MARCH 2020 Issue two page spread
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SPORTS
NCAA considers paying student athletes
Megan Harkey
After this step, on Oct. 29, 2019
editor in chief
the NCAA voted for the changes of
the act. Therefore, each national
One of the largest nonprofits
in the United States with a $1.1
Division (I, II, III) will have to make
their own rules for the act by 2021
billion-dollar annual revenue has
for it to be fully enacted.
never given a paycheck to their
“Obviously I was pretty excited,”
hardest workers. Since its founding,
senior Hayden Summers said. “The
the NCAA has had a strict rule that
NCAA is a billion-dollar industry,
amateur athletes cannot be paid
and they make a ton of money. For
outside of athletic scholarships.
athletes to not get paid is not right.”
Even though a scholarship can
Summers is committed to UNCbe
worth thousands of dollars,
Chapel Hill for baseball as a pitcher.
collegiate athletes believe that the
Even though this act has been
revenue they bring to their school is
well received by endorsers like NBA
worth more.
player Lebron James, many people
“I am for people being able to
are still not fond of the change in
make money in the United States of
the system. The original idea of not
America (because) we are a capitalistic
mixed economy, and if some-
paying athletes outside of scholarships
was to ensure a divide between
one is willing to give you money in
the rights of an amateur athlete and
exchange for whatever you’re able
a professional athlete; the Fair Pay to
to provide for them, you (should) be
Play Act shatters this wall.
able to get that money,” social studies
teacher Jim Thompson said.
“They’re already being paid so
much to play the sport, and that’s
Thompson played football for
why they’re there--to be paid in
one year at South Dakota State
tuition,” math teacher Jessica Estep
before realizing college football was
said.
not for him. Like others, he sees the
Estep played basketball at Iona
NCAA as a company that has used
College for four years on a full
the amateur athlete status to make
ride. As an athlete, she was given a
more money.
head start compared to the average
student. Athletes have gear, top
As of Sept. 30, 2019, the Fair Pay
to Play Act was passed by California
Gov Gavin Newsom; which was
meal plans, tutors, overseas trips
and other bonuses along with a paid
the first step towards the possible
education. This is all given because
rule change in the NCAA. It allowed
athletes devote all their time to their
athletes in California to profit from
sport and school.
their name, image and likeness, or
“People don’t appreciate that
more specifically, they can sign any
stuff enough, so throwing all these
kind of licensing contract that will
other things on top of these experiences
you get to have (is) pointless,”
allow them to earn money, and they
can hire an agent to assist them in
Estep said.
these processes.
11%
13%
76%
12 www.northwesthorizons.com
Graphics by Megan Harkey
On top of that, controversy could
arise out of this act. The difference
now between the athletic income of
a Division III sport and a Division I
sport, or a female and male sport is
already
seen
from
the
sidelines.
Division
I
schools
will
have
more
incentive
in
recruiting
since
they
can
give
more
money
on
top of a scholarship, unlike Division
III schools who cannot even give an
athletic scholarship.
“I feel like it could cause more
problems with recruiting, and it
could cause problems with team
chemistry if someone is getting an
extra paycheck and no one else is,”
Estep said.
Each athlete will most likely not
be getting the same amount of pay
from brands that may or may not
sponsor them, however this “unfairness”
can just be seen as the real
world.
“Capitalism isn’t fair, so it’s not
always going to be equitable, but
pro sports aren’t always equitable
(either), meaning the best players
make the most money,” Thompson
said. “That’s more of a discussion of
whether or not our capitalism is fair
more than if this particular thing is
fair.”
This inequality could benefit the
athletes by giving them a reason to
work harder for their team in order
to make more money, like any professional
athlete.
“I think it would be better to
have more money because (with it)
I would try to improve my craft and
my name would be out there more,
which means I would be getting better,”
Summers said.
Like in most businesses, the
motivation of the workers is money;
this is why professional athletes and
coaches can move from team to team
in order to capitalize on their salary.
The NCAA has always believed that
the motivation of the college athlete
should be the money going towards
their education and sports program.
The only reason athletes are there in
the first place is because their coach
chose them out of thousands and is
willing to work with them and the
team to create a name for the school.
“If your coaches (choose you)
and your team wasn’t there, and
everyone wasn’t working together,
then what are you?” Estep said. “The
program should get money because
your
coaches
found
you,
and
your
teammates
are
helping
you
get
better;
you
aren’t
the
only
one.”
Estep
believes
that
such
money from brand deals and even
jersey sales should go back to the
program that coached the athlete
to the top. Whether or not this act
is justified--it is in place for 2021.
The only thing left to change are the
rules surrounding it.
“(A rule that I would like to see is
for) athletes to not touch that money
before they graduate, so whether
you go to the draft or you graduate
there’s a chunk of money sitting
(there) for you,” Estep said.
This provides the opportunity
for the athlete to think about what
they can do with their money. For
example, they could use it for graduate
school or to fund their ability to
play professionally here or overseas.
A rule like this could also bring on
some controversy since professional
athletes don’t necessarily have to
wait for their money, so why should
college athletes have to?
“I don’t want to see any rules
whatsoever at all,” Thompson said.
“I think that the same rules about
paying non-athletes should be the
exact same as paying athletes.”
The power of the Fair Pay to
Play Act will be unknown until the
release of the rules for each Division.
Until then, athletes and schools can
only hope for the NCAA to be on
their side; whatever that may be.
“At the end of the day, it’s just
going to have to be something
everyone has to work on, like in the
professional leagues,” Summers said.
Infographics by Megan Harkey
The bar graph (top right) shows how many
hours per week the average student athlete
allots for each sport. These statistics are
from a study by Business Insider.The pie
graph (bottom left) illustrates the student
opinion on whether athletes should be paid
in college. The majority of the 87 students
surveyed agreed they should be.
March 2020