Leverage 1

Cole Leverage

English Composition II

Professor Hellmers

July 10, 2021

Why should student athletes receive commission on top of their scholarships?

For quite a while now, student athletes have been fighting for a chance to make money

off their name, image, and likeness, but the NCAA was not about the idea. In the past, students

were not allowed to sell memorabilia, sponsor other companies, and multiple other things where

they would get paid. All of that has come to a change as of about 1-2 weeks ago when the NCAA

decided that student athletes can make money from their name, image, and likeness. What that

means is these students can partner up with companies to sponsor them, sign brand deals, and

many other opportunities as well. Why did the NCAA decide to change this rule for these student

athletes to make money while still in college, even when most already have a scholarship?

This has been an ongoing debate for a long time now and there are multiple reasons out

there explaining why college athletes should receive pay for the sports that they play. One of the

bigger arguments people are making is that these athletes are spending so much time a week

practicing and playing these sports that they barely have enough time to keep up with school and

whatever other things they have going on. For example, “Many of the top schools' ‘student-

athletes’ spend upwards of 40 hours or more on the practice field, watching tapes of their next

opponent or doing other athletic-related activities. Class is an afterthought” (Mayton, 1). This

means that these student athletes do not have the time to study and do well in the classes. Just

think about the phrase “student-athlete,” student is before athlete.

You may be thinking now, why does the effect of their practices on schoolwork mean

athletes should get paid? Well, the reason behind that is since the athletes are so busy with their

athletics and schoolwork, most of them do not have the time to work a part-time job so they can

have that pocket change. Some athletes are not as fortunate as others when it comes to how much

money they have in the bank. “Student-athletes should be classified as ‘employees’ under the

Fair Labor Standards Act and should therefore be entitled to the federally mandated minimum

wage, as well as the Act's full protections” (Rosenthal, 1). If this were to be the case, then student

athletes would be paid around $300 a week.

“The fair and the ‘right’ thing to do is to pay 'em all, because schools are making millions

‘off these kids’” (Engel, 1). This idea totally seems like a no brainer since school’s rake in

money off the sports teams, especially the football and basketball teams. Without these sports,

the schools would not be making anywhere close to the money they make. This means it really

would not hurt too much for the schools to pay the athletes a little for the money that they are

producing for the school.

More about the amount of money schools make from sports, “During the 2019–20 fiscal

year, the NCAA generated $1.1 billion in total revenue” (Garcia, 1). None of that money made it

to the student athletes who basically produced all of it for the NCAA. If the revenue is that big of

a number and you can do that every year, then I do not see why the student athletes cannot just

get a little bit of it.

On the bright side now, student athletes are now allowed to make money off their name,

image, and likeness as of this year. Who knows how this will go. The only thing to do is to sit

back and find out what the student athletes get themselves into with these companies and big

brands. “The biggest ones had yet to be announced, but he knew they were coming” (Carter, 1).
 Leverage 3

This quote comes from the UNC athletic director talking about how he is waiting to hear about

his school’s big time athletes getting ready to announce big brand deals.

Some of the big things these articles have in common is that they talk about the athletes

spending hours upon hours working on their sport and not so much with school or a job if they

are trying to make money. They also go on about how the schools make so much money off

these athletes from the sports they play, especially from basketball and football. The clear answer

is these athletes should get paid because their sport is basically their job. It is almost like the

school is a side piece, not to shadow the school, but these kids are at these schools to play sports

and that turns out to them making money for the schools.

Work Cited
 Leverage 4

Carter, Andrew. “College Athletics Followed a Long Road to NIL Rights. No One Knows

Where It Will Lead.” News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC), 4 July 2021. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=pwh&AN=2W61882128477&site=eds-live. Accessed July 5, 2021.

Engel, Mac. “Mac Engel: College Sports Are Making Crazy Money, but Paying Players Is

Nuts.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX), 3 May 2017. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=pwh&AN=2W62522093477&site=eds-live. Accessed July 5, 2021.

García, Justin D., PhD. “Paying Collegiate Athletes.” Salem Press Encyclopedia,

2021. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ers&AN=114325115&site=eds-live. Accessed July 5, 2021.

Mayton, Joseph. "NCAA still doesn't pay its players: now that's true (March) Madness; March

Madness is projected to bring in some $30m for the NCAA this year, but many athletes

don't get a penny for their work". The Guardian, April 6, 2015 Monday. advance-lexis-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5FP6-

08Y1-F021-627K-00000-00&context=1516831. Accessed July 5, 2021.

Rosenthal, Geoffrey J. "PRACTITIONERS' NOTE: College Play And The FLSA: Why Student-

Athletes Should Be Classified As "Employees" Under The Fair Labor Standards

Act." Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal, 35, 133 Fall, 2017. advance-lexis-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/api/document?collection=analytical-

materials&id=urn:contentItem:5S36-W470-00CV-M1PM-00000-00&context=1516831.

Accessed July 5, 2021.