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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

Why NCAA Athletes Should be Paid

Diego Soltero

UTEP

April 22, 2020

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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

Abstract

Sports have been in a market that has exponentially been growing since and seems to not slow

down anytime soon. The NCAA jumped on the train and has passed the incredible centennial

milestone, many athletes have taken part in creating those little moments that get us off our seat

and fills us with an abundance of emotion that can go shape our day, as if it were a rollercoaster

that you wanted to ride every day. Over 40,000 student athletes on yearly average are entered

into the NCAA system, although most student athletes are on scholarship, they still require

outside income for personal necessities which can be hard to obtain if you have zero income or a

struggling family that doesn’t have the opportunity for that. In this paper I argue why the NCAA

should be responsible for paying their student athletes based on their capitalistic mindsets that

puts them on a one-billion-dollar annual revenue.

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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

The utilization of NCAA collegiate athletes has been pushed to it’s highest regards over the last

one hundred and fifty years, but recently the NCAA has embarked in much more than anyone

could have ever processed. Although the idea of paying young adults in college a lump sum

amount may seem highlighted as uncatious, the ethical reality shows that the NCAA is blatantly

undervaluing the skyrocketing revenues whose foundations rely on the athletes and essentially

nothing more, because without athletes there’s no money which derives to no purpose. College

ball may only seem to be a stepping stone to the small percentage of gifted athletes, but to those

who fell short of the big leagues yet gave their school millions, are they meant to see nothing in

return?

Ultimately the focus of the problem is revolved around compenensation and the rigid system the

NCAA has carried over years. The life of a collegiate athlete can be excruciating due to the high

demand their respective sport may have, this ranges from practices to meetings and all other

expected duties that are to be performed at peak intensity, which can be physically draining.

Additionally all athletes are students as well and school is number one priotity no matter what,

they are required to follow the same guidelines as every student along with meeting proper

degree plan steps that guide you to graduation. Many universities rely on the athletic department

to generate an absurd amount of money for their respective school, this allows schools to

distribute funds throughout the whole campus and external needs and although the athletic

department sees a fair share of it, all funds are spread accordingly to the directors, coaches, staff,

and so on. Yet players only get reinbursed with the things their program may have installed or

the recurring equipment that is given on a yearly basis. Despite the fact that all these perks are

for personal progression, they don’t have the same form of insurance that a monetary

compensation would, as well as disqualifying the hard work these students put in all year, the
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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

sweat, the blood, and the tears. Fortune stated that the NCAA first reached a revenue of over one

billion dollars in the fiscal year of 2016-2017.

Business Insider used a form of propaganda to receive attention to this real situation that

is falling between the cracks of what proper justice is all about. The video entails of an

informative outline of the problems that are within this issue as a whole and gives great views

from both sides. One could say that the NCAA are on the side that must fall to defeat but are
Big Baller Brand is directly associated as a
going to do everything to not see that day. The NCAA has a rule of amateurism in the handbook
basketball brand or lifestyle company, the faces
that they have strongly abided by for many years, which essentially states that athletes can’t be
of the brand consist of Lavar Ball who is the
used commercially and that their main motivation should be derived from academic work and
Father and founder of the company along with
self improvement. In recent efforts to derail the business model, a federal lawsuit was filed
his three sons Lonzo Ball, Liangelo Ball, and
against the NCAA to force the change of athletic rights. Solidifying the remark that the NCAA
Lamelo Ball. Chino Hills High School was a
portrays, it fought tooth and nail in supreme court for a loophole within their own handbook that
nationally recognized school for their dominant

35-0 record in 2015, but all credit to the three

brothers for their incredible skill set that earned

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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

allowed them to modify the rule of “amateurism” which now allows the schools to provide the

athletes with academic necessities such as laptops and items of that nature. Underlying the fact

that the NCAA is keen on not distributing any sort of revenue.

The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), offered the hometown brothers a

groundbreaking scholarship, entailing that all three brothers will commit and play for UCLA to

further their high school basketball careers. Lonzo Ball quickly shut out the doubters and proved

why he was the most sought out player in the country and showed why he was going to be the

first overall pick in the NBA draft following his freshman season, which he did by getting

drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA draft. Liangelo Ball, who’s the middle

brother got caught into some trouble in the preseason which led to his termination from UCLA as

a whole. In the midst of this Lamelo who is the youngest of all three is contuining his brothers
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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

legacies by scoring 92 points in a single game making him second to his brother Lonzo who

holds the record at 100 points, yet due to his brothers actions is put in a hard predicament of

choosing UCLA or possibly another school. People always say “expect the unexpected” but

certainly no one saw what came next, the Ball family became a global phenomenon and it

seemed as if sports news was flooded by them 24/7, enabling them to drop a signature shoe for

their son Lonzo Ball as he entered the NBA. Everything always has a cause and effect, the

effected in this situation was Lamelo Ball as the NCAA deemed him ineligible due to the rigid

amateurism rule. Big Baller Brand was at it’s peak and had all the basketball hype around it,

giving a strong motive to Lamelo to possibly consider taking an unknown route to the NBA. The

NCAA clearly used Lamelo as a primary example to show the power they had and that they

aren’t scared of making drastic decisons. Third party income was the only source that was going

to be received, deriving that the NCAA wouldn’t have to worry about compensation. Yet they

ignored all morals and forced Lamelo to drop out of high school and join a professional team in

the Lithuanian Basketball League, minimizing his player profile which can hurt your draft stock

and ultimately devalue your first contract.

The NCAA will always be a continuing timeline for athletes to prove why they belong in

the big leagues and obtain core values through experience that will furthermore help them live a

wiser, more prosperous life. Yet the mental and physical toll they withstand ultimately gives

them more of a high demand job except that they go without the salary, benefits, or financial

progression. Our nation values the idea of checks and balances, therefore it is time to do what

has been long overdue and to change the idealism that the NCAA can unrightfully capitilize on

yound adults striving for their dreams.

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WHY NCAA ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

Reference

Business Insider. (2019, March 24). NCAA Sports Bring In $1 Billion A Year. [Video File].

Retrieved from https://youtu.be/bYdjwvtDpp4

The NCAA Raked in Over $1 Billion Last Year. (2018). Fortune.Com, 54. Retrieved from

https://0-eds-a-ebscohost-com.lib.utep.edu/eds/search/basic?vid=15&sid=b18d6dbb-bd62-443c-

b74b-7b6b4f5bbdc5%40sessionmgr101

LANDRY, J., & BAKER III, T. A. (2019). Change or Be Changed: A Proposal for the Ncaa to

Combat Corruption and Unfairness by Proactively Reforming Its Regulation of Athlete Publicity

Rights. Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law, 9(1), 1–63. Retrieved from

https://0-eds-a-ebscohost-com.lib.utep.edu/eds/search/basic?vid=15&sid=b18d6dbb-bd62-443c-

b74b-7b6b4f5bbdc5%40sessionmgr101

NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs Staff. (2019). 2019-2020 Ncaa Division I Manual.

Retrieved from http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D120.pdf

Gaines, C. (2015, October 9). Chart shows the simple reason why college athletes should be

paid. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/pay-college-athletes-2015-10

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