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Athletic Departments throughout the United
States are faced with the problem of not being able to offer extra
incentives to lure an athlete into their program. Due to this the
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) has adopted a rule
to standardize the recruiting process and reduce differences between
wealthy and financially deprived schools. Another rule enforced
by the NCAA is prohibiting additional sponsorship for student athletes
while playing college sports. Under the NCAA
rules and eligibility clause, rule G states, “an individual
is not permitted to accept any direct or indirect salary, gratuity
or comparable compensation." This rule has caused a heated
debate over the last few years as athletes realize how much money
they are bringing in for their respective athletic departments.
However, what some athletes momentarily forget is the value of their
scholarship. Full scholarship recipients
receive tuition, books and accommodation. In addition college sponsors
and athletic programs subsidize clothing and equipment. Student
athletes receive many benefits as well as outstanding amateur competition
and consequently, in my opinion, should not receive any money or
sponsorship beyond their scholarship.
The NCAA has a set of laws on amateurism and
agents that currently enforce the no additional sponsorship and
incentive rules. Students are given strict guidelines by the NCAA
and are aware of these principles when entering any college as a
student athlete. An athlete’s eligibility may be lost if any
of the guidelines are violated. Furthermore, the athletic department
and all other athletes related to the university pay a huge cost
if the NCAA rules are broken. Two UCLA athletes have been punished
for receiving extra benefits in the past. Tailback DeShaun Foster
and women's volleyball, basketball and track athlete Kristee Porter,
had their collegiate careers cut short and interrupted, respectively.
I agree with the comment expressed in The
Daily Bruin that “stars of collegiate athletics should
be patient and avoid monetary temptations – safe in the knowledge
that they will be rewarded with riches, success and the satisfaction
of doing things the right way following their graduation.”
College sport is all about experience and enjoying the high times
with a great team. Star student athletes should be satisfied with
being highly regarded and admired by other students.
Difficult issues arise for the NCAA when student
athletes are exceptional at more than one sport. Competing in multiple
sports is usually a rarity as it is too time consuming to put a
great amount of time into both sports as well as completing an academic
degree. Jeremy Bloom is a Professional Olympic Skier as well as
a College Football Player for Colorado and as a result of his talent
he has really tested the NCAA rules over the last few months. Bloom
has partitioned to play college football as an amateur but at the
same time receive money and sponsorship for his skiing. He claims
that it is too expensive to ski at the highest level with out sponsorship
and accordingly told the College
Sports Network “The NCAA has not allowed me to be a professional
skier for two years now. I only want what is fair, for the NCAA
to control my amateur career and the International Olympic Committee
to control my ski career. I hope the NCAA will finally realize that
my desire to win in skiing is not criminal and that my pursuit of
a gold medal doesn't warrant expulsion." The NCAA cannot determine
whether Bloom would be paid because of his football skill or actually
as a result of his skiing ability and consequently this one issue
is causing a huge debate. If the athletic association changes its
rule for one person it opens the door for others to be paid for
similar activities and consequently could cause an exploitation
of the rule. Bloom is an outstanding athlete but I think he needs
to choose to ski professionally with sponsorship and not play college
football or ski professionally without any payment while maintaining
his amateur status in football. The change of one rule leads others
to think that the rules are there to be challenged and changed.
As a matter of fact, two different senate bills
are in the pipeline to change various NCAA rules to enable student
athletes to be paid on top of what they already receive from their
athletic department. Senator Murray has proposed a bill to allow
colleges in the state of California to receive extra benefits. When
proposing the bill in a press
conference, he stated, "it's because of these kids (student
athletes) that billions of dollars are generated that go to the
schools, coaches and the NCAA, yet the students scholarships don't
even cover basic living expenses. This is simply unacceptable and
it's time to change the way student athletes are treated.”
However the implementation of the bill would be detrimental to student
athletes. Athletes would not be able to compete for the ultimate
trophy of them all – the NCAA Championship. Athletic departments
on the west coast of the United States are currently challenging
Senator Murray’s proposal because they do not want these new
laws implemented, as it would ruin athletic programs. Senator Chambers
has put forward a similar bill in Nebraska insisting that college
football players should be paid a part time wage for their efforts
on the field. The problem with both intended laws is that the universities
would not conform to NCAA guidelines and consequently would not
be considered eligible to play in any national competition. Some
sports such as golf and tennis would also break the rules stipulated
by their governing body. Universities view college sport to be a
great competition that leads to professional careers. It is considered
prestigious to win the NCAA championship and coaches expect their
athletes to play for pride rather than to obtain additional money.
It is much more satisfying to say that UCLA leads the count for
the number of national championships through hard work and great
play rather than by athletes being paid huge amounts of money.
College athletics is a time where amateur athletes
learn what is needed to become professionals. Athletic departments
around the country spend millions of dollars a year on athletes
to maintain the reputation of the university. UCLA is considered
to be the best athletic university
in the nation and athletes are expected to keep that tradition going.
It is meant to fuel their desire to compete at the highest level
rather than solely competing for monetary means. Athletes who play
for the love of the sport tend to enjoy themselves and promote an
exciting atmosphere for an audience, which is why spectators enjoy
watching college games.
Furthermore sponsorship on top of scholarships
could minimize the relationship between regular students and student
athletes. Currently there is a division between the two types of
students. Athletes at UCLA train in their own gym in which no other
students are allowed. Priority enrollment for subjects enables student
athletes to find classes that fit into their practice and tournament
schedule. Lunch is prepared for athletes in a designated area on
campus so that nutritional requirements are met on a daily basis.
These benefits come at the cost of training hard, performing well
and missing a lot of classes while on the road. Regular students
do not often understand the daily workload of student athletes and
this lack of knowledge often reduces the respect that is given to
athletes. If athletes were paid on top of what they already receive,
the division between the two groups would grow larger and could
end up being detrimental to college spirit. Jealousy arises in many
circumstances when treatment between people is different. Imagine
being in a class with one athlete who is on a sponsorship deal of
one million dollars a year while everyone else is receiving the
minimal college benefits. Envy would flare, comments would be thrown
and the result would be total disharmony. Furthermore, general students
can see the items athletes are given with out additional payments.
The merchandise can be noticed on athletes while they walk around
campus and it can even be purchased in the student stores. As a
result, conflict between students could cause internal disputes,
which is definitely not in the best interest of the colleges.
More intense arguments are likely to be caused
amongst student athletes competing in the same sport rather than
between athletes and normal students. Players receiving extra benefits
on the same team can promote rivalry that is not needed in a team
situation because for a team to operate at its highest level, players
need to get along with each other in a civil way. There is enough
tension between athletes on a full scholarship and athletes with
no scholarship. The tension flares from opinions that are expressed
about who contributes more to the team and who lives up to expectations.
With sponsorship in the equation, college players would end up forgetting
why they are at university in the first place. College level sport
is all about competing for respect and beating rivals along the
way. If student athletes became semi-professional, the alumni who
pay for many privileges and support multiple teams would most likely
withdraw their generosity. This would be a sad day for both the
athletic departments and players.
Many student athletes believe they should be
paid or given extra incentives as they do raise a lot of money for
the university. UCLA is sponsored by Adidas and it is quite usual
to see regular students walking around campus in Adidas clothing.
Supporters like to wear logo clothing to matches to support their
beloved team and continue school tradition.
High profile athletes will often find spectators buying a replica
of their jersey to wear in awe of their performance. The revenue
from the merchandise is raised directly for the sponsor and university,
which is why some student athletes think they should get a cut of
the profits. To be honest, it is the university who gave the student
athlete the chance to play at the highest college level. If these
athletes were good enough they would have turned professional as
soon as they had finished high school and would have been on million
dollar contracts before they had even joined a team. College athletes
need to repay the school and a great way to do that is to consider
the revenue they make as payment for the opportunities they were
given.
Student athletes are at university to compete
for the college while at the same time obtaining a tertiary education.
Athletics combined with education gives student athletes a balance
in their life that they may not have received if they turned professional
straight away. Receiving money for great play on top of an athletic
scholarship could be a distraction in a student athlete’s
life causing a lack of focus on both academic studies and athletic
performance. This lack of balance could be detrimental to student
athletes in the long run. The UCLA
Compliance Department sticks closely to the NCAA rules to give
student athletes the best possible athletic career and education.
The department expresses that “UCLA is committed and obligated
to the principle of institutional control in operating its athletics
program in a manner consistent with the letter and the spirit of
NCAA, Conference, and University rules and regulations. In striving
for academic and athletic excellence, UCLA seeks the highest standard
of ethical conduct.” Students are aware of these codes of
ethics when they sign on as student athletes and should be proud
to know the rules are closely maintained.
The NCAA helps to guide student athletes in
the correct direction and issues warnings if rules are close to
being breeched. Problems that have occurred in the past when policies
are disregarded have led athletic departments and the NCAA to realize
the negative consequences if rules were changed. All the troubles
associated with extra benefits are the precise reason why athletes
should not be given any additional money beyond their scholarships.
Any inappropriate or even inadvertent activity could jeopardize
both the eligibility of current or prospective student athletes
as well as the [compliance] of the university with NCAA regulations.
Amateurism must remain in college sport and the best way to do that
is to leave the rules as they stand.
Related Web Sites:
Bernheim, J. “Pay College Athletes?” Unwind
Online: Sports, 3/20/03
http://www.inform.umd.edu/studentorg/unwind/sports.html
NCAA Amateurism Issues
http://www.ncaa.org/eligibility/cbsa/amateurism.html
Robertson, L. “Bloom battles NCAA over endorsements”,
The Mercury News, 1/26/2004
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/7801599.htm
Summary of NCAA Regulations Related to Agents and
Other Amateurism Provisions
http://www.ncaa.org/agents/ncaa_summary.html
Wimmer, J. “Student Athletes or University Slaves”,
Fresh Writing, 1998-2004
http://www.nd.edu/~frswrite/issues/2001-2002/Wimmer.shtml |