect physical activity and the desire of the young men. The competitive spirit and vigor which are part of college sports hiked the mental and physical pleasure of the students. The college authorities elaborately planned sports activities which motivated the students immensely and sports event on college and national level became a prestigious venture and money making phenomena for college authorities. On the other hand, the students athletes remained thrilled about being college’s selected people and representatives of college on state level. Moreover, the media kept the young athletes in the lime light and the scholarship provided by colleges to them stood as a bonus. Recruiting is a significant phase in college sports. The recruitment process is headed by college coach and large amount of power is vested in him in selecting the college athletes. It has been experienced that the selection procedure of athletes many times is subjected to bias and discriminations. For the recruitment procedure, the athletes are required to do rigorous practice and this takes a lot of energy and time from the students, which sometimes ruins their academics. The most important point for consideration is that “These institutes that have been developed to nurture, maintain and enhance the intellectual minds at the professional level and speed up the purpose of taming the existing skills into more sophisticated, commercial and other practical uses, when they employ physical strengths of the same youth alongside to the above mentioned rational goals, how could they be ignorant of giving the youth the required motivation to grow in athletics?” (ESPN College Sports, 2013). However, when it comes to payment and benefits less is being done by the college authorities to encourage college athletes. Actually, in the recruitment stage, the right candidates must be given the opportunity while favors and bias should be avoided by appointing the right judgment panel in the sport category. Payment is highly essential for the college athletes as they put a lot of effort and hard work into becoming sportsmen. So it is appreciated if the college would provide at least 2,000,000 dollars for the players for a period of four years. In a more deeply studied chapter of college athletics payment schedules, the events show that the earlier era was not very cognizant of the importance of sports and it is actually the media that have prompted athletes into a wider limelight over the past thirty years or so (The Shirley Povich Centre for Sports Journalism, 2012). Hence the value of sportsmanship has excelled in recent decades and paying them sufficiently is mandatory. With regard to a clear economic advantage to the situation that has thus far been defined, it is the understanding of this author that the first level of economic advantage will necessarily be felt with regard to the student athletes. Due to the fact that they will be able to have a means of providing basic sustenance for themselves and have a way and means for earning in the same way that so many non-athlete students do. This will not only provide them with additional spending money, but will also allow them to have a greater level of enjoyment and self-satisfaction while they are playing sports that are generating untold millions for the universities/colleges in question. This increase in the morale of program is of course not only important to the group dynamic but also will have a tangential effect upon the overall level of money that the college and/or university is able to derive from the sport in question. Ultimately, a base of satisfied student athletes will necessarily translate to a higher level of sporting prowess and increased ticket sales, boosting funds for the university/college in question. Ultimately, paying student athletes, although a seemingly foreign idea to many colleges and universities, has a direct level of benefit; not only for the individual student, but to the University and its ability to integrate with fans as a whole. As such, a more satisfied body of students necessarily translates to a more resilient program that is able to fulfill the needs that the college or university has set out to meet. Ethics in college sports -Sports are an interesting event for the college students as well as the authorities but there should be a moral standard when it comes to its functioning. Students do a lot of sacrifice when it comes to college sports as they even compromise on their studies and health. So it is the moral obligation of the college authorities to give right consideration to the college athletes. They should be boosted and encouraged by scholarships, other benefits and pay. Tracing events back to the initiation of College Athletes during the early part of the year 1900 when the National Collegiate Athletic Association was formed, reluctance and non-acceptance in the attitudes of the coordinators were evident from their attitude of holding back on the pay offers (Dennis A Johnson, 2012). This would discourage them and dampen their motivation and the spirit in sports engagements. The college athletes bring in financial benefit and honor to the college or university, so it makes it ethically ideal to give privileges and remuneration to them to give them justice. Conclusion As a result of the information that has thus far been presented, it is the firm understanding of this author that the Pay to Play approach to college athleticism is the more equitable and ethical approach. Ultimately, colleges and universities should pay these student athletes as they are effectively responsible for bringing in huge revenues to their colleges and universities. It is a fact that paying the student –athletes would motivate the athletes to remain in school and complete their education program without obstacle rather than them leaving college for the professional league. In the past it has been noted that athletes lose interest in sports as well as education due to the unethical stand of the college authorities. So I recommend that fair monetary compensation for the play be made as a conclusive solution to this issue. References Gregg, W. (2012) The Shirly Povich Centre for Sports Journalism. (2012). Retrieved from http://povichcenter.org/should-college-athletes-be-paid-should-there-be-an-age-restriction-for-pros ESPN College Sports. (2013). Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/collegesports/story/_/id/6778847/college-athletes-deserve-paid Johnson, D.A. (2012). The Sport Journal Organization. Retrieved from The Sport Journal Organization Website: http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/pointcounterpoint-paying-college-athletes Read More