As the profits made from college sports increases every year, the question of whether college athletes should be paid or not seems to become a more controversial topic as well. What must be remembered when discussing this topic is that these athletes are college students. Students who receive scholarships in order to study and play sports for their colleges.  However, there are still overbearing monetary regulations that the NCAA imposes on its student athletes. Student Athletes should not be paid by the school in any way except through scholarships, but the players should be able to earn money or other benefits off their own likeness through other means.

College athletes are amateurs who are first and foremost students. The top college athletes receive scholarships from the schools in which they attend. A normal full athletic scholarship to a division 1 school costs around $65,000 for a student going to an out of state school. It would take a $100,000 salary to match the value of the $65,000 scholarship due to federal and state taxes. The salary receiver would have to pay an average of $34,900 in taxes which would bring the actual value down to $65,100 to which $65,000 would go to paying their school expenses. This salary situation would leave the student athlete with roughly $100 of extra spending money and would cost the college an extra $35,000 (Thelin). That scenario is just for one player, if a college were to do this with their star players on their men’s basketball and football teams than thy would be shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary money just so some athletes can have a hundred dollars of extra spending money which may not even remain after some state’s taxes. Also, if the NCAA were to allow such salaries, colleges wouldn’t be able to give out nearly as many scholarships as they do now. In this scenario, with the top few athletes receiving six-figure salaries, colleges would be forced to give out substantially less athletic scholarships to athletes who would otherwise deserve them. This is because of the added $35,000 colleges would have to pay in order to give a kid a $100,000 salary. Since the scholarship is tax deductible, it proves to be more valuable for both the student and the school in which the attend.

Colleges not only provide students with the scholarships which allow them to succeed, but they also offer them the resources and facilities which allow them to thrive. Yes, the top division one colleges have revenues of ten millions of dollars and some even in the hundred millions, but it would be remiss not to take into account the exorbitant amount of money that these colleges are putting in to their athletic facilities. In a study of 48 various schools in the power-five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC), “In 2014, these 48 schools spent $772 million combined on athletic facilities, an 89-percent increase from $408 million spent in 2004, adjusted for inflation. Those figures include annual debt payments, capital expenses and maintenance costs.”(Hobson). An example of such is the $55 million athletic complex that Clemson University is building in order to attract the top recruits from around the world. If the top players were receiving the high budget salaries in which many of them demand, these types of facilities would never be made because of budget restrictions. The cost of paying these top tier athletes would be losing the facilities and amenities which are built to bring in such athletes. Also, it would not only be the small group of paid college athletes who would be missing out, it’s also the hundreds of other athletes who may not be as talented or may not play a high income sport who would be missing out on these facilities. This could cause a domino effect of schools losing talent in other sports because of the salaries being paid to certain athletes in their basketball and football programs.

One area of the NCAA which should change, is the rules surrounding players earning money off of their own likeness. If a college student at the University of South Carolina majoring in music played in a band, and then went out and signed autographs for fans and charged $5 per autograph, they could do so without breaking any rules with the university. However, if a University of South Carolina football player went out, signed autographs and charged $5 each, he would be subject to investigation and he would be kicked off of the team. This is because according to “NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1 prohibits student-athletes from accepting money for promotion or sale of a product or service, and the act of doing so can affect an athlete's amateur status and eligibility to compete in NCAA athletics.”(Uthman). There is a number of NCAA Bylaws that are similar to this one, which all need to be changed. There is a pattern throughout the NCAA which prohibits certain behaviors, so long as the money is going in to the athlete’s pockets instead of their own.

“NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.2: If a student-athlete’s name or picture appears on commercial items (e.g., T-shirts, sweatshirts, serving trays, playing cards, posters) or is used to promote a commercial product sold by an individual or agency without the student athlete’s knowledge or permission, the student-athlete (or the institution acting on behalf of the student-athlete) is required to take steps to stop such an activity in order to retain his or her eligibility for intercollegiate athletics. Such steps are not required in cases in which a student-athlete’s photograph is sold by an individual or agency (e.g., private photographer, news agency) for private use.”(NCAA). 

This bylaw not only bans players form appearing in commercials or on commercial products, but it also makes it the players responsibility if somebody uses their likeness for a product or commercial. That is, as long as it’s not the NCAA using their image, because they snuck in the line “Such steps are not required in cases in which a student-athlete’s photograph is sold by an individual or agency” in order to allow them to practice the behaviors that they prevent the players from partaking in. There have been many instances of players breaking these rules, including Johnny Manziel and Todd Gurley who got into trouble with autograph scandals. Gurley was indefinitely suspended by the NCAA over a $400 autograph allegation. If he was proven to be guilty he would have been removed from the team completely, but even his scenario where he was proven innocent, he was forced to sit out of a game all over a $400 rumor. In Manziel’s case he never missed a game, but he was forced to undergo an NCAA investigation which is an extremely distracting matter to go through as an athlete trying to lead a team to a national championship.

Like Bylaw 12.5.2.2, Bylaw 12.5.2.1 has stirred up controversy when discussing the exploitation of college athletes by the NCAA. It seems as if the NCAA creates these rules just, so they can violate them themselves.

“NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1: After becoming a student-athlete, an individual shall not be eligible for participation in intercollegiate athletics if the individual: (a) Accepts any remuneration for or permits the use of his or her name or picture to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or serv ice of any kind; or (b) Receives remuneration for endorsing a commercial product or service through the individual’s use of such product or service.”(NCAA). 

 However, the schools are allowed to exploit their athletes to do all of the above-mentioned acts, as long as it it’s for their own profits, rather than the student’s gains. The NCAA actually went as far as to give away player names, images, and likeness to a video game in order to generate millions of dollars for themselves and none for the players they used. Between 2003 and 2014, EA Sports worked with the NCAA to create the NCAA Football video game franchise which successfully exploited college athletes for over a decade. It wasn’t until June 2014 when a legal case resulted in $60 million settlement to be paid out by EA Sports and the NCAA. The money was split between the players who appeared in the games with varying payouts determined by years in the game and role in the game. The average payout was $1,237 which is a small compensation for the players who were exploited at the same time they were restricted in earning money themselves. The hypocrisy of the NCAA is shown in the “Areas in which the NCAA defies its own devotion to amateurism are the sale of video games licenses, game merchandise, footage, etc., that provide direct profit for the association. The players directly promote these examples, but the benefits received are to the NCAA and schools alone.”(Brill).

If these athletes were able to sell autographs and earn money off of their own likeness, it could lead to them staying in school longer. Many of the top athletes in football and men’s basketball leave the college ranks early in order to pursue a professional career. A big part of this decision is that many of these athletes come from under privileged backgrounds and struggle to get by during college since they can’t work because of the extensive practice hours demanded by the programs. Being able to earn a little income on the side could result in less “one and done” men’s basketball players as they will be able to support themselves and even earn some money for their families too. Numerous professional athletes earn millions of dollars on the side by endorsing products and appearing in commercials which is something college athletes should be able to do too. While they most likely will never receive as much from endorsements as the pros, they would be able to earn enough to not need a school paid salary.

Of course, greater than any salary or promotion, is the value of a college education. “In the most recent NCAA GOALS study, 16% of student-athletes reported being first-generation college students (defined here as neither parent having attended college).”(NCAA). These first generation college students are also frequently in tough socio-economic situations which make scholarships extremely valuable for them. Also, only a very small percentage of college athletes actually move on to play professionally; for example, “Of the 1,210 students who played Division I men's basketball in 2013 (the latest year data is available), only 3.9% were drafted into the National Basketball Association.”(Scott). The other 96.1% is moving on to another phase of their lives with a college education that many of which would never have obtained without their athletic scholarship. Student athletes at colleges are also given extra facilities and resources to aid them in studying and succeeding with their busy practice schedules. Also, these student athletes are not being taken advantage of by the schools which are educating them. The students are not being forced to play sports for free, it is a decision they make for themselves. It’s a compromise for some, but for most it is an honor to play for and represent the schools that they attend. The athletic experience is just an added bonus to their educational experience.

The college experience of a student athlete is one of balance and compromise. A balance between schoolwork and athletic training; and a compromise of being an amateur athlete while receiving such a valuable education. The NCAA is a good and a bad thing for college athletes. By preventing the student athletes from being paid, it ensures the ability of schools to give generous scholarships and the funds to build amazing facilities and amenities. On the other hand the NCAA restricts the athletes from being able to earn money off f their own images in ways such as signing autographs for extra money even though the NCAA has a history of exploiting the student athletes for their own financial gains. Ultimately, it is important for college athletes to not be paid by their colleges, but a necessary change to the NCAA needs to be made to allow the student athletes to be able to make money off of their own images and likenesses.
