Critical Thinking Paper

The NCAA:
The Dilemma of Paying Athletes

Allison Mackenzie
CAP English 9
Red
May 5, 2014

Allison Mackenzie
CAP English 9
Red
May 5, 2014

2

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) runs on the success of its
collegiate athletes, but does not give athletes the compensation they deserve. The NCAA has
transitioned from a small organization to a big business. Division 1 athletes play for scholarships
and dedicate their time to their universities while the universities generate large revenue from the
players. Despite their value to the NCAA, Division 1 athletes are susceptible to financial woes at
the fault of the NCAA. Due to the disparity between NCAA revenue and scholarship cost, the
lack of coverage of full living expenses and the burdensome expenses of sports injuries, the
NCAA should pay Division 1 scholarship athletes in revenue sports.
Amateur athletics were first introduced to American colleges and universities in the mid-
1800s. The first inter-collegiate event was a boat race between Harvard and Yale in 1852
("Harvard-Yale Regatta - 150 Years of Tradition"). President Theodore Roosevelt created the
NCAA in 1906 in an effort to establish safety regulations for collegiate football. Amateurism
was and still is a core principal of the NCAA, meaning that the athletes do not get paid. During
this earlier time period of the NCAA, money did not play a significant role and the NCAA did
not offer athletic scholarships.
The nature of college sports started to change in the 1950s and questions began to arise
concerning paying athletes with increasing revenue (Gilleran). In 1951, Walter Byers became the
first executive director of the NCAA. Athletic scholarships were created from the ticket sales
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revenue at home games. This pay-for-play scholarship idea made sense because the universities
started to make some revenue off the players through ticket sales and a scholarship became the
athletes compensation for their hard work. Since the earlier half of the 20
th
century, athletics at
colleges and universities started to consume more peoples time (Gilleran). In order to stop
attempts to force universities to pay workers' compensation, Byers created the term "student-
athlete'(Nocera). This term emphasized that the players were not employees. The issue of
whether to pay athletes soon intensified when the NCAA became more commercialized. In 1984,
the NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma case decided that the NCAA was
controlling the amount of times a football team could be shown on television (Anthony). After
the case decision, the NCAA could no longer limit its members from maximizing their
television revenues, those revenues increased exponentially and changed the landscape of college
sports," (Gilleran). Players are still only given scholarships despite todays reality of big business
college sports.
The NCAA has evolved into a big business with $10.6 billion annual revenue. The
NCAAs mens basketball tournament made $9 million in 1981 before the rise of television deals
and today makes $750 million annually (Gilleran). The amount of revenue made in TV deals has
increased. In 1994, CBS made an 8 year 1.7 billion dollar deal with the NCAA to play the men's
basketball tournament on CBS (Brawns, Not Brains). Recently in 2010, the NCAA made a
$10.8 billion dollar deal with CBS and Turner to broadcast the NCAA Mens Basketball
tournament for 2011-2024 (OToole). ESPN analyst Bob Ley from 'Outside the Lines' says how,
Everyone in college sports is getting paid except the players themselves, (Buchanan). Despite
the increase in revenue, student athletes are still treated the same money-wise as Bob Ley
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mentioned (Gilleran). Jay Bilas, former college and pro-basketball player, asserts that,
"collegiate athletics should be treated the same way as any other industry in the free market, and
compensation for student athletes should be determined by market demand," (Chen). If
scholarship money is considered a form of payment to the athletes, which some people argue,
players would then be underpaid in comparison to the billions of dollars the NCAA makes
(Gilleran). However, the NCAA believes that any payment to the athletes other than scholarships
would "ruin the amateur model of collegiate sports" (Unfair Business in College Sports).
Despite the NCAAs fears, the lack of compensation is not fair to the athletes who are putting in
the hard work that allows the NCAA to flourish. Bilas describes, If its free market for
everybody else but not for the players, then weve got a problem, (Chen). Even though the
NCAA would not have amateur players if collegiate athletes were paid, the business of college
sports is already professional with the billions of dollars in revenue.
Scholarships given to athletes do not always pay for the full cost of attendance. If athletes
were paid, the full cost of attendance would not be an issue. Full cost of attendance is not only
boarding, tuition and books, but personal costs like laundry, transportation, extra food, gas and
clothing. The average scholarship is less than $11,000 dollars and the, average amount doesnt
cover the full cost of college, (Zissou). While under scholarship, athletes cannot have any other
jobs. There is no way of making additional money if needed (Brawns, Not Brains). Purdue
quarterback Rob Henry expresses how, We put in a lot of work for our schools, and when
you're paying the bare necessities and you hardly have any money at the end, it's hard to get by,
(Solomon). His semester stipend minus his living expenses left him with only $21.25 a week and
$87 dollars a month. Another athlete, former Auburn offensive lineman Ryan Pugh, states, "So
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now you only have $800 to $1,200 left for five months. That's in the lower end of the social
class. You eventually have to ask your parents for some money. Some players could not,
(Solomon). All in all, payment given to players would fill in the gap between the scholarship
money given and the actual cost of attendance.
There are coaches who earn large salaries from NCAA revenue. University of Alabama
Coach Nick Saban will make $45 million over 8 years while his players may not have enough
money for living expenses. NCAA division 1 basketball head coaches earn on average $1.47
million dollars annually (Gilleran). In 2012, 42 NCAA football head coaches made about $2
million dollars a year (Brady). The difference between the average scholarship of $11,00 and the
average head coaching salary close to $2 million is vast (Zissou). The coaches are paid more
than the players who make the money for the NCAA. These coaches benefit from NCAAs large
revenue of the NCAA while the players do not.
Without a form of compensation, scholarship athletes who are injured could potentially
be in financial trouble. Athletes can lose their scholarships due to injuries. If a player is severely
injured, the scholarship may not be renewed. ESPN Jeremy Schaap reveals that, Coaches
arbitrarily can withhold or withdraw scholarships, and there is very little an athlete can do to
prevent that, (Cassilo). Family insurance policies often only partially pay for the injuries. The
player then has to rely on the NCAAs catastrophic injury insurance, if the injuries are too severe
for his or hers regular insurance plan. Those athletes with severe injuries dont always qualify
for the insurance due to the types of the injury covered by the NCAAs catastrophic injury
insurance. If the player loses their scholarship, theyll have to pay for their college expenses. If
insurance does not pay for their medical expenses, the athlete will also have to pay for the
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medical expenses. Due to the high costs of medical expenses and college costs, players can
easily fall into debt. If the players are paid, then they could qualify for workers compensation
(Cassilo). Workers compensation would prevent many financial issues that come with medical
expenses from injuries.
There are different ways the NCAA could pay the athletes. One way is to increase the
stipends for athletes. This can address living expenses that are not fully covered through
scholarships. These stipends would make their everyday lives easier. Another possible measure
would be to let the free market decide the salary of the players. This correlates with Jay Bilas
view. He explains how, Compensation for student athletes should be determined by market
demand. Colleges could consider spending less money on the facilities that they use to attract
student athletes and instead use that money to pay them, (Chen). A lifetime health insurance
plan would support athletes who have long-term health issues as a result from playing college
sports. A type of lifetime health insurance would also decrease debt due to injuries during an
athletes college career. Workers compensation, as stated before, is another strategy to
addressing the burdens of debt from sports injuries. Another view on paying athletes is to have a
salary cap. The universities and colleges would be able to decide which athletes receive more
pay than others within the salary cap. The NCAA could also insure money for six years of
college to athletes who are unable to graduate in four years under the pressures of playing under
scholarship ("Lets Start Paying College Athletes). These options all have potential to benefit
the athletes.
The NCAA should pay scholarship collegiate athletes in revenue sports due to the
disparity between NCAA revenue and scholarship cost, the lack of coverage of full living
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expenses and the burdensome expenses of sports injuries. If the players are not paid by an
increase in stipends, workers compensation, a lifetime health insurance plan, an additional 2
years of college or a salary determined by the free market, collegiate athletes will continue to be
burdened. Revenues will likely increase due to TV deals. The disparity between NCAA revenue
and scholarship costs will escalate. More players could lose out on scholarships due to injuries
and become financially burdened, juggling medical and school expenses. Lastly, if players are
not paid then many may not be able to cover full living expenses. All in all, the NCAA must pay
athletes in some way in order to give athletes a fair share for their work.

Allison Mackenzie
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Works Cited
Anthony, Marc. "Three Legal Issues That Could Derail the Blockbuster NCAA Lawsuit." The
New Republic. New Republic, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117157/ncaa-class-action-lawsuit-three-legal-
issues-could-derail-it>.
Brady, Erik, Steve Berkowitz, and Jodi Upton. "College Football Coaches Continue to See
Salary Explosion." USA Today. USA Today, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 May 2014.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/19/college-football-coaches-
contracts-analysis-pay-increase/1715435/>.
"Brawns, Not Brains." The Economist 30 Mar. 1996: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 30
Mar. 2014.
<http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=49a16aa387aefff2e8
f2a6fdcc7b04a5&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=mcps_blair&tabID=T006&docId=A18
141934&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0>.
Buchanan, Neil H. "College Athletes, Full-Ride Scholarships, and Anti-Intellectualism." Verdict:
Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia. Justia, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
<http://verdict.justia.com/2013/12/05/college-athletes-full-ride-scholarships-anti-
intellectualism>.
Cassilo, David. "For College Scholarship Athletes, Injury Can Spell Financial." For college
scholarship athletes, injury can spell financial disaster Read more:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/for-college-scholarship-athletes-injury-can-spell-
financial-disaster/#ixzz2xV4uOUsN. N.p., 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
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<http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/for-college-scholarship-athletes-injury-can-spell-
financial-disaster/>.
Chen, Jen. "Jay Bilas Argues for Colleges to Pay Student Athletes." The Chronicle. Duke
Student Company, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2013/10/08/jay-bilas-argues-colleges-pay-
student-athletes>.
Edelman, Marc. "The Case for Paying College Athletes." US News & World Report.
US News & World Report, 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 4 May 2014
<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/06/ncaa-college-athletes-should-be-
paid>.
Gilleran, Mike. "Should College Athletes Be Paid?" Santa Clara Law. Santa Clara Law, 15 July
2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://law.scu.edu/sports-law/should-college-athletes-be-
paid/>.
"Harvard-Yale Regatta - 150 Years of Tradition." Harvard Crimson. Harvard University, n.d.
Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mcrew-hw/tradition/harvard-
yale-regatta>.
Nocera, Joe. "The Lawsuit and the NCAA." New York Times 22 June 2013: n. pag. Global Issues
in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
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- - -. "Lets Start Paying College Athletes." New York Times. New York Times Company, 30
Dec. 2011. Web. 4 May 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/ 01/magazine/lets-
start-paying-college-athletes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>. This source gives me
suggestions on how to play the players. The ways that the NCAA can pay the players
include lifetime health insurance, salary caps and more.
O'Toole, Thomas. "NCAA Reaches 14-year Deal with CBS/Turner for Men's Basketball
Tournament, Which Expands to 68 Teams for Now." USA Today. USA Today, 22 Apr.
2010. Web. 4 May 2014.
<http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/04/ncaa-reaches-14-
year-deal-with-cbsturner/1#.U2aFmcdRHrM>.
Solomon, Jon. "COLLEGE ATHLETES' RIGHTS: Effort To Make Scholarships Cover All
Costs Meets Resistance." Alabama. Alabama Media Group, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 29 Mar.
2014. <http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/12/college_athletes_rights_effort.html>.
"Unfair Business in College Sports." New York Times 4 Oct. 2013: n. pag. Global Issues in
Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Zissou, Rebecca. "Fair Play: Should College Athletes Get Paid?" Junior Scholastic 9 Dec. 2013:
n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
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Bibliography
Anthony, Marc. "Three Legal Issues That Could Derail the Blockbuster NCAA Lawsuit." The
New Republic. New Repulblic, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117157/ncaa-class-action-lawsuit-three-legal-
issues-could-derail-it>. This source gives information on lawsuits against the NCAA. The
specific information this aids me with is the history of the problem. This gives me ample
information about NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma.
Barbash, Fred. "Big-time college football players are paid employees, says historic ruling. Heres
why." The Washington Post 27 Mar. 2014: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 29 Mar.
2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/27/big-time-
college-football-players-are-paid-employees-says-historic-ruling-heres-
why/?tid=pm_national_pop>. This source explains reasons why football students aren't
like regular students. Also, it gives information on the ruling by the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) decided that Northwestern Football players can unionize since
they are paid employees.
Bennet, Brian. "Northwestern Players Get Union Vote." ESPN. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10677763/northwestern-wildcats-football-
players-win-bid-unionize&ex_cid=sportscenter>. This source gives me a perspective
from players who are proposing the union. It also explains the NCAA's take on student-
athletes being employees.
Brady, Erik, Steve Berkowitz, and Jodi Upton. "College Football Coaches Continue to See
Salary Explosion." USA Today. USA Today, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 May 2014.
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<http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/19/college-football-coaches-
contracts-analysis-pay-increase/1715435/>. This source explains the trends of coaches'
salaries. Specifically, this source aids me in figuring out the average salary for NCAA
football head coaches.
"Brawns, Not Brains." The Economist 30 Mar. 1996: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 30
Mar. 2014.
141934&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0>. This source is from
the 1990's, which means it gives a perspective of the issue during that time period. It also
provides some statistics from that time in college sports.
Buchanan, Neil H. "College Athletes, Full-Ride Scholarships, and Anti-Intellectualism." Verdict:
Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia. Justia, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
<http://verdict.justia.com/2013/12/05/college-athletes-full-ride-scholarships-anti-
intellectualism>. This source gives a small amount of input on paying athletes and then
mainly why athletes shouldn't be paid. This gives me an idea of the other side of the
argument. In order to write a good paper it is essential to be aware of both sides.
Cassilo, David. "For College Scholarship Athletes, Injury Can Spell Financial." For college
scholarship athletes, injury can spell financial disaster Read more:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/for-college-scholarship-athletes-injury-can-spell-
financial-disaster/#ixzz2xV4uOUsN. N.p., 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/for-college-scholarship-athletes-injury-can-spell-
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financial-disaster/>. This source is helpful because it's explanation of injuries. This
source will guide me with showing the financial problems injuries can lead to.
Chen, Jen. "Jay Bilas Argues for Colleges to Pay Student Athletes." The Chronicle. Duke
Student Company, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2013/10/08/jay-bilas-argues-colleges-pay-
student-athletes>. This source gives a perspective on the view point I'm trying to express.
Jay Bilas is a great source credibility wise.
Daniels, Tim. "Johnny Manziel Graces Time Magazine Cover for Story About Paying NCAA
Athletes." Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
<http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1762527-johnny-manziel-graces-time-magazine-
cover-for-story-about-paying-ncaa-athletes>. This source explains the TIME article on
paying collegiate athletes. This source gives a perspective on the players that say how
they might not have a chance to take advantage of their football playing to make money if
they don't make it to the NFL. This article also relates Johnny Manziel's relation to
making money as a collegiate athlete.
Edelman, Marc. "The Case for Paying College Athletes." US News & World Report.
US News & World Report, 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 4 May 2014
<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/06/ ncaa-college-athletes-should-be-
paid>. This source is important because it gives information about coaches salaries.
These coaches salaries will support my argument about the disparity between coaches
and athletes.
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Gilleran, Mike. "Should College Athletes Be Paid?" Santa Clara Law. Santa Clara Law, 15 July
2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://law.scu.edu/sports-law/should-college-athletes-be-
paid/>. This source is extremely helpful. This source gives a historical background of the
NCAA. This also gives arguments for my viewpoint that I hadn't heard of earlier. These
creative arguments will give my view point an edge.
"Harvard-Yale Regatta - 150 Years of Tradition." Harvard Crimson. Harvard University, n.d.
Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mcrew-hw/tradition/harvard-
yale-regatta>. This source is important to include. It gives me a detailed explanation of
the first inter-collegiate athletic event. I need this to provide the history of the issue.
Lewis, Michael, and Bob Williams. "Should College Football Players Be Paid? Opponents Say It
Would Ruin an Amateur Sport; Proponents Say College Football Already Seems
Professional." New York Times [New York] 17 Nov. 2008: n. pag. Global Issues in
9956947&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0>. This source gives
pros and cons to specifically football players being paid. It gives a perspective that many
of these players are black and poor and have to play for free in order to have a chance to
get into the NFL. Also, it gives statistics on how much some schools make.
"NCAA College Athletics Statistics." Statistic Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.statisticbrain.com/ncaa-college-athletics-statistics/>. This source is
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extremely helpful for statistics. It gives revenue and profit numbers as well as specifics
for college football.
Neuharth, Al. "Is Pay for Play OK for College Athletes?" USA Today 20 June 2011: n. pag.
Global Issues in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
f2a6fdcc7b04a5&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=mcps_blair&tabID=T006&docId=CJ26
the perspective from a college football coach. It also provides information on how many
football players come from poor households and need the extra money.
Nocera, Joe. "The Lawsuit and the NCAA." New York Times 22 June 2013: n. pag. Global Issues
in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
4676812&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0>. This source is
helpful to understand the history of the NCAA and amateurism. Also , it gives a good
account on the impact of Walter Byers and the NCAA lawsuit right now. This will be
very helpful to explain the history of the problem.
- - -. "Lets Start Paying College Athletes." New York Times. New York Times Company, 30
Dec. 2011. Web. 4 May 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/ 01/magazine/lets-
start-paying-college-athletes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>. This source gives me
suggestions on how to play the players. The ways that the NCAA can pay the players
include lifetime health insurance, salary caps and more.
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- -. "Unionized College Athletes?" New York Times [New York] 1 Feb. 2014: n. pag. Global
Issues in Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
helpful because it gives more context on the unionizing of college athletes. The most
useful part of this article is that it explains the beginnings of the term of 'student-athlete'.
O'Toole, Thomas. "NCAA Reaches 14-year Deal with CBS/Turner for Men's Basketball
Tournament, Which Expands to 68 Teams for Now." USA Today. USA Today, 22 Apr.
2010. Web. 4 May 2014.
<http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/04/ncaa-reaches-14-
year-deal-with-cbsturner/1#.U2aFmcdRHrM>. This source is very helpful to describe the
TV deals made with the NCAA and TV networks. This source specifically explains the
CBS-Turner TV deal. This deal shows how college sports generates large revenue.
"Reward College Athletes - with a Meaningful Education." USA Today 13 Jan. 2012: n. pag.
Global Issues in Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
f2a6fdcc7b04a5&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=mcps_blair&tabID=T004&docId=CJ27
7042589&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0>. This source will
probably be more helpful next year, but it gives me insight on ways to pay the collegiate
athletes. This source has one useful statistic for one of my arguments.
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Solomon, Jon. "COLLEGE ATHLETES' RIGHTS: Effort To Make Scholarships Cover All
Costs Meets Resistance." Alabama. Alabama Media Group, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 29 Mar.
2014. <http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/12/college_athletes_rights_effort.html>.
This source is very helpful for explaining stipends and living expenses. It also gives the
perspectives from the players, which is very useful. The statistics and logistics are also
given in this article. This will definitely help my arguments.
"Unfair Business in College Sports." New York Times 4 Oct. 2013: n. pag. Global Issues in
helpful for a general background on a lawsuit against the NCAA. It explains Ed
O'Bannon v. NCAA and how it relates to paying athletes.
Zissou, Rebecca. "Fair Play: Should College Athletes Get Paid?" Junior Scholastic 9 Dec. 2013:
n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
me a general view of the both sides of the argument. It also gives me some statistics for
number of hours the athletes play and how much some scholarships are.

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The NCAA:

The Dilemma of Paying Athletes

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