Research Outline: Paying College Athletes is a Mistake

1. Research Outline: Paying College Athletes is a Mistake By: Katie Lewis

2. I. Introduction: Thesis • A current debate in the college football and basketball world today is whether or not college athletes should be paid to play or not. From the extensive research conducted on this issue; college athletes should not be paid to play due to the amateur nature presented throughout young college athletes, and the several issues it poses to smaller colleges.

3. II. First Issue: Scandals within the colleges and the threat to smaller colleges • A. Scandals within the college football and basketball leagues present to show the amateur nature within these young players and even some coaches. • “Scandals abound, from recruiting violations to paying players to the cover-up of criminal offenses at Penn State University (McClatchy, pp.5-6).” • B. One alternative suggested to pay players is allowing an extra stipend for their playing abilities. This would in no doubt harm the smaller named colleges. • “The biggest issue for the big five conferences is paying players a small stipend in addition to room, board and tuition. The larger schools favor the idea, but haven't been able to get it approved by the NCAA because of opposition by smaller schools, which argue they can't afford the additional cost (McClatchy, pp. 5-6).”

4. III. Second Issue: Creating a minor league for college sports • A. Breaking apart college sports into minor league’s would not only be detrimental to the smaller colleges, but the big name colleges as well due to players not receiving a college education leading to layoffs of professors. • “One of the ideas I've come to champion is the establishment of a kind of superleague, consisting of marquee names like Kentucky, Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, U.C.L.A. and the like: maybe 72 or so football teams and 100-plus basketball teams. These teams would openly serve as the minor leagues for professional football and basketball. The players would get wages. They could get an education if they chose -- and that would be a good thing, of course -- but there would be no more pretending that football players were actually students first. I know that education purists hate this idea, but it has the benefit of dealing with reality -- a reality that is unlikely to change given the immense popularity of college sports (Nocera, pp.3).” • B. Creating a minor league would also cause a massive shift in the football tiers. • “If the big five conferences break away, the impact will be felt throughout college sports. It would force some schools that currently field teams in the top tier of college football to drop to the second tier. It could also mean less revenue-sharing money for some of the smaller schools. There are also smaller schools in the top five conferences that might have difficulty competing financially with the bigger schools (McClatchy, pp.10).”

5. IV. Third Issue: College Education • A. Receiving a college education is more important in today’s economy verses worrying about paying college athletes to play sports. • . “Only a tiny minority will ever make a living competing in professional sports. The four major sports employ fewer than 5,000 people at the major league level. According to the National Football League Players Association, the average NFL career is now 3.3 years. Moreover, most of these college athletes will end up working in a career unrelated to their athletic prowess or requiring substantial additional skills. The truth is most Division I athletes are fortunate that they received their degree or made substantial progress toward it while competing athletically. (Florida Times Union, pp. 29-32).” • B. College athletes receive more than enough accommodations and are not over worked or underpaid in any shape or form. • “Neither is university scholarship athletes "overworked" or "underpaid." Despite some abuses and irregularities, scholarship programs benefit both students and universities. The students receive substantial financial rewards to be used for educational expenses, enhancing their growth and development. Universities enrich their campus life through athletic discipline, achievement and esprit de corps (Florida Times Union, pp. 35-38).”

6. Conclusion • Overall, college athletes receive more than their fair share of “free” money for their playing and hard work, and to pay them would only lead the players to false hopes and failure.

7. References • Allen Sack Christian, S. M. (2008, Mar 16). College athletes are students first and should not be paid. Deseret News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/351615303?accountid=13931. • Boren, C. (2013, Aug 06). Johnny manziel accepted money for autographs, report says (posted 2013-08-06 02:46:08). The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417787896?accountid=13931. • College athletes need fair treatment. (2013, Aug 06). Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417958274?accountid=13931. • EDITORIAL: Should college athletes get paid? (2011, Sep 21). McClatchy - Tribune Business News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/893136457?accountid=13931. • EDITORIAL: College sports have their own pay-to-play issue. (2013, Aug 04). McClatchy - Tribune Business News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417339398?accountid=13931. • Kenneth, J. C. (2011). Should college athletes be paid to play? Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 28(10), 12-13. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/874652804?accountid=13931. • March madness - should college athletes get paid? (2013, Mar 26). PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1319493943?accountid=13931. • Nocera, J. (2013, Aug 06). The plot to rule college sports. New York Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417816171?accountid=13931. • PRO & CON. (2013, Jul 02). Florida Times Union. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1376140979?accountid=13931.