Scholarships are Enough for Student-Athletes

Scholarships are Enough for Student-Athletes

By Kevin Hager `23

Student-athletes are given the fantastic opportunity to play the sport they love while getting a free education.

Imagine being Chris Webber, a former college basketball star for the University of Michigan, and watching street vendors sell your jersey for $50 when you cannot even afford to buy a burger at McDonald's ("College Athletes Should Not Be Paid"). These exaggerated anecdotes, told by former college-athletes, explain why most Americans believe that college-athletes are not rewarded for the work that they put into their school.

In college athletics, a controversial issue has been raised on whether or not student-athletes should be paid for the work they provide to their school. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) "reported earning $797.9 million from television and marketing rights during the 2015?2016 fiscal year, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the organization's annual revenue" ("Compensation for College Athletes"). College athletes have produced millions of dollars for the NCAA, and although they are not compensated, they are greatly rewarded for their work through scholarships.

College athletes not only provide money to their college and the NCAA, but they also help the economy in a major way. As shown in this graph, from 2006 to 2014, Buffalo Wild Wings has consistently thrived during the month of March because of the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness. March Madness has fueled the sales at Buffalo Wild Wings because this tournament draws many college basketball fans to sports restaurants such as Buffalo Wild Wings ("March Madness Fuels Sales for Buffalo Wild Wings").

While many are lead to believe that college athletes are being cheated out of the money that they produce, Gilbert Gaul believes that the NCAA treats their players fairly. He states that "the NCAA distributes 90 percent of its revenue back to member campuses and conferences" ("Should college athletes be paid?"). Gaul argues that the NCAA uses the revenue coming from the college athletes to enhance the well-being of student-athletes in the classroom and on the field. Because the NCAA not only uses their money to provide a free education for their student-athletes, but also to enhance the athletic and academic facilities around their athletes, student-athletes are fully rewarded by the NCAA for their athletic contributions to their college.

Although graduation rates for student-athletes are low, Eugene McCormack, a contributor to the Greenhaven Press, argues that many student-athletes were not able to graduate because of the highstress environment that came with being a student-athlete. He states, "More than half--58 percent--of [student-athletes who returned to school] played baseball, football, or men's basketball in college. That is no surprise, several experts say, as graduation rates in those sports are usually among the lowest" ("College Athletes Should Not Be Paid due to Post-Eligibility School Benefits."). McCormack insists that college athletics puts too much strain on student-athletes and compensating college athletes will only make the learning environment for the student-athletes even worse.

Jason Whitlock, a sports radio host, returns to the story of Chris Webber to explain why college athletes should not be paid. Whitlock, a former college athlete himself, believes that college athletes "might be allowing themselves to get exploited by not taking advantage of their educational opportunity. But that's within their control" ("College Athletes Should Not Be Paid"). Whitlock argues that a scholarship is more valuable than compensation because a scholarship gives students an opportunity to succeed outside of their sport.

Larry Scott, a contributor to CNN Wire, supports Whitlock's argument by stating, "Of the 1,210 Division I men's basketball students who were eligible for the 2013 NBA draft, only 3.9% were drafted" ("College athletes are being educated, not exploited"). Scott argues that most student-athletes will not have an opportunity to play at the professional level, so a scholarship that allows students to attend school for free is more valuable than a paycheck that only lasts for four years. By prioritizing school, most studentathletes are equipped to have a job, while the other percentage is prepared to play their sport at the professional level. The value of a college education exceeds the value of a small paycheck because the education allows a student to succeed in a field of work throughout their whole entire life.

Many critics argue that college athletes should be paid because of their significance to the economy and the NCAA. Although college athletes should surely be rewarded for their work, they should be rewarded with a scholarship. Scholarships help student-athletes play their sport in addition to receiving a great education at no cost. Scholarships not only provide student-athletes with financial stability, but they also encourage these student-athletes to learn, which gives them opportunities outside of their field of play.

Bibliography

Bloomberg. "March Madness Fuels Sales for Buffalo Wild Wings."

"College athletes are being educated, not exploited." CNN Wire, 30 Mar. 2016. Global Issues in Context, . Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.

"Compensation for College Athletes." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, . Accessed 24 Jan. 2019.

McCormack, Eugene. "College Athletes Should Not Be Paid due to Post-Eligibility School Benefits." Should College Athletes Be Paid?, edited by Geoff Griffin, Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, . Accessed 10 Feb. 2019. Originally published as "Classroom Comeback," Chronicle of Higher Education, 7 July 2006.

Nocera, Joe. "Should college athletes be paid?" New York Times Upfront, 13 Mar. 2017, p. 22+. Global Issues in Context, . Accessed 18 Feb. 2019.

Whitlock, Jason. "College Athletes Should Not Be Paid." Sports and Athletes, edited by James D. Torr, Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, . Accessed 10 Feb. 2019. Originally published as "College Athletes Already Paid in Full," , 19 Sept. 2002.

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