THE ISSUE: After a screening of the documentary “Schooled: The Price of College Sports” last week in Carroll Hall, a panel discussed the current state of college athletics. Among many issues, the often-debated issue of paying college athletes was touched upon.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association and college athletics as a whole have grown and evolved since their inceptions. No longer is college athletics merely a contest devoted to bolstering the egos of Ivy League colleges in rival football games. It has evolved from simple beginnings into a near-billion-dollar industry, but the NCAA and the term “student athlete” remain with one foot stuck in the past.
“Student athlete” is an antiquated term that latches onto the old idea of the well-rounded student.
It is a term claimed to have been born, not from an original perception that collegiate athletes were students first and should not be paid — a few college football teams originally came with payrolls — but as a defense against a lawsuit that sought workers’ compensation for the widow of a Fort Lewis A&M football player who died on the field.
The NCAA’s steadfastness in sticking to this term and not paying athletes has been widely criticized and argued against in many theaters that can do the issue more justice than this space can provide. Sources ranging from the book authored by UNC’s own Taylor Branch, “The Cartel,” to the many pieces by New York Times writer Joe Nocera, to even the cartoon show “South Park,” have offered their own takes on the draconian policies employed by the NCAA.
These complaints deal with issues that range from unfair eligibilty rules to the lack of bargaining rights given to athletes. However, they often touch on the lack of compensation given to athletes.
These calls for reform should be heard and answered. With these changes should come a method to compensate players beyond the scholarships that only some of them get.
Those that believe this would corrupt the values of college athletics need only to pick their heads out of the sand and survey the current state of affairs. When colleges have canceled afternoon classes in the past in order to televise a Thursday night football game and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was suspended for only half of a football game for allegations of selling autographs, only to come back and mime counting money — it is hard to call collegiate athletics pure.
Admittedly, the prospect of flat-out paying athletes comes with practical hindrances. With athletic budgets already stretched thin to help support other expenses outside of football and basketball, it’s hard to find a source for these additional expenditures.
