Download English Composition II and more Essays (university) English Language in PDF only on Docsity!
Universities and the Exploited Student-Athlete
David L. Spruill Western Governors University WGU Student ID #
Universities and the Exploited Student-Athlete
At any given time, on any given day, you can find a plethora of college sports on any form of entertainment outlet. Football and basketball, classic, as well as, newly charged rivalries, fill the cable lines for us to watch with our cohorts, almost twenty-four hours a day. Video games allow us to be part of the action of our favorite teams and apparel companies make sure we do it decked out in our favorite colors and logos. College sports is no doubt big business and growing every day. With coaching salaries reaching eight figures, athletic programs netting nine figures and the NCAA raking in a cool $1 Billion, in 2017, we must consider who the actual “employees” are (Kirshner,2018). The real workhorses behind generating these large amounts and bringing fame to the universities are the student-athlete, without whom, none of this would
RUNNING HEAD: UNIVERSITIES AND THE EXPLOITED STUDENT ATHLETE
be possible. While revenues continue to rise at a rapid pace, so do college tuitions and the cost of living. What does not continually increase is the number of scholarships awarded and what actual, cost they cover. At the college level, student-athletes devote most of their time and energy to their teams, while incurring large amounts of student debt and being exploited and for that, should be paid.
In the United States, full-time employees average 42.4 hours for a normal work week (US Dept. of Labor, 2017). The realization from putting in those hours is being able to eat, pay rent or mortgage, being a viable resource to the country and a sense of worth. In contrast, full- time college students are required to sit in a class for a minimum 12 hours per week plus, expected to spend the recommended 24 to 36 hours outside the classroom studying, culminating into a 48-hour work week (Univ. Houston, n.d.). Student-Athletes bare even a larger burden, adding an average 39.6 hours per week for men and 35.45 hours per week for women, devoted solely to their respective teams, undoubtedly stretching them thin at just less than 90 total hours per week. Of course, we cannot discount the value of a good education and I don’t believe any student- athlete would. However, understanding you only get out, what you put in, one would have to question, when is there time and energy to apply themselves and retain the necessary information to obtain a quality education? The life of a college athlete can be very rewarding but like most things, it will not come easy. To start, the five top sports, football, baseball, hockey, soccer, and baseball include, just shy of 3 million high school participants, of which, only 4% will receive scholarships and only 2% of the 4% will realize a professional career (Manfred, 2012). Luckily, for the those who play, for the love of the game, still have a chance to live the hectic, exhausting schedule of college sports.
The last 10 years have brought a 68% increase in college tuition. This year, tuition, at a private university will reach $35,676, public In-State tuition, $9,716 and Out-of-State tuition, $21,629 on average, all while 44 million Americans try to figure out how to live with their $1. trillion dollars in student debt (Friedman, 2018). Student-Athletes may be blinded by the word scholarship, believing everything will be taken care of but there is no doubt that past scholarship recipients are just as much a part of the 44 million struggling to pay, as any other student. The NCAA only guarantees a small number of full-ride scholarships in six sports, football, basketball (men and women), volleyball, gymnastics, and tennis. Many scholarships are split into smaller amounts and divided amongst a larger pool of participants, allowing for more participants (Fay,18). This practice can unknowingly lead prospective student-athletes and their parents into believing more scholarships are available at one school than another when the total number is mandated by, the NCAA. University of Cincinnati graduate, Brad Jones, received 4 years of a full football scholarship and incurred only $3,500 in debt, however, this is not the norm. Robert DiMarco, Jacksonville University fullback, did not fare as well with his full football scholarship and graduated with student loan debt of $22,000 (Heitner, 2014). The average football and/or basketball player, receiving an athletic scholarship that offers the most, in terms of money, still owes an average of $12,000 after graduating (Giknis, 2016). With those numbers reflecting upon top-tier athletes, obviously, the outlook for the majority is quite bleak. When and if the NCAA loosens its stance on amateurism, and pays student-athletes for their work and intellectual property rights, student debt for them could be eliminated. Until then, high school athletes and their families should search out supplemental finance options, debt counseling and not be fooled by the charade that scholarships will solve all your financial issues.
During expert testimony in 2014, Economics Professor, David Berri gave his definition of “exploitation” as “A worker is exploited if the wage the worker received is less than their economic contribution to the firm” (p.p. 4). Berri sides with, college athletes on their exploitation. He further explained the “Good Deal, Bad Deal” concept (p.p. 2). At the most basic level of college sports, it is (or should be) understood what each party, the university and the student-athlete agree to do. On signing day, with the pick of a hat and the swipe of a pen, graduating high school seniors agree to bring their talents and skills, perform to the best of their ability, while maintaining grades to receive a quality education and acting socially responsible, per handbook rules. The university agrees to provide them with the highest quality education in a major you choose. This contractual arrangement seems simple and clear-cut for both parties, a “Good Deal” but runs of the rails swiftly, when the student-athlete becomes a commodity known as, the athlete-student, the “Bad Deal”. Wins equal Money, it’s that simple! In college sports, some schools go to great lengths to keep star athletes playing to accomplish this. In 2015, Syracuse University was found to be in violation of NCAA rules, with incidents of academic fraud, spanning back to 2001. “Forget athletes turning in fraudulent work on their own. Syracuse did it for them” (Solomon,2015). From 1993 – 2011 the University of North Carolina won 3 of its 5 national titles with their storied basketball program. Consequently, in 2014, an NCAA investigation found the existence and use of a “shadow curriculum” inside its Afro-American Studies program during the same period. These classes had no required attendance, no instructor and only a research paper, graded by a secretary who was, for all intense purposes, told what grade to give (Beard, 2014). By offering these paperless classes, they were able to construct GPA’s high enough to avoid suspensions and keep star athletes on the court, denying them of a “meaningful
References
Beard, A. (2014, Oct., 23). Fake classes, inflated grades: Massive UNC scandal included athletes over 2 decades. StarTribune. Retrieved from: http://www.startribune.com/fake-classes- inflated-grades-unc-scandal-included-athletes-over-2-decades/280072212/ Berri, D. (2014, Nov., 14). Exploitation Is Everywhere in Men's College Basketball. TIME. Retrieved from: http://time.com/3586037/exploitation-is-everywhere-in-mens-college- basketball/ Chavanelle, N. (2015, Mar., 5). A day in the life of a Division 1 athlete. The Daily Campus. Retrieved from: http://www.smudailycampus.com/sports/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-division-i -athlete Fay, B. (n.d.). Athletic Scholarships for College Students. Debt.org. Retrieved from: https://www.debt.org/students/athletic-scholarships/ Freidman, Z. (2018, June, 13). Student Loan Debt Statistics In 2018: A $1.5 Trillion Crisis. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2018/06/13/student- loan-debt-statistics-2018/#18b6dc Giknis, F. (2016, Dec., 5). How Much Debt Are Student-Athletes Leaving With? COLLEGEAD. Retrieved from: http://collegead.com/how-much-debt-are-student-athletes-leaving-with/ Heitner, D. (2014, June, 3). College Athletes Are Not Immune To America's Student Debt Dilemma. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ darrenheitner/2014/06/03/college-athletes-are-not-immune- to-americas-student-debt-dilemma/ #1e27bfc4412e
Howard, J. (2013, Apr., 10). The Life of a Student Athlete. HUFFPOST. Retrieved from: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/uloop/the-life-of-a-student-ath_b_2963409.html Hutchins, A. (2015, June, 9). Florida details football players' 15-hour days with daily schedule graphic. SBNATION. Retrieved from: https://www.alligatorarmy.com/2015/6/9/8752711/florida-gators-football-players-daily- schedule-graphic Jacobs, P. (2015, Jan., 23). Former UNC Student-Athletes Detail Fake 'Paper Classes' In New Lawsuit Against School And NCAA. BUSINESS INSIDER. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-against-unc-over-paper-classes-2015- Kirshner, A. (2018, Mar., 8). Here’s how the NCAA generated a billion dollars in 2017. SBNATION. Retrieved from: https://www.sbnation.com/2018/3/8/17092300/ncaa- revenues-financial-statement- Manfred, T. (2012, Feb., 10). Here Are The Odds That Your Kid Becomes A Professional Athlete (Hint: They’re Small). Business Insider. Retrieved from: https:// www.businessinsider.com/odds-college-athletes-become-professionals-2012- New, J. (2016, July, 8). An 'Epidemic' of Academic Fraud. INSIDE HIGHER ED. Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/07/08/more-dozen-athletic-programs- have-committed-academic-fraud-last-decade-more-likely Solomon, J. (2015 Mar., 7). What Syracuse's NCAA case revealed about academic fraud. CBSSPORTS. Retrieved from: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/what- syracuses-ncaa-case-revealed-about-academic-fraud/ US Department of Labor. (2017). HOUSEHOLD DATA ANNUAL AVERAGES. US Department of Labor. Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat19.pdfUniversity of Houston. (n.d.). Course Loads. University of Houston. Retrieved from:
