Introduction
Attention Getter
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit published Case: 14-16601 on September 30, 2015, and emphasized that National Collegiate Athletic Association is not above antitrust laws. The case illustrates the current debate on whether student-athletes should receive money compensation.
Audience Relevance
I’m sure, most people in this room highly appreciate college sports. Therefore, being aware of the current debate on pay for student athletes is of vital importance.
Credibility
I have studied numerous opinions and arguments shared by respected specialists to present you with relevant data on the issue.
Thesis
The solution that is fair to all parties, including student-athletes and National Collegiate Athletic Association, should be found as soon as possible to save college sports from decline.
Main Point Preview
First, I will start by telling you about the risks of restricting colleges from compensating athletes beyond the cost of attendance. Second, I will explain why college sports establishments put their efforts in preventing expanding athletes’ rights. Finally, I will conclude with the possible solutions to the problem.
Main Point 1 (Problem)
Restricting colleges from compensating athletes beyond the cost of attendance can put a serious threat to the whole system of amateur sports as student-athletes spend much time that could be used for earning their living for sports activities. Besides, sports are highly lucrative for colleges, and students whose labor brings the revenues should share the part of them not to lose the interest in such activities.
Sub-Point 1
In the article written by Carter Williams for Deseret News, on July 16, 2015, the author states that many students have a strong need for earning their living and are willing to work for extra money on the side. However, student athletes do not have such possibility due to their busy life full of sports activities. Therefore, as being a student-athlete seriously affects the person’s opportunity to find a part-time job and earn enough money for living, students spending a huge amount of time for benefiting college sports need to be adequately paid.
Sub-Point 2
According to an article published in the New York Times by Marc Tracy on September 30, 2015, college sports bring huge revenues that should be fairly shared with student-athletes who play the most important role in winning the benefits. In the article posted by Maxwell Strachan in the Huffington Post on March 27, 2015, the author presents the views of several respected economists considering NCAA Schools capable of affording to pay college students. The schools should broaden the athletes’ rights and reward them adequately. Otherwise, the interest in participating in sports activities will significantly decline.
Transition
Now that I explained the nature of the problem and the risks related to restricting the colleges from paying student athletes extra money, I will determine the causes of the problem.
Main Point 2 (Cause)
The causes of the discussed problem are related to both material interest of sports programs and the initial standards of non-revenue sports.
Sub-Point 1
Sports programs would have to reduce the earnings of highly paid coaches and athletic directors to find sources for paying student athletes extra money. That is one of the main causes why many coaches so vehemently oppose the idea of money rewards for the players. In the previously cited article by Maxwell Strachan, the author shows the statistics proving that basketball and football coaches are the best-paid public employees. Therefore, purely material interest stimulates sports programs to oppose the initiative of sharing the revenues with the players.
Sub-Point 2
Many opponents of compensation for student-athletes claim that paying extra money for players will ruin the amateur sports system we are used to. Unwillingness to change the system is one of the causes of opposing the money compensation for players.
Transition
I have now told you about the causes of the problem, and it is time to explore the possible solutions.
Main Point 3 (Solution)
Reallocation of resources and finding consensus satisfying the needs of both sides appear to be effective solutions to the problem.
Sub-Point 1
Instead of building state-of-the-art facilities, sports programs can use the money to provide adequate rewards for student athletes. Besides, reducing unusually high payments for coaches will also help to find enough sources for paying the players for their hard work.
Sub-Point 2
In the article posted by Clay McEldowney in the Forbes on April 21, 2015, the author emphasizes the need to modify the current system so that it would be fair to all parties. Providing fair share of revenues for all sides is of vital importance for dealing with the problem.
Transition
I have explained the nature and the causes of the problem. I also explored the possible ways of dealing with it. Now it is time to wrap the things up.
Conclusion
Review Thesis
The efficient solution to the problem of compensating student athletes for their hard work must be found to save non-revenue sports from severe crisis.
Review Main Points
First, I explored the nature of the problem and the risks related to it. Then, I explained its causes and moved on to presenting possible solutions.
Closer
College sports make an essential and one of the most interesting parts of students’ life. Hopefully, sports programs will ensure that the system functions properly and demonstrate an appreciation of the huge efforts put into the development of non-revenue sports by student athletes.
References
McEldowney, H. C. (2015). Will paying college athletes ruin everything we love about college sports? Not if we’re smart about it.Forbes. Web.
Strachan, M. (2015). NCAA schools can absolutely afford to pay college athletes, economists say.The Huffington Post. Web.
Tracy, Marc. (2015). Court strikes down payments to college athletes.The New York Times. Web.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. (2015). Case: 14-16601. Web.
Williams, C. (2015). The evolution of college athletics: Is it time to start paying college student-athletes?Deseret News. Web.