The world of college athletics has exponentially exploded into a financial powerhouse over the years. Amongst all the action stand the student-athletes who are the workhorses of the entire infrastructure of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. As of recent, I have taken great interest in the system of college athletics and the controversy surrounding this massive organization. Those who follow college athletics are likely to hear arguments pertaining to whether the NCAA’s athletes should receive salaries or not. Below the surface, I have discovered the reality that this controversy should not be the focus of problems with the association. The NCAA neglects their massive exploitation of their athletes and is jeopardizing the future of college sports. Those who may seek details of this argument are: college students, student athletes, families, fans, university employees/administrators, as well as the NCAA player’s association. I am a Freshman student at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. Attending this institution has instantly immersed me into the world of collegiate sports and I am passionate about its value to my school. This university provides me with the experiences, resources, and exposure to deliver a credible argument that this exploitation should no longer be neglected. South Carolina is nationally known for our athletics, and specifically famous for strong football, basketball, and baseball programs. As a student, you see these athletes everywhere. My passion for college athletics has lead me to extensive research of how the NCAA works, what is wrong, and how to possibly fix the future of beloved college athletics.

One must be informed of the current state and history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association prior to addressing any sort of exploitation. I think the policies, statistics, and finances of the NCAA are important to be acknowledged before any aspect of my argument is made. The NCAA is an organization who runs college athletics through a committee of members that claim dedication “to the well-being and lifelong success of college athletes” (NCAA). This association is the mecca of college sports in America and stand to protect, preserve, and promote the opportunity of a student-athlete. All NCAA athletes are considered amateurs and cannot compete if they break the organization’s extensive list of regulations and rules. Most these rules surround the goal of keeping all college athletes as amateurs. The concept of amateurism is defined by the organization as a “membership established process [that brings] about national uniformity and fairness” (NCAA). The coveted student-athlete opportunity consists of a difficult job of being premier sportsmen while simultaneously earning a college degree. In terms of its size, there are currently almost half a million student-athletes that create “approximately 19,500 teams in the NCAA” (Klevorn). Running this massive organization is undoubtedly a difficult task but it seems that finances have allowed the NCAA to continually operate. Controversies are not a new thing for the NCAA to deal with. There have been six major court cases involving the National Collegiate Athletic Association over the past 30 years (O’Rourke). These cases all involved and challenge between a school or a student and the NCAA’s policies, actions, or operations. As time has passed, the verdicts of these cases have undoubtedly shaped the NCAA to its current state. The most notable change was made following the White vs. NCAA in a 2008 case where verdict found that some athletes are now eligible to receive money for health insurance or “for [funding] further education” (“Important”). Despite many changes over the years, the extensive protection of amateurism and strict policies within college athletics have still withstood the NCAA’s 100+ years of operation (“Editors”).

Although most of the NCAA’s values have remained the same, a lot has been changing in the world of college athletics lately. Legally, the NCAA is currently involved in five major judicial cases that are “pending” or “currently in discovery” (Important). This predicament reveals the timeliness of my topic. It appears that things are wrong with the NCAA and people are calling for change. Financially, college athletics has exploded into a multibillion dollar industry. This appears to be the likely the driving force behind many problems within the NCAA. College athletics generates approximately “$13 billion a year” (Nocera). This money is produced in ticket sales, broadcasting, gambling, merchandising, advertising, along with many other moving parts around the world of college sports. The NCAA itself annually “generates over $900 million in revenue” (Nocera) which means that the NCAA annually “makes more money than the National Football League” (“How”). These numbers were staggering when I first discovered them and I am going to assume that any reader would agree. The sheer amounts of money moving around college sports clearly reflects America’s recent economy boom as well as an exponential increase of NCAA’s sports fans. The financial explosion of the college sports industry leads me the development of my argument pertaining to the neglect of how players are treated within the NCAA. 

Revealing and addressing the current exploitation and mistreatment of student athletes is very complex because the industry of college athletics is so vast. Because of this, there are many different aspects to my argument of exploitation before I can propose a possible proposal of improvement. A freshman track runner at University of South Carolina named Matt Froschauer will open the world of mistreatment through his first-year experiences as a student athlete of the NCAA. Following an introduction and missed opportunities while being a NCAA athlete, I will transition to Alabama’s Tyrone Prothro whom was abused by the lucrative system of the NCAA. This will reveal the way college athletics stunts a players’ ability to capitalize and how they have the ability and history of abandoning athletes following injuries. From the unfairness with player abilities, we will dive into the financial world of the NCAA where such a profitable organization is cheating the very students that make them money. The financial world of college athletics creates problems with amateurism and the value of a college education as a student athlete. Finally, I will turn my focus on the future of problems with college athletics and what can be done now to preserve the uniqueness of college athletes. A professional organization, such as the NBA, has taken moral measures to financially protect their new players. With such a complicated topic, I must expect some readers to provide counter arguments to my case. I anticipate that one may think the value of remaining an amateur athlete outweighs improving the policies towards the rights of student-athletes. Another reader may draw an opinion that the allowance of scholarships along with stipends should be more than enough of a reward for the time that a stellar student-athlete puts in. I also believe that one will probably say it will be too difficult make a positive policy change with such a diverse array of colleges, sports, and finances.

Mistreatment can come in various forms and degrees. As a student, I have enjoyed developing relationships with some athletes in my classes. I have been fortunate to get close to a freshman member of USC Track and Field team named Matthew Froschauer. With goals of receiving a first-hand experience, I interviewed Matt to explore his detailed athletic experience so far at the University of South Carolina and his exposure to the NCAA’s operation. Froschauer holds a GPA above a 3.5 and seemingly does everything possible to balance his academic and athletic experiences simultaneously. Unlike the stereotypical college athlete, he is enrolled in one of the school’s more difficult business programs with a plan of pursuing a non-sport related career. The young 100 Meter Hurdles runner is competing without a scholarship but emphasizes that running for an SEC school “had been a goal” for him since he was little. In terms of regulations, Matt Froschauer instantly expressed that “it’s hard to feel independent while worrying about their endless rules and policies”. As mentioned before, over the years the NCAA has manifested an extensive list of rules and policies keeping athletes and coaches isolated within college athletics. They control: who they can talk to, how much they can practice, who they can practice with, talk to, eat with, along with many other variables. Despite being a college student it is as if Matthew still lives under a house of strict parents. In terms of regulating an athlete’s schedule, the NCAA has a “weekly 20-hour limit” for a team’s practice time (Jacobs). Matt validates the 20-hour rule and shared that they require teams to hold mandatory study hours each week. He explains “they [the NCAA] tries to keep students academically afloat” (Froschauer). These efforts require all schools to provide study hours, tutors, as well as accommodations to the timing conflicts between athletics and academics. When hearing positives from Matt, I thought that my goal of revealing mistreatment on various stages of the NCAA was going to be impossible. Instead, it turns out that a person as voiceless and meaningless to the athletic organization as Matt, is fundamentally exploited and cheated from educational and financial opportunities.

When addressing the finances of the NCAA, it is hard to neglect that even Matt’s fleet of track coaches have a combined salary nearing half a million dollars (Sanderson). Matt describes himself as anything but a superstar but expresses that “there are opportunities I miss out on because the NCAA is so controlling” (Froschauer). Despite putting in full time hours as a student-athlete, Matt doesn’t necessarily think he is cheated of any sort of salary. He instead thinks the organization needs to financially open their policies. Doing this could help one pay for school or life expenses. Having the ability to market oneself would be an unbelievable opportunity for a young business student such as Matt Froschauer but it would require a student athlete putting in the extra time for it. Even for a role as miniscule as a freshman hurdle runner who is just cracking depth, Matt could absolutely market his efforts throughout his four years. The opportunity to make a marginal profit on track gear with Matt’s name and number would certainly contribute to the NCAA’s goal of “lifelong success of college athletes” (NCAA). Froschauer’s family and friends would undoubtedly be more inclined to purchase Gamecock gear knowing that he would receive benefits from each purchase. I think this opportunity is only fair, right? The NCAA disagrees. Concepts such as this would not interfere with merchandising contracts but would rather just require the NCAA to allow schools to track purchases and give respective athletes a portion of the profits. Harmless changes, right? One would think so but the NCAA has no intentions of changing its precious concept of amateurism. I personally think it is ludicrous for a group to think that remaining profitless would be considered more beneficial than enhancing educational opportunities such as this. Instead, The National Collegiate Athletic Association sells the Gamecock Track and Field merchandise without any acknowledgment of the athletes who make it all happen. 

It would be unreliable to not address opposing arguments to the concept of Those who think the values of remaining an amateur athlete outweighs any improvement to policies. totally neglects the chosen values of the NCAA. The counterargument that scholarships and stipends should be enough compensation for being a student athlete is a little more complex. I will grant you the point that athletes do get something considering that some athletes do receive a free college education along with up to $3,000 in stipend. The problem with this argument is that not all athletes receive full scholarships. Depending on which college, the scholarship and stipend compensation adds up to an unbelievable value. The problem with this stance is that it neglects the actual amount of money involved in college sports. The benefits that NCAA athletes receive now is virtually nothing compared to the balance sheets and salaries inside of athletic departments.

Education at the college level is more than just what you learn in the classroom and for athletes they also learn a lot on the playing field. The NCAA’s current stance on not allowing players to market themselves blocks a young student’s ability to grow. There should never be “enough” opportunities for an athlete within the NCAA. If one wants to learn how to market themselves as an athlete within merchandising, then they should undoubtedly be allowed. On top of being permitted, the NCAA should aid this process and prove to all of us that they want to put their student athletes’ education first before any profit is made on their end. Without the players, there will be no more NCAA.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is absolutely an unbelievably prosperous and profitable organization. I have grown to be a huge fan of what this organization has created but I fear for the future of college athletes across the country. College athletics generates more money than the NFL but not a single athlete gets a piece of the profit nor do they get money put back into their education. I am nothing short of disgusted with their exploitation of the very athletes that make everything possible. In the life of 19-year-old Matthew Froschauer, his collegiate time commitment could hold more value with a change to how players are treated. The value of his education would go beyond the track and classroom. How can the NCAA continue to prosper? I am not sure. The clear problems make the future uncertain. Helping players financially and politically will preserve the future of college sports for years to come. 
