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For years now there have been controversial ideas inside the NCAA on whether or not college athletes should be paid. When President Theodore Roosevelt helped create the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1906, he had no idea what it would become. Tyson Hartnett of the Huffington Post notes:
At first, it was a great place to watch athletes play sports while making sure the rules were being followed. But now in the 21st century, the NCAA is a billion dollar company. Why hasn’t anything changed? Because the decision makers have the mentality of, “This is the way it’s always been.” They are scared to make amendments, even when it’s necessary (Hartnett). Recently, college football players at Northwestern University petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to form a union.
The NCAA disagrees with the petition, arguing that student- athletes are not “employees” under federal law. But the NCAA is a company that would have absolutely nothing without the players; they’re the ones generating the money so aren’t they technically employees? I don’t think many people who are against this idea look at it from the student athlete’s prospective. They are the ones with all the risk, they are the ones being controlled, and simply they are the moneymakers for the school and the NCAA. So yes, college athletes should be able to unionize for what they do for their school and the NCAA.
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As soon as these high school recruits are brought into these athletic powerhouse schools they are instantly controlled and sometimes taken advantage of. They are required to sign contracts with the coach, school, and the NCAA subjecting them to abide my every little rule or they would face consequences. In Mark Edelman’s article in Forbes Magazine, “21 Reasons Why Student-Athletes Are Employees And Should Be Allowed To Unionize”, he says “The typical Division I college football player devotes 43.3 hours per week to his sport-3.3 more hours than the typical American work week.” Not only do these athletes put in all of these hours toward their sport but they also have to go to school like any other regular college student, which cannot be easy.
In addition to all of this the NCAA claims college athletes are just students, however, the NCAA’s own tournament schedules require college athletes to miss classes for nationally televised games that bring in revenue (Edelman). So, pretty much the NCAA believes their revenue is more important than these students’ education and simply sports come first. Aren’t these kids supposed to be considered student-athletes? This is why these athletes should be considered employees and be allowed to unionize. These students are brought to these schools not just to play a sport but also to expand their knowledge in school, which is definitely a lot more important than a sport regardless of where the sport is able to bring you. Yet the NCAA requires students to miss classes and at some schools, for the road to the men’s basketball championship the NCAA requires student-athletes to miss up to a quarter of all class days during their spring semester (Edelman). The NCAA is asking a bit too much of these “student-athletes”.
These athletes also have a lot to risk. Their lives are taken over. They are put to work each day not only in practice but also in the classroom. Each day seems a bit overwhelming to me. Gregory Wilson, P.E.D. of the University of Evansville and Mary Pritchard, Ph.D. of Boise State University held a study comparing sources of stress in college athletes and non-athletes. As a result, it was pretty clear that college athletes suffered more from stress. The athlete’s stress in the study was caused by relationships, academics, financial situations, social lives, and physical/mental health.
This issue is important, Wilson says, “since upon matriculation the freshman athlete is faced with the same increased academic and social demands of the non- athlete in addition to the demands of their sport” (Wilson). This can be dangerous. Recent studies like this have even found that athletes may be in particular need of counseling for a variety of additional stress-related concerns, including time management, burnout, fear of failure, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues. These kids aren’t superhuman, they are just regular college kids and what they have to deal with and manage is a lot for anyone to handle.
Today, division 1 college sports create extraordinary revenue. According to statisticsbrain.com the NCAA’s annual revenue is $10.6 billion; Edelman says, “This is more than the estimated total league revenues of both the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.” Edelman also says that “this past year the University of Alabama reported $143.3 Million in athletic revenues-more than all 30 NHL teams and 25 of the 30 NBA teams.” Where does this money come from again? Oh yeah, this money is being generated by the players that for some odd reason get nothing.
They are the ones making a name for their school that generates ticket sales, merchandise sales, and more and more viewers on television. I don’t have to tell you the whole story behind the NCAA’s company to know how they attain their money. When the NCAA was established in 1906 I don’t think anybody had any idea what it would become. Today, organization is extremely popular. It has evolved to be set on a standard similar to that of professional leagues. There have even been several debates in the world of sports on college and professional sports, and which is more entertaining. Felisa Rogers, in her article, “How I Learned to Love Football” mentions that “Simply watching the game gives you the right to believe, wholeheartedly and without reservation, that your team deserves to win.” People really get into these games.
The unbelievable stadiums, televised games, mascots, rivalries, and the crazy fans of these schools have created an atmosphere that has brought the NCAA to a professional like standing. Players are looked up to as stars just like any professional. Their stories are televised and put in magazines and even their personal lives are exposed. For example, Manti Te’o, who was a linebacker for the Notre Dame football team had his entire personal life and issues shown to the world. Now I won’t go into detail on this story but its crazy to me how these athletes are supposed to be just like any other college student but they are treated just like any other professional athlete. Now that so many things have changed in these sports and the way it has blown up nationally I think its time to make some legal changes and rights for the athletes.
Many people who are against this idea of compensating athletes say “well, they’re getting a college education. They are right. The majority of these division 1 athletes go to school for free which can be extremely valuable. The money they don’t have to pay these schools is somewhat around $25,000, and I even agree that is a lot of money. Another thing that people don’t like about this idea is that it will defeat the essence of amateurism of the game. People want to see them playing for the love of the game and not for the money like they do in the pros. Another big problem for these people is that its mere “unfairness” to less popular sports that acquire little to no revenue, and of course to the colleges with lesser funds. Who would be responsible for paying the students in this case? And what system will be used; do athletes with better performance get more pay than other members of the team?
In my opinion these people are making things a bit too complicated. I’m not saying in anyway that these college athletes should be paid millions but I do think they deserve something. They need to be protected. If they are hurt due to a sport-related injury not only are they handed a medical bill but even their scholarship money that they have worked hard for can be taken away. They need rights. They need something to make it fair for them.
An education is simply not enough. What is the college loosing from giving them a free education? Also, most of these athletes will go pro anyway so really why do they need school? College football players are even eligible to enter the NFL draft early after being out of high school for just three years. Their sport is a career, and for many of them it’s the only reason they attend college. Before college is even in session, Northwestern football players spend up to 60 hours a week practicing at a one-month training camp. During the three- or four-month football season, they put in up to 50 hours a week preparing for games.
That’s more time than many full-time employees devote to their jobs (the Editorial Board). Looking at these basic facts, the logic is clear. Football players at colleges like Northwestern with big-time sports programs are not “student-athletes,” as the National Collegiate Athletic Association claims, but employees. But overall the biggest issue in my eyes is that they aren’t in anyway just regular college kids. So why even classify them as that? They need a union to provide them rights that can cover them medically, financially, and even personally. I strongly believe they deserve that.
Again, these athletes are the ones with all the risk, they are the ones being controlled, and simply they are the moneymakers for the school and the NCAA. So yes, college athletes should be allowed to unionize for what they do for their school and the NCAA. I strongly believe that to be a college athlete is a job in itself. They put in so many hours to their sport just like someone would toward their job. It also doesn’t seem like the NCAA really cares about the students’ education or their stress filled lives. These athletes are the stars, the moneymakers for both the NCAA and their college. These kids need a union to provide a lifestyle for them that is more manageable and suitable for them. The NCAA owes them that; because right now there is no fairness between the NCAA and the players. There simply just has to be a middleman.
Works Cited
- Edelman, Mark. “21 Reasons Why Student-Athletes Are Employees And Should Be Allowed To Unionize”. Forbes. Forbes, January 2014. Web. November 2014.
- Gregory Wilson, P.E.D. and Mary Pritchard, Ph.D. “Comparing Sources of Stress in College Student Athletes and Non-Athletes” Athletic Insight. Athletic Insight, 2005. Web. November 2014.
- Hartnett, Tyson. “Why College Athletes Should be Paid”. Huffington Post. Huffington Post, October 2013. Web. November 2014.
- “NCAA College Athletics Statistics”. Statistic Brain. Statistic Brain, April 2014. Web. November 2014.
- Rogers, Felisa. “How I Learned to Love Football.” They Say, I Say with Readings. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2012. 553- 559. Print.
- Tarm, Michael. “College Athletes to Form a Union”. Huffington Post. Huffington Post, November 2014. Web. April 2014.
