Southeast Missouri State University



Ashley ThomasSC105HSpeech to Convince (MLA Format)22 November 2013TITLE: College Athletes Should Be CompensatedSKELETON:THESIS: College athletes should be paid. Many college athletes could use the money. Playing a sport at a Division I college is basically a full time job. Athletes earn their schools lots of money and prestige.There are multiple solutions as to how athletes should be paid and where the money would come from. PURPOSE: To persuade the general public that student-athletes should be paid. INTRO: How do you feel when your hard work is not acknowledged?Isn’t it great to be complimented, or even tipped for what you have accomplished?In the world of collegiate sports, athletes do not receive the respect they deserve for the long hours that they dedicate to their sport. Currently, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules that college athletes are “strict amateurs, which means they cannot accept any kind of compensation” (“Student-Athlete Compensation” 1). They are forbidden to receive money or gifts from sports agents or accept sponsorships. The NCAA’s policy is injurious on many accounts.Bottom line, (thesis): college athletes should be paid.(Preview) Let’s examine why this is so and how we could make it happen.BODY: Many college athletes could use the money. Numerous college athletes are from disadvantaged backgrounds. In other words, for many athletes, a scholarship is simply not enough. For the most part, scholarships only pay for tuition and housing if it is a full scholarship, or, if it’s a partial scholarship, it only covers tuition, books, or housing. More often than you think, an athletic scholarship is the only way some athletes are able to obtain a college education. As Sean Gregory, a reporter for Time magazine, noted in a recent issue, “for many families [scholarships] are the only way their children can afford to go to a four-year school” (Gregory 39).(Internal Transition): Sadly, any additional help for financially strapped student athletes is against current rules. An article on the database Issues and Controversies exclaims that the multitude of money-related scandals shows that the NCAA regulations need to be reformed. Critics in the same article feel that “violations will continue to occur if student-athletes are forced to live in virtual poverty because they are barred by the NCAA from earning money for expenses outside of what is provided by scholarships” (“Student-Athlete Compensation” 4). Most scholarships are revocable, which means some people may not be able to finish college if this unfortunate event occurs.Some athletes are walk-ons and are paying for school without any income or extra help coming in. TRANSITION: Not only are college athletes deprived of money, but they are also working a full time job for no pay.Playing a sport at a Division I college is basically a full time job. For instance, on a typical day, I wake up at 5:30 AM, leave my dorm at 7:45 AM and do not return until at least 8:00 PM. During the twelve hours that I am gone, I go to an hour of conditioning, sit through two to three classes, eat lunch, practice gymnastics for four and a half hours, eat dinner, and then attend study hall. All of this before returning to the dorm. By the time I return to the dorm, I am so exhausted that my teammates and I go straight to bed. Think about it. A typical day job lasts for about eight hours. Therefore, student-athletes actually worker LONGER days than most citizens with full time jobs do, and athletes do it for no pay at all. Analysts observe that schools should acknowledge that student-athletes are more like employees and should be compensated instead of being exploited (“Student-Athlete Compensation” 4). Working what would be a second job would burden athletes even further who are already trying to balance school work with sports. Think about it, how would multiple jobs affect your ability to do well in class?It is unrealistic to expect student-athletes to work part-time jobs. TRANSITION: Technically, the work of athletes does not go unrewarded; as we’ve seen, it is modestly rewarded with some degree of tuition waivers and housing allowances. In contrast, the school and programs like the NCAA are handsomely rewarded for what athletes accomplish. College athletes earn their schools lots of money and prestige. Athletes bring in money for their school in many different ways.In Time magazine, Sean Gregory explains that there are multiple examples of application rates rising after a high profile championship. For example, Butler University saw a 43% increase in undergraduate applications after the University’s basketball team made it to the Final Four two years in a row (Gregory 40).Also, after a strong season, veterans come back to campus for reunions and tribute, keeping the school’s brand and their image as winners alive. (Internal Transition): A winning team is good for marketing and is a real moneymaker. An article by Tyson Hartnett posted in the Huffington Post describes that if a school is rewarded for an academic achievement, it will be in the newspaper for a couple of days. On the flip side, athletics are in the newspaper throughout the year (1). An article in CQ Researcher says, “The TV networks pay dearly to broadcast all this, and spectators pay premium prices to attend games” (Worsnop 1). College athletes also make the community money. When people come in town for games, many businesses benefit. Some businesses include souvenir stores, bars, burger joints, hotels, ticket brokers, stadium vendors, and parking attendants.For example, a season’s worth of Texas A & M football games generate $86 million in business in the town where the school is located (Gregory 38). (Internal Transition): The revenue stream is even more impressive for the school. Colleges receive money for playing in high-profile, postseason bowl games, and for just appearing in the tournament and doing well. The total revenue for 25 richest college football teams is $1.4 BILLION (Gregory 41).The total revenue for the 25 richest college basketball teams is $440 MILLION (Gregory 41). What this all really amounts to is that college athletes comprise a lucrative labor force. TRANSITION: Since athletes earn millions for their schools, there is more than enough money for athletic programs to pay for the schools and athletes alike. Plus, it is the right thing to do. There are multiple solutions as to how athletes should be paid and where the money would come from. The money can be found in many different areas. The NCAA makes millions that can be shared. The NCAA and CBS recently signed a $10.8 BILLION television agreement over the next 14 years (Hartnett 1). College coaches’ earnings, which Time reports have jumped significantly in recent years, can be slightly cut. Coaches earn at least $100,000 per year in the major sports with bonuses from play-off games, championships, or breaking school records. Not every school would participate. Schools could pay athletes whatever they want or salaries could be subject to regulation. Salary caps could be put into effect like in the NBA and the NFL.Time magazine feels that “Universities should give athletes the right to secure sponsorships, star in a commercial, or even offer their signatures for money” (Gregory 41). Since sponsorships do not cost the school anything, it would be fair to not cap sponsorships. This solution doesn’t even cost the school money, and arguably could generate even more publicity for the school, by creating high-visibility role models for children that encourage them to become active and attend college—something that would benefit society as well! To receive any kind of payments, schools could require the student-athletes to remain academically eligible.. For example, an athlete could be required to maintain a 2.0 GPA and pass at least 6 hours of credit each semester. There is also a more radical solution, proposed by Gregg Easterbrook and posted in U.S. News & World Report.Easterbrook found that typically athletes do not receive adequate educations. As a result, athletes could be paid to do their sport for a college team and earn the college money for four years. If the athlete is not picked up by a professional team, he would be able to attend college like a normal student for free for up to four years. This could include retaking classes in which he/she struggled during the years, or simply retake a course in order to better master the material. This would give student-athletes a true education, something that would be good for the athlete as well as society.CONCLUSION: In short, college athletes should be paid for all their hard work and accomplishments. Many student-athletes struggle when it comes to money or having to pay for something that is not covered by a scholarship.They work long hours and make other sacrifices, and their compensation is relatively small, at best, compared to the revenue and prestige they help generate for their school .To compensate the student athlete, money can be reallocated from several areas: coaches’ earnings, NCAA executive board member salaries, and even the NCAA itself. In addition, a system could be devised to allow student athletes to endorse products and services—which could be a win-win for all involved and benefit society as a whole by motivating more of our youth to aim higher and get an education.There is more than enough money to go around, and some of it should go to those who need it and who work hard to earn it--not to mention--risk injury.It is time to start paying college athletes what they are worth!Works CitedGregory, Sean. “Athletes are Cheap Labor who Bring in Millions.” Time 16 Sept. 2013: 38. Print. Hartnett, Tyson. "Why College Athletes Should Be Paid." The Huffington Post. , 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013."Opposing Views: Should NCAA Athletes Be Paid?" Arizona Daily Wildcat : Web. 14 Nov. 2013.Sparvero, Emily S., and Stacy Warner. "The Price Of Winning And The Impact On The NCAA Community." Journal Of Intercollegiate Sport 6.1 (2013): 120-142. SPORTDiscus. Web. 14 Nov. 2013."Student-Athlete Compensation." Issues & Controversies On File: Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 20 Mar. 1998. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.Worsnop, Richard L. "College Sports." CQ Researcher 26 Aug. 1994: 745-68. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. ................
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