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Eric BrasherNov. 21, 2019Story #4The NCAA has always stood by their fundamental reasoning when asked about not compensating their student-athletes’. Their rules prohibiting?students from entering into promotional agreements or working with agents are needed to differentiate amateur from professional sports leagues.Amateurism for student-athletes, as defined by the NCAA Handbook, means participation should be motivated by education along with physical, mental and social benefits. The definition also says student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises.Despite their founding pillars, a press release on Nov. 4 stated the NCAA would be making changes to ensure student-athletes have the same opportunities to make money like all other students. However, the variety of solutions proposed in different states prompted NCAA leaders, including President Mark Emmert, to say that they would prefer a uniform national law or rule that applies to all members of their association.“As a national governing body, the NCAA is uniquely positioned to modify its rules to ensure fairness and a level playing field for student-athletes,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said. “The board’s action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals,” according to NBC News.Throughout the year collegiate sporting events are viewed by millions on major television networks such as ABC, FOX, CBS and ESPN. During these broadcasts student-athletes are seen wearing sports apparel that includes their respective school branding and an international manufacturer like Nike or Adidas. Most gear that’s seen on the athletes is available for purchase in commercial stores or online. Some players can be seen on billboards for marketing and advertising their sport in their school’s respective state.These are just some of the methods the NCAA has used to generate one billion dollars annually as a nonprofit organization.Critics of the NCAA have debated for decades whether student-athletes should be paid and what type of compensation system should be put in place. However, no action had been taken until Sept. 30, when the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, signed legislation allowing college athletes to hire agents, be paid for endorsements and use of their images. The signing of State Bill 206 created a tidal wave of discussion and change in the collegiate sport landscape.In the weeks after the passage of SB 206, legislators in nine states have started preparing similar bills. In Congress, Ohio Representative Anthony Gonzalez, a former collegiate and professional football player, is proposing?legislation to allow athletes to earn endorsement money. His measure comes after a similar proposal from North Carolina Representative Mark Walker, who has a bill in Congress right now trying to amend the tax law to allow third parties to play players.?The NCAA initially threatened states considering passing endorsement legislation with being barred from competition. They warned California of a lawsuit before the signing of SB 206 for action against a national governing body. The NCAA is now in the process of filing said lawsuit against what they find to be a virtually unrestricted market.Nevertheless, the NCAA now wants to create a program that allows enhanced opportunities for student-athletes without making them professionals. This is controversial because the NCAA views anyone who gets paid for their image, likeness or endorsements as a professional. The Board of Governors has voted to allow the opportunity to do this but have no idea of the parameters. They believe it’s going to be nearly impossible to pull off.Many experts on the issue believe the NCAA voted to take this step with hopes of stalling progress being made by state legislations and Congress. It was a move to try to bring power and control back to them and that they have no desire of following through with a fair system. # # #Story #5Jay Bilas is a former college basketball standout at Duke University. He was a member of two Final Four teams in the ‘80s and forgoing a professional career to stay at Duke and earn a law degree. Bilas now serves as college basketball analyst for ESPN and a top source regarding anything with NCAA rules or regulations. He’s also a part-time lawyer in North Carolina. Bilas is a firm believer that the NCAA’s new stance is being implemented for deception.“What the NCAA has done in the last 40 days is nothing based on principle. Two months ago, they called California’s law an ‘existential threat’ to college sports. They said it’s going to ruin everything if they are paid. Now, they’re just reacting to different state and federal governments forcing action. Their abandonment of any form of principle is frankly embarrassing,” said Bilas.According to USA Today Sports, Bilas has strongly believed that student-athletes should be compensated since the ‘80s when college sports began broadcasting on television at a major capacity. The NCAA feared the decision to do so because they had the fear it could destroy college sports. On the contrary, their decision has ended up catapulting the industry into the multi-billion dollar titan we see today.“They [NCAA] are in this position now because of lack of foresight, lack of leadership and an unwillingness to address the multi-billion industry that they created. This has been coming for a long time. State governments have sped it all up, and they continue to talk in double speak with further inaction,” said Bilas.The ethical debate that Bilas, along with most people who support college athletes being compensated, is whether the athletes are currently being compensated enough as the center piece of a multi-billion dollar industry.The NCAA provides over $2.9 billion in athletic scholarships to more than 150,000 student-athletes. These scholarships cover either total or partial costs of tuition, room, board and books. Student-athletes can also receive benefits through academic scholarships and NCAA financial aid programs.The NCAA prides itself on providing a college education to student-athletes. With less than .05 % of NCAA athletes going pro each year, the NCAA believes education is the most rewarding benefit for the majority of student-athletes. The NCAA believes this to be so important it allows opportunities for schools to pay for student-athletes to finish their bachelor’s or master’s degrees after their athletic career ends.At an NCAA Division I university with high tuition, the max benefit of a full athletic scholarship is worth $65,000 annually ($45,000 for tuition and $20,000 for room, board and books). But if that amount or more, up to $100,000, were given to a student-athlete as a salary, they would not receive as much benefit. A student-athlete with a $100,000 salary is now considered an employee of the school and would owe close to $35,000 in taxes. Now, to play their sport they have to pay for all education expenses because they’re no longer on scholarship. Depending on the size of their salary and how much their tuition and expenses cost, a student-athlete would be looking at retaining somewhere between a couple thousand dollars to zero dollars after paying for school and paying taxes. It has not been confirmed whether the image and likeness-based plans will make the student-athletes into university employees to an extent. However, student-athletes will have to pay taxes on any compensation they make off their name. This could now bring a whole new dimension of scandal and issues to the realm of college athletics. Tens of thousands of 18 to 22-year-old students, many from extremely low socioeconomic backgrounds, will now be responsible for filing state and federal taxes.The NCAA plans on starting development of their revolutionary blueprint in January with deadlines for proposals around October 2020. They hope to have some type of legislation in effect by 2021. # # #Mark Emmert, NCAA President since 2010. Photo Credit: Kansas City StarJay Bilas, ESPN Analyst & part-time attorney. Photo Credit: Time Magazine ................
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