Remember that the research paper will run between 8-10 pages, will integrate sources from a diverse array of resources using MLA style, will have a clear thesis/research question as the backbone of the paper, will avoid fallacious rhetoric, and will construct logical arguments to advance the ideas in the paper. In short, the research paper is where you fulfill the goals you set forth in your proposal paper. Before starting your draft, review the guidelines
Adriana Mathews Mathews1
English 102
Professor Snyder
08-31-12
It's Time Athletes Stop Getting Played
College athletic programs are what captivate and promote school spirit throughout college campuses across the U.S. Without athletics students would not have a place to let off steam and publicly jeer opposing teams and schools would not get physical evidence of their inferiority. Collegiate athletics began in 1955 and each season work hard to bring their campuses pride. College athletics are currently at their peak and with the dedicated fans and frenzy that surrounds these teams that consist of 1% of high school athletes they are a bunch of workers that deserve to be paid and not continually ripped off by the NCAA (Daugherty,1).
The peak that college athletic programs are at today mirrors professional sports. The amount of revenue generated through college athletics is ridiculous through jersey, ticket sales and endorsements, in 2011 the revenue generated through colleges sporting events ticket sales were 8-13 million this is one percent of professional sports(Adelson, 2). Payment of coaches also defers to what professional coaches are making, in the big two (basketball and football) these coaches are paid millions of dollars the ground being set by a certain percentage of their professional counterparts (Adelson, 2). With the numbers being produced in revenue the stage of college athletics have grown to accommodate it ,college athletes partake in paying the millions dashed out to directors of the
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athletic departments while they take home none of it. College athletes are the little worker bees that conquer the prize and then take it back to their hierarchy.
At the top of the hierarchy of college sports is the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).This association was implemented by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1910 after he sought for a reform in college football which at the time was causing major injuries to players and not well organized (Daugherty,1). The NCAA heads college's three divisions and produces guidelines that are expected to be followed including recruitment, eligibility, and academics. Schools that do not follow the NCAA standard are penalized in accordance with their infringements (Denhart, 1). After the NCAA runs a preliminary investigation if necessary a Committee of Infractions hearing is called and schools are able to represent themselves and opt to handle the infringement internally (Noecara, 1). If the committee is unimpressed the school is suspended until a thorough investigation is performed .Punishments from the NCAA range from the suspension of one or more players from the team to the death penalty which enables any type of play in the sport. The death penalty includes teams being stripped of playing whole season, losing scholarships, owing hefty fines and not being able to recruit. This severely punishes athletic programs and it takes them a while to make a comeback(Denhart, 1).Solo acts within the team can prevent the whole team from succeeding (Canterburry ,1), the viewpoint of the NCAA is that players need to be accounted for and there isn't any opposition that withhold the NCAA from punishing teams.
The NCAA has a principle of amateurism that restricts players from receiving any type of gift or payment. Students athletes are not paid and are given full and partial scholarships. The reason
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behind this ruling is that college athletes are typically young men and women out of high school experiencing their first bit of freedom and the NCAA wants to make sure these young men and women aren't taken advantage of through bad deals or greedy agents so they maintain their amateurism(Denhart, 1).. This rule has been around as long as the NCAA has been around and has yet to be revised but is the most controversial. Students athletes look around them and see their jerseys selling, the championships they have helped earn for their team and are traveling in chartered jets but are not personally benefitting from any of these things. Agents, alumni and other players have been caught trying to lure young talent to their team with limo rides to houses near campus for the player's family. The death penalty which is the harshest for of disciplinary action that can be handed down to the school has been given five times .Four of these five times included players accepting items that are barred. For example Reggie Bush was a stellar football player for USC through 2006 winning the coveted Heisman trophy and snatching the BCS championship along with several others (Adelson 1). In 2011 Reggie was found guilty by the NCAA for receiving gifts from boosters four years prior and lost his trophy and championship (Adelson 1).USC also had to return their copy of the trophy and take down there championship along with being barred from any affiliation with Reggie Bush (Adelson 1). The NCAA is as strict as need be when enforcing that there athletes do not accept any types of gifts or profit from their roles as student athletes.
The strict enforcement of the amateur clause by the NCAA has always been an issue for both organizations and players. Players know their worth; recently the NCAA reached a fourteen year 10.8 billion dollar deal with basketball with CBS and Turner broadcasting television that out an
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image in many players' heads of exactly what they are helping their collegiate programs achieve (Meshefejian,1).
College teams are upgrading their facilities and revamping all the while players are paying attention to detail .In order to appeal to those athletes who have itchy palms there are teams who deal under the table in order to get that top pick and this has been seen in collegiate sports from tennis to basketball. Teams who do follow rules and lay there card on the table are then not playing on an equal playing field as those who cheat. These factors cause stressors for athletes who know what is right but don't understand why the system works that way. While players risk losing scholarships and titles many due fall to persuasion and get burned by the NCAA due to the amateur clause.
While the NCAA does have the power to enforce their rules the way they see fit, there should be a greater effort to work with student athletes and schools. While student athletes are the center of college sports, they are not the center of college sports. Should an athlete be breaking records and scooping up championships they will be on the face of school memorabilia and all over college espn he or she will have it made yet if that athlete, in the middle of the season is found guilty of receiving gifts they are done, there's still a little media but a few weeks later it's another athletes time to shine. The NCAA keeps the notion in athletes that they are replaceable. The NCAA isn't "protecting" athletes from exploitation by suspending them from their selected sport and most likely from school. The NCAA should acknowledge student-athletes in their role instead of the fear of loosening the reins and college athletics getting out of control. The future of college athletics depends on it. President Roosevelt emphasized revision that's what needs to be
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implemented. These athletes are signing business deals in which they receive scholarships in order to play for the school of their choice that is a business deal. The NCAA should initiate small talk with their players.
Regardless of tensions between the NCAA and players student athletes deserve to be paid, the current situation is not fair .Student athletes with scholarships are 1% of high school athletes. Not only have these students worked hard in school but they have kept the mandatory 2.5 gpa and pass the SAT with an acceptable score. These young adults continue working hard in school and on the field while missing multiple lectures and study halls due to mandatory practices and away games. While juggling school with sports money should not be on the mind of student athletes. There is also the warring on body that these multiple practices and games impose making it to a higher level in a sport means more physical endurance then before and many athletes suffer fractures, and get busted up weekly on their field, court they perform on. Compromising is not a form of weakness. Students should be paid the same way many college coaches are, off of pro salaries. Colleges teams within each division will get a salary cap like currents pro teams and will have to orchestrate like so. College departments who state they cannot afford this will get the chance to develop their program to fit the new standards along with monetary help from the NCAA .The NCAA can still head this operation and maintain a different type of order in adherence to the NCAA rule book.
Those who disagree with student athletes receiving payment mainly state those paying college athletes would change the sports, yet the sports have already evolved enough as it is college athletics of the 80's are nowhere near as popular as they are now. Paying these athletes gives
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everyone the same advantage today and also the future of college sports. The future benefits of paying athletes generates more players who are willing to stay at the college level longer and win more championships instead of rushing to go pro. College institutions would eventually begin reaping benefits after the dust has settled. The NCAA needs to make a change and pay student athletes in order to salvage their relationship with the athletes. College athletics are currently at their peak and with the dedicated fans and frenzy that surrounds these teams these athletes are a bunch of workers that deserve to be paid and not continually ripped off by the NCAA.
