A recent act passed in California called “Fair Pay to Play Act” allows athletes to be paid by their own likeness. What this means is that athletes can make money from autographs, selling uniforms, appearances and commercials, which is currently not allowed. This act has caused an uproar, both positive and negative, bringing the focal point back to the payment of student-athletes.
This act is to go into effect in 2023, but NCAA President Mark Emmert stated it is “just a new form of professionalism.” “They may be paid in a fashion different than a paycheck (from the school), but that doesn’t make them not paid,” Emmert said.
In my opinion, student-athletes should be paid on their own likeness but not by the NCAA or the school they attend, other than a scholarship. I then agree with the “Fair Pay to Play Act”. The reason I feel this way is for multiple reasons. First, this creates division in the locker room. Take Trever Lawrence as an example; he brings in lots of attention and money to Clemson University and while he would get his first check from the school or NCAA, others get very little to none. With lots of talented athletes in the same locker room like Clemson, some would feel jealous and this could cause the same situation we see in the NFL today with players sitting out because they aren’t receiving their fair share.
The second reason paying the players directly would be a problem is scholarships. Most scholarships are not full, but cover the costs of tuition, room & board, books, materials and even food stipends for some schools. Football and men’s basketball are the only sports that profit money. This can differ for some schools like Nebraska. Of the 22 varsity sports teams at the University of Nebraska, 19 did not profit and even lost money in 2015. The sports that did profit were football, men’s basketball and volleyball. The money made at Nebraska totaled $102.1 million in revenue and 98 million in expenses. In January of 2015 UNL voted in support of a proposal allowing universities to provide additional “cost-of-attendance” expenses to scholarship student-athletes to cover personal travel, entertainment and other out-of-pocket expenses. Nebraska chooses to give the maximum amount of $3,600.
“This is the amount equal to what any student can receive without being taxed. It has nothing to do with paying anybody for performance; it is regarded as a scholarship,” Harvey Perlman said.
The other sports are given a pot of money from the athletic department and can offer varying partial scholarships.
Of course, the life of student-athletes can be challenging, but they are there to get an education first and perform athletically second. As the students bring in lots of money they are fairly compensated for their efforts. The “Fair Pay to Play Act” has not been passed in all states, but the NCAA will enforce consequences for those that do get paid if they have not passed the rules in their own organization. The students are not employees of the NCAA and have other opportunities to get paid when they deserve it in future professional leagues. They are given the chance to compete at a big stage to show their talents and get an education that will last them a lifetime. If you need professional assistance with maintaining or repairing tennis courts, you can find reliable services at https://tenniscourtrepairs.co.uk/. Additionally, this increased visibility can have a ripple effect on local businesses, such as tennis court installer who may experience a boost in demand due to heightened community interest.
Photo Courtesy of ncaa.org
