Nick Sili
College 201
Professor Goeller
Research Proposal
3-8-16
Working title: “Pay Them to Play or They Won’t Stay”
Topic:
The topic
that I am choosing to do my research paper on is why college athletes deserve
to get paid to participate in college sports. College sports at major
Universities generate so much money and these college athletes never see a dime
of that. It is truly a shame because without the athletes these Universities
wouldn’t be making any money. The amount of money that Universities profit from
these athletes is truly incredible and there is no reason why college athletes
shouldn’t get to see any of the money when they dedicate so much of their time
to the sport. The main reason I am interested in this topic is because I have a
friend that possibly could have played professional football but then got
injured and eventually had nothing to show for all of that time that he put
into the sport.
Research Question:
Although I
believe certain college athletes should get paid I do not believe that every
college athlete should get paid. There should be a certain criteria that
athletes should have to fall into in order to receive money. First off I
believe that only Division 1 athletes should get paid because they are in an
elite group compared to Division 2 or 3 athletes. Also the sport should have to
generate a lot of money for the university so that the University actually
makes money in order to pay the athletes; so I do not think athletes in sports
such as rowing should get paid.
Theoretical Frame:
Throughout
my research of this topic I have found many articles that have great
information about why college athletes should get paid. A lot of these articles
agree that athletes should get paid, but as I stated before only certain
athletes should get paid, and these articles have guidelines of their own. “The NCAA basketball tournament generated 9
million per year in 1981, 215 million per year in 1997 and generates
approximately 750 million per year now. Although this financial picture is far
different from what it was in the early 20th century, the athletes who now
generate this substantial revenue are still unpaid or, if one considers
scholarships a pay, underpaid in proportion to what they generate. In
professional football and basketball, for example, players are paid
approximately one-half of the revenues generated (law.scu.edu 5).” This quote
really shows how much top college athletes are getting underpaid for their
substantial performances.
I also found a court case that talks about how
certain college athletes should get paid but there should be a cap on it so it
doesn't ruin college sports turning them into just a business like professional
athletics. “In a partial victory for the NCAA, though, Wilken said the body
that governs college athletics could set a cap on the money paid to athletes,
as long as it allows at least five thousand dollars per athlete per year of competition
(Dahlberg 1).”
Research Plan:
I found a
couple of case studies that I want to incorporate into this research paper. One
of the case studies is about how Colleges should have to pay for athletes’
recovery even after college is over even though they do not cover it. Kevin
Ware was a sophomore guard for Louisville and one game he suffered compound
fractures to his Tibia. Louisville is covering his medical bills as of now but
once he graduates it will all be on him. “Ware’s injury underscores just how
vulnerable college athletes are: in a moment it can all be gone,” said Ramogi
Huma, president of the National College Players Association, an advocacy group
for athletes. He added, “Once you’re a former player, you’re on your
own.”(Pennington 1).” I also want to go into detail how Universities make money
from selling school gear and the players make no money off of it. “The NCAA
suspended A.J. Green for selling his own shirt. Meanwhile, the team store was
legally selling replicas for 39.95 and up (Branch 11).” I have not yet found a
good scholarly article about Reggie Bush yet but I also want to go into his
case and explain that if college athletes were getting some compensation then
court cases like that would never happen.
Bibliography
Gilleran, Mike, Ron
Katz, and Isaac Vaughn. Should College Athletes be Paid?. N.p., 15 July 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://law.scu.edu/sports-law/should-college-athletes-be-paid/>.
Pennington, Bill. When
Injured Athlete Leaves Campus, College's Responsibility Ends. N.p., 4 Apr. 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/sports/ncaabasketball/broken-leg-renews-focus-on-college-athletes-health-insurance.html>.
Should College Athletes Be Paid?. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://law.scu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Should-College-Athletes-Be-Paid.pdf>.
Branch, Taytlor. The
Shame of College Sports. N.p.,
Oct. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=981f1609-fdc4-4d2f-b73f-518f4d86b1b7%40sessionmgr102&vid=6&hid=108>.
Dahlberg, Tim. Court
Rulling on Paying College Athletes Will Fundamentally Change the NCAA. N.p., 10 Aug. 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.businessinsider.com/court-ruling-on-paying-college-athletes-2014-8>.
Carter, Stephen L. College
Athletes Need Pay, Not Perks. N.p., 1
Apr. 2015. Web. 8 Mar. 2016. <http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-01/college-athletes-need-pay-not-perks>.
