Income for College Football Athletes Essay

College football athletes have been selling their jerseys, selling signature footballs, and committing crimes in order to be able to feed and support themselves financially to survive in the real world. Student athletes don’t have enough time on their hands to work during the season or during off season workouts. It’s considered a year round sport due to the fact that in offseason, college football players in training to stay in shape for the return of their upcoming season in the fall. Football takes up more than half of their daily time each year. Maintaining a steady grade point average is often enforced because of the demands held by the football program. Should football receive income while on a scholarship? Football athletes should get paid, not necessarily as professionals, paid every game, but at least to receive some form of money to help increase their monthly pay. They should be paid because college football players are making money based off of their perform ance, football athletes are compensated for free education while 70% percent of the athletes don’t even graduate, football consumes too much of the athlete’s time, and are exposing their selves daily to serious injuries that may lead up to a paralyzed body or as far as death. College football and basketball for years have been the highest producing revenue sports in NCAA. More than $470 million in new money poured into major college athletics programs last year, boosting spending on sports, even though we’re in rough economic times. Most of the money made in athletics revenue was because elevation in money generated through multi-media rights deals, donations and ticket receipts, but schools also continued increasing their subsidies from student fees and institutional funds (Berkowitz). Helping with the success of revenues in schools are wins by football teams and basketball teams. 6.2 billion was spent in 2010 on athletics at 218 schools and spending grew by 3% while revenue grew by 5.5%. Money spent on athletics was equated to make a good amount of profit. Could this profit be distributed to the performers? In the years of sports in NCAA revenue, media agreements have created about 86 percent of revenue while the other 14 percent was made from ch ampionships ticket sales. Where does the money go? It is distributed directly to the Division 1 membership. 60 percent of NCAA revenue is distributed to Division 1 members which, in 2009-2010, totaled to a little more than $433 million (where does the money go?). Some of the distribution is used for particular uses, such as academic support or those that meet special student athlete needs. Most of the money is distributed to scholarships and sports sponsorships. These funds are paid to conference offices and divided among conference institutions. The common uses of the money would be for salaries, financial aid for student athletes, and facility maintenance and travel. Only some of the 60 percent is used for the athletes which pays for the tuition and living expenses. NCAA in the article â€Å"Where does the money go?† states that their revenue is relatively small part of the overall intercollegiate athletics fiscal structure. NCAA research estimates the college athletics spend about 10.5 billion annua lly. Overall annual revenue for college athletics programs is 10.6 billion. NCAA total expenses for 2009-2010 were 707.2 million. Schools are making profit off of the athletic programs and NCAA are just an helping hand. The schools are a big impact in budget managing. According to khan, college football and college men’s basketball generate professional level revenues. 757 million in 1999 were total ticket revenues for football and men’s basketball. The broadcast revenue from NCAA of all football, in season and off season, exceeds professional basketball at 2.2 billion. In the modern day, has increased by 8 billion. The university of Louisville’s budget has grown from 52.4 million to 68.8 million from football and basketball revenue. Even other larger schools, winning conferences, are making more from the revenue. Millions and billions of dollars are generated by the players, media and ticket sales, but few are given to them. Without the players performing, there would be no money generated. Televised games are one of the key contributors to generating revenues. In 1950s until 1984 NCAA exerted complete control over college football telecasts. Randall Bennett and John Fizel present the analysis of competitive balance in NCAA division 1 College football after the supreme court ruling. Supreme Court argued that NCAA had been successful in preventing a â€Å"power elite† from developing in college football because of bigger schools being televised while smaller schools are at a disadvantage. The results were the winning percentages in conferences significantly declined in two conferences and increased in two other conferences. NCAA control over television wasn’t focused on generate equality of playing strength among division 1 football teams. The teams with the most wins were highly focused by the NCAA in televising. Television is very important in gaining wins and more attraction â€Å"Televising is more important than money† as quoted by the Supreme Court in Bennett and Fizel’s article. Money is the NCAA’s center point and though most of the money generated by the players, most of it is not necessary for the players. In addition to generating revenues, recruits and players are compensated for free education while only under 70 percent of football player’s graduate. Division 1 student athletes who entered college in 1994 were the ninth consecutive class that met higher initial-eligibility. Student athletes who entered college and received an athletics scholarship as a freshman in 1994 graduated at a rate of 58 percent (NCAA). â€Å"The data of this class of student-athletes continues the pattern set by previous classes of graduating at a rate one to two percent higher than the general student body. Student-athletes in the two classes prior to the new academic standards graduated at a rate one to two percent lower than the general student body† (NCAA). These showings are obvious in the determined average football player who will graduate. What is interesting is that graduating is the number one goal as coaching staff and NCAA emphasize to football athletes. Overall, graduation rates for freshman class entering in 1994 were the same as the year before. This class equaled the rates of the 1988 through 1990 classes, as well as the 1992 and 1993 classes. In 1968 study of all Michigan state university athletes over a five year period revealed that 49 percent of team sport and 60 percent of individual sport athletes had graduate. In 1976, less than 20 percent of football players who entered North Texas State University graduated with a degree (Purdy, Eitzen and Hufnagel). 24 percent in that time were the graduating rate fort football players. Division 1 football and men’s basketball players continue to lag behind in graduating rates among all athletes, but it has grown since then. In 2004-2005 statics by (division 1 athletes’ graduation rates) NCAA division 1 rates for all sports is 82 percent and football and basketball stand at 68 to 69 percent in graduating rates. It has grown yet still the average is inadequate to the standards stressed by NCAA and faculty. NCAA could at least boost up the income for college football athletes if graduation is a main goal stressed. Below three quarters are exceed in graduation rates. Football players are getting their tuition paid for free with an addition of 1,000 to 1,500 monthly incomes if they are living on their own. It sounds like a decent amount, but when you break it down it becomes frustrating for the individual to live off of it. The minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 (Cowan). UNLV football athletes with scholarships receive 12000 dollars monthly for 10 months. The yearly salary is 12,000 dollars. So in reality, only 1,000 is received for each month. The weekly pay is $250. For one day, an UNLV football athlete is paid $35.71. The hourly salary is $4.46. Are we really worth this amount? College football athletes take four classes just to be eligible. In addition to the four classes, from2:00 to 6:30 is all football relation in during seasons. Lifting twice a week is mandatory. Study hall is also mandatory for new comers and those who have failed to meet the requirements by the NCAA. In a whole, all your time is needed to meet the standards set by NCAA. Passing all your classes include, studying (2 hours) and taking 1 to 2 classes a day(2-4) hours, lifting weights (2 hours), studying football, means watching tapes (2 hours), football meetings (2 hours) and football practices( 2 and half hours). Mandatory Study hall consumes about an hour of your day. In all, 12 to 13 hours is taken up by football daily. The rest of the hours are used for sleep and break times. The full time schedules, homework’s, practice, and travel for road games are big burdens for athletes to find other sources of income. NCAA prohibits payments beyond educational scholarships and specified expenses to athletes responsible for revenues. According Goldman that NCAA restricts the ability of college athletes to earn outside income because of the time consumed by the sport itself. Even if a part time job is allowed for student athletes, it raises concerns about over-taxing a student athlete’s already fragmented time schedule and increasing the opportunity for boosters to make â€Å"illegal† payments to favored athletes (Acain). There wouldn’t be a need for boosters or part-time jobs if NCAA could allow increasing the scholarship aids for football athletes. A study on football and basketball individual with scholarships, both generating revenues, say that they had less money. Ernie chamber, in Parent’s article, introduced a bill to pay college athletes but was lacking persistent. One of his arguments were that athletes are not getting enough money to eat and wash their clothes. Former All- American football player at USC who admitted that even though he was getting money from the grants there still wasn’t enough because he was sending it back home ( came from a poor family) to his family. He noticed how he was struggling to put food in his fridge and how the school was selling his jersey making money off of him. California state senator said â€Å"it was unfair that men’s division 1 basketball or football players do not receive at least a portion of the money that athletes have earned for their school and that NCAA has kept quiet about discussing these issues over the past years† (Parent). If a portion of the revenue is distributed to the performers, food and other expenses would be easy access. Also illegal money would not be a problem if more was given to the athletes. Adding to reasons why the collegiate football players should be paid, they are risking their lives for free education with some support for expenses and hopes of making it to the professional level. A data of five teams from major college in the nation were surveyed during practices and games in the 1976 season. Data were based on during drills in practice and games of the season. The injury rate was calculated very high in 12 specific drills, practice games, and other activities. Practice games, drill that simulate real live game emphasis had the lowest injury exposure, but are the highest risk factor. Agility drills were calculated as the fewest injury rates. Calisthenics had no injury rates because it’s a warm-up drill that prepares for the body for the practice. The study, according to Cahill and Griffith, was to determine harmful factors to prevent in the future and in other schools. The drills that were calculated high are often practiced throughout football even till to day. Head injuries are deadliest results of playing football. A survey commissioned by the NFL indicated that it retires have been diagnosed as having dementia or other memory related disease at rates higher than the national population. Helmet manufacturers have begun on protecting against concussion by designing air releasing shock absorbers that could handle a wider range of forces than foam alone (Schawz). Even though it focuses on the concussion taken, it is still not effective in how the head postioned.Dave Halstead states in Schwarz’s article, as advanced as helmets have become, they do not yet protect against dramatic rotational, rather than linear, forces. The position of the head is essential to avoiding head injuries and major risks. Major injuries in football could cost your life and productive time. A 22 year old football player at frostburg state university in Maryland died from head trauma sustained on the field. Dreks sheely died late Sunday at university of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock trauma center in Baltimore. According to Castillo, a spokesman for Frostburg State said sheely had been participating in â€Å"regular drills† with his teammates in Aug. 22 when he began feeling woozy. He was being helped off the field when he collapsed. This incident of dying is not likely, but has had cases like this 9 times in high school football. Head injury cases are at large with those who are paralyzed. Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand was paralyzed below the neck when making contact with player returning the ball against army. Doctors says, in â€Å"Rutgers football player paralyzed from neck down†, that he will remain in hospital for the near future. Legrand was headed to the Hackensack University Medical Center where he had emergency surgery overnight to keep stabilized after making the tackle against the returner. Tight end Kevin Everett, from buffalo bills, in 2007was memorized when he duck his neck making a tackle during second kickoff. He was paralyzed from the neck down with the same situation as LeGrand is in. These are the horrors and risks of playing football. College football players are struggling while the NCAA generates income off of their performance. NCAA distributes money thorough out the Division 1 members and only few is given to players.Even when revenue is increasing each year the same amount of money used to support college football athletes. College spends a lot on the athletic programs even in our declining economic times. As athletes, coaches and staffs stress the goal of graduating football players graduate at a rate of under 70 percent. It has increased since 1960 but it still doesn’t meet the NCAA emphasis on graduating in exchange for their performance. Football players from back in the 80’s till today still struggle the life of being a college football player with the financial aid. The amount of money supplied by the NCAA is unfortunately short for paying living expenses and for those who may send the money back home. Also more illegal attempts, boosters giving money and players selling their jerseys, that attract attention may be prevented by providing a little more to the aids. Finding sources of money becomes impossible because of the time that football consumes. Lastly, the game of football exposes football players to many injuries. Players dying to players being paralyzed are a risk that cost more than what there are given in college. Health insurance may pay for the minor injuries, but can it pay for death that is the last thing in a football players mind? These are the reason that football players should get paid, in an increase in their monthly income.