PAY TO PLAY?

OR PLAY
TO LEARN?
Austin Beck, Brandon Foster, Eli Oswald
Introduction
We chose this issue because
Sports are very important to our society and
culture
This is a current issue that has major impacts
It is relevant to our audience and our student
body

Our goal is to present the background of the

issue and problems in the collegiate
education system, as well as support our
stance
(Prewitt)
Northwestern University Vs. Electronic Arts
(EA)
This court case proves that this issue is an important one and it has major impacts

VS.

Northwestern University Logo

Electronic Arts (EA) Logo
Northwestern Logo. Digital Image. Northwestern.edu . 2017
Electronic Arts Logo. Digital Image. EA.com. 2017
Flaws in the Education System
Players taking scholarships with intent
to leave after one year
Players not taking advantage of their
educations and scholarships Anthony Davis on Draft day
Anthony Davis Draft Day. Digital Image.
The emphasis at major universities USAtoday.com. 2012.

seems to be on athletics
Academic scandals occurring in many
universities
(Barret) UNC Chapel Hill Logo
UNC Logo. Digital Image.
UNC.edu. 2017
Thesis
College Athletes should NOT be paid, because:
Scholarships serve as a form of payment
Most college athletes will not make it to a professional sport
Educations will serve college athletes far greater in the future
It would be very hard to implement a system of paying college
athletes
Still, the goal is to fix the flaws in the education system and
focus on college athletes being successful and building futures
that will last them a lifetime
Scholarships serve as a Form of Payment
Many college athletes receive scholarships
Free Tuition
Free Housing
Free Books
Free Amenities

Many college athletes essentially receive a

free education
(Sack and Staurowsky)

Unfortunately, many of these educational

opportunities are being wasted and not
taken full advantage of
BaylorLariat. Editorial: NCAA athletes shouldnt
get paid. 2013
 Andre Iguodala
Professional Basketball player in the NBA for the
Golden State Warriors
Attended the University of Arizona for 2 years
Interview on the film Big Time Losers showcased
some flaws in the education system
(Big Time Losers) Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala. Digital Image. SI.com. 2014
The collegiate athletic system seems to be upside
down
Emphasis should be on academics
Primarily, student athletes should be learning

University of Arizona Logo

University of Arizona Logo. Digital Image.
Arizona.edu. 2017
College Athletes being set up for Failure
Universities are more lenient on their
athletes
Lower Grading Scale in some cases
Corners are sometimes cut for college
athletes
Some athletes are getting degrees that
arent beneficial to their future
(Bowen and Levin)

Athletes should be held to the same

standards as non-athlete students
Businessinsider.com A UNC Athlete Got An
A-Minus In A Fake 'Paper Class' With This
Ridiculous One-Paragraph Final Essay. 2014
University of California
Very prestigious institution

90% of non-athletes graduate

50% of basketball players graduate

48% of football players graduate

(The Bootlegs 2013 Graduation Rate Analysis)

Major disparity for college athletes,

especially in the major sports
(Peterkin)
University of California Berkley Logo
University of California Logo. Digital
Image. Berkley.edu. 2017
Ensuring Success for Student Athletes
Many college athletes get scholarships
Universities need to make sure they are taking advantage of
their scholarships
Help them stay on track in their courses
Tutoring that is beneficial

Simply paying them a salary will not help them be successful

College athletes getting quality educations is the best way to
ensure success in their future
Most College Athletes Will Not go Pro
Numbers and statistics prove the
majority of student athletes will not
make it to a professional sport
For example, 99% of college
basketball players will not make it
to the NBA
(Manfred)

Since this is the case, we need to

ensure success for college athletes NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB Logos
after they are finished playing Four Major Pro Sports Logos. Digital
college sports Image. Plagnyc.org. 2010
Helping College Athletes be Successful
Degrees will help ensure future success
Helps them get valuable jobs over the course of
their lifetimes

What if guys like Andre Iguodala didnt cash in

on multi-million dollar contracts?
Very little time spent on academics would make
it hard for him to find a job in the real world
Without a job, he would be unable to provide for
him and his family
Essentially, it would be difficult to succeed in the
real world
Real World Job Interview
Real World Job Interview. Digital Image.
Huffingtonpost.com. 2017
The Purpose Universities Serve
Universities offer degrees, which are more
valuable than salaries for college athletes
The educations they are getting are
highly coveted
Thousands of applicants to these desired
universities
(Meshefejian)

Primary purpose of universities is to

educate students
Not to hire them for athletic
contributions
Graduation Cap and Diploma
Graduation Cap and Diploma. Digital Image.
Heatherhuman.com. 2014
ESPN Broke Documentary
Professional Athletes losing huge sums of money
Would teenage student athletes be any smarter
with their salary money?
Rather than paying them, it makes more sense to
educate them on finance and money management
Student Athletes from impoverished
backgrounds
Teaches how to deal with and how to handle
money
Helps teach them how to be able to handle their
future salary Broke Documentary
Broke Documentary. Digital Image.
IMDB.com. 2012
Future Success for Student-Athletes
The end goal is to prepare student athletes for life
after college
We can do this by teaching them life long skills
We need to motivate student athletes to want to
succeed in the classroom and get quality degrees
Implementing a System of Paying College
Athletes Seems Impossible
No proposed plan at this time
Simple yet serious questions yet to be answered:
Where would the money come from?
How much would student athletes get paid?
Would male athletes make the same amount as
female athletes?
Would a star quarterback make more than his back
up?
Implementing a System of Paying College
Athletes Seems Impossible
We live in a world where
everything and everybody has to
be fair and equal
Less popular sports make less
Tennis Court
money Tennis Court. Digital Image. Asphaltseal.com. 2017

Tennis, Wrestling, Swimming

It would be harder for these
sports to pay their wages
Would they make the same Olympic Sized
amount? Swimming Pool
Digital Image. Reference.com. 2017
Implementing a System of Paying College
Athletes Seems Impossible
Student team assistants and
managers
They put in lots of time and effort
just like student athletes
Begs the question of who gets
paid and who doesnt
They sacrifice time and effort for
valuable experiences
Similar to unpaid internships
Tom Izzo and His Student Managers
Student Managers. Digital Image. NewsOK.com. 2016
Implementing a System of Paying College
Athletes Seems Impossible
This issue could transcend beyond
Division I athletes
Would lower division levels of the
NCAA pay their athletes?
Same question of who gets paid
and who doesnt
Would college athletes have to be
represented by agents?
NCAA Logo
NCAA Logo. Digital Image.
NCAA.com. 2017
Implementing a System of Paying College
Athletes Seems Impossible
This issue could extend to high
school
High school athletes put in lots of
time and effort in hopes of
becoming a future collegiate
athlete
Too many unanswered questions
and unresolved issues make the
system of paying student athletes
very hard to pull off NCHSAA Logo
NCHSAA Logo. Digital Image.
NCHSAA.org. 2017
Conclusion
No matter what, the education
system needs to be revised and
reworked
Getting student athletes good and
useful educations is the top priority College Classroom
College Classroom. Digital Image.
The point of college is to ensure a Theoddessyonline.com. 2017
future career path and plan for
success
We cant afford to let athletics get
in the way
Occupations
Occupations. Digital Image. Nwivisas.com. 2017
Potential Solutions
The Graduation Incentive Amount (GIA) Plan
Pay for learning mentality rather than pay for play
(Ehrlich)

The pay for learning mentality is a great alternative to the idea of paying
college athletes for athletic contributions

Graduation Cap and Diploma

Graduation Day Graduation Cap and Diploma. Digital Image.
Graduation. Digital Image. ABC13.com. 2016 Dreamstime.com. 2017
Conclusion
College athletes work
very hard and collectively
make up a very popular
and large industry
We need to help them
succeed in any way we
can
In our opinion, paying
them a salary is not the
best solution
Lots of Scholarships Being Given. Digital Image.
Scholarshipstats.com. 2015
Conclusion
The issues in the education system for student athletes
need to be fixed if change is to ever occur and become a
reality for student athletes

UNC Charlotte Basketball Players

UNC Charlotte Football UNCC Basketball. Digital Image. Charlotte49ers.com. 2016
UNCC Football. Digital Image. Bizjournals.com. 2016
Works Cited
Barret, Paul M. NCAA in Turmoil: Why UNC Cant Get Past Its Fake Classes Scandal. Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg,
27 Mar. 2014, Web.
Big Time Losers. Prod. John D. Tulenko. Perf. Andre Iguodala. PBS Home Video, 2007. DVD.
The Bootlegs 2013 Graduation Rate Analysis. Scout.com. 11 Mar. 2013. Web.
Bowen, William G., and Sarah A. Levin. Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
UP, 2003. Print.
Ehrlich, Carl. Pay for Play? No. Pay for Learning? Yes! ESPN.com. ESPN, 7 Jan. 2011. Web.
Manfred, Tony. Here Are the Odds That Your Kid Becomes a Professional Athlete (Hint: Theyre small). Business Insider.
Business Insider, Inc. 10 Feb. 2012. Web.
Meshefejian, Krikor. Pay to Play: Should College Athletes Be Paid? The Illinois Business Law Journal (2005): n. pag. Web.
Peterkin, Caitlin. Graduation Rates of Football and Mens Basketball Players Reach New Highs. The Chronicle of Higher
Education. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web.
Prewitt, Alex. Large Majority Opposes Paying NCAA Athletes. Washington Post. The Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2014. Web.
Sack, Allen L., and Ellen J. Staurowsky. College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAAs Amateur Myth.
Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998. Print.