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>.