Exploiting Athletes or the Chance of a Lifetime - Assignment Example

Exploiting Athletes or the Chance of a Lifetime? Walk into any campus bookstore on any college or university campus in America and you are likely to see an entire section of memorabilia centered around the more popular sports teams on campus. There are basketballs in the school colors, sometimes even stamped with the number of a favorite player. Hanging from special racks are jerseys, sweatshirts and other types of clothing of various types and sizes, geared for men and women, all featuring the most popular football player’s jersey number. Off campus, in local clothing stores, many of these same items are offered for sale to the general public so that all who wish might show their support for their alma mater or their hometown university. Come game night, these same individuals flock to the stadium, the gym, the court, or whatever appropriate playing field in question and purchase tickets to attend the game, programs that feature information about their favorite players, snacks and drinks served by the sports booster club and specialized gear to help them show their support such as giant foam fingers or colored and stamped handkerchiefs. When they go home, they tuck their children into bed with stuffed figures of the team’s mascot, wearing, of course, the star player’s number and decorate their rooms with images of the same sports team that college athletes have worked so hard to make popular. All this goes to show that colleges sometimes exploit the talents of their student athletes for the university’s financial gain. Admissions: Benefits to the university It goes without saying that student athletes who participate in the more popular sports earn millions of dollars for the university that other students and others are able to benefit from. The NCAA alone makes more than $200 million each winter on the bowl games that follow the regular football season, an amount that doesn’t count the dividends the individual conferences enjoy. In addition to this spectacular number, this is only a fraction of the proceeds that are generated through ticket and concession proceeds, corporate sponsorships and money gained from merchandise sales. The athletes themselves know that they generate literally many billions of dollars for their school. While their ‘jobs’ are considered to be the team, giving their all, sometimes even their lifetime health, for the team, they are not allowed to earn even pocket change while at school. This demonstrates the degree to which they are expected to dedicate themselves to the school effort. Despite their investment, athletes are allowed only the most meager of an existence under NCAA regulations. Although other students benefit from the athlete’s efforts, the student athlete is provided with no form of fair compensation despite their greater investment. Meanwhile, they witness other students with money enough at least for an occasional date. “Athletes see what’s in it for everybody else. They see their jersey numbers on the racks of the campus bookstore, but they dont see any share of the profit. They see their coaches drawing million-dollar salaries and their schools and conferences taking cash from corporate sponsors, but they don’t get a whiff of the action” (Whiteside, 2004). Despite this, payments to athletes, no matter how small or necessary, are unlikely to occur in the foreseeable future. According to NCAA President Myles Brand, “We have a model for paying players. It’s called professional sports” (Whiteside, 2004). Because of these disparities and more, many individuals have called for college athletes to receive some form of stipend as compensation for their work, which would reduce the extent to which colleges exploit their most valuable possession (Geoghegan, 2002). Counterarguments: Student Compensation Some argue that college athletes are paid by virtue of their scholarship and that is sufficient reimbursement for their services. “An objection would be that athletes are awarded full scholarships and therefore should receive no further compensation. While these scholarships are a very positive part of college sports, they only take care of the tuition. There are many other expenses and, with no source of income, athletes may struggle with money” (Geoghegan, 2002). To attempt to address some of this need, there are several colleges and universities that have adopted small means of meeting it. Nebraska State legislators, for example, approved a stipend for football players at the University of Nebraska and legislators from Texas, Iowa and California have considered measures that would offer athletes a very small allotment if special needs arose. This welfare-based initiative would address situations such as that of Maurice Clarett, a former running back at Ohio State. Prior to the 2003 national championship game, neither he nor his parents were financially able to buy him a plane ticket to attend a friend’s funeral. The university, booster club or coaches were not allowed to pay for the trip thus he was on campus the day his boyhood friend was buried (Carter, 1998). Some argue as well that athletes are treated as privileged citizens on campus. This is supported by the tens of thousands of fans that cheer them on each week in the stadiums, fields and, sometimes, through the blank face of the television screen. Their ‘rock-star’ status is not of the athletes’ choosing but is an unavoidable aspect of their activity. It is argued that student athletes gain incalculable popularity among the student population and are given the chance to highlight their talents in front of professional scouts, often receiving their ‘big break’ into the pro leagues from this modest beginning. Thus, being given a chance to play in college is, in itself, compensation enough for the sacrifices made. The risk/reward factor gives them at the least, a better chance at pursuing a professional career without the burden of student loans following graduation and at the best, a multi-million dollar per year contract with a major organization. Subarguments: Student Need is Not Met While it is acknowledged that these are benefits that cannot be matched or placed in monetary terms, athletes remain victims during their college years to the dictates of the sport, often finding it difficult to meet their financial needs while they are attending college. Athletes are denied the same lack of restrictions to earn while they learn enjoyed by other students, who are able to supplement scholarships or other financing arrangements with a part or full-time job. “There are also student-athletes who have to leave school early because they do not have enough money to continue, or to pay their bills and leaving school for a career in professional sports is an easy way of making money.  The argument is that if student-athletes get paid, they will remain in school and complete their education” (Meshefejian, 2005). Although there is an assumption that college athletes have no other expenses outside of the school, extra money is sometimes a necessary requirement in order to meet their non-academic responsibilities such as providing for children, supporting the family or simply paying for those little extras every college student needs. “The problem is, the athletes who help schools and conferences make that money do not see a dime of it. They may receive scholarships, but so do students who don’t help the school make money in any way … If schools can profit off of student athletes, why should those athletes not be paid for helping schools make money?” (Zivic, 2006). Arguments that not all sports programs make money are equally invalid as even the non-profitable sports programs provide publicity to the institutions in amounts impossible to quantify. University students who are involved in extracurricular activities other than athletics, musicians for example, receive scholarships and can perform for the university’s symphony whether or not they make passing grades or are academically eligible. They are able to perform and earn money in a professional orchestra while enrolled in school. By comparison, if athletes do this, they are kicked out of school, lose their scholarship and most probably end their chance of playing professionally. Moreover, a music student is able to major and earn a degree in the field of music and even a specific instrument such as the piano. “A football or basketball major is unheard of, much less a major in playing quarterback or strong forward. Athletes are scrutinized for getting any type of job while on scholarship for their school. Getting paid to play or work in football would be sacrilege” (Chaisson, 2001). It is patently unfair that a college athlete must meet academic and financially binding standards that other students do not. Those that think athletes are treated differently than other students are correct. They are treated worse even though they bring in much more money and thus are more beneficial to their school than is a piano player. This illustrates perhaps better than any other argument that colleges and universities often exploit their student athletes for financial gain. Works Cited Carter, CinQue. “Athletes Should Stay in School Before Relying on False Dreams.” (October 29, 1998). UCLA Communications Board. November 26, 2007 Chaisson, Nathan. “Athletes Should be Paid to Play.” The Collegiate Times. (2001). November 26, 2007 Geoghegan, William. “Sports Debate: Should College Athletes Get Paid? Yes.” Flyer News. Vol. 50, N. 26, (2002). November 26, 2007 Meshefejian, Krikor. “Pay to Play: Should College Athletes be Paid?” The Journal of Business Law Society. University of Illinois College of Law. (March 23, 2005). November 26, 2007 Whiteside, Kelly. “College Athletes Want Cut of Action.” USA Today. (August 31, 2004). November 26, 2007 Zivic, Andrew. “Take a Side: College Athletes Should be Paid.” Imprint Magazine. (April 2, 2006). November 26, 2007 Read More