Compensation for Recreation

Do College Athletes Deserve To Be Paid.

[mcassano6696-blog]

This is a very interesting debate on the show crossfire. You will see the different sides of the argument on whether college athletes should be paid. Kareem states that college athletes should be paid and says that they are being exploited for their talents. On the other side of things you see the point that it is not as simple as just paying college athletes. You have to figure out which athletes in what sports make more money and there are a lot of complexities to it. To get a specific breakdown on whether college athletes should be paid, this video is MUST WATCH.

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For The Good Of The Game

Very popular ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, believes that all division I athletes should be paid. He is very outspoken on his show ESPN First Take and gives his case in favor of the athletes. Stephen A. Smith takes good actions in my opinion, as he speaks up for the athletes that are maybe too shy or don't have the platform to do so. Stephen A. brings up how the NCAA is a billion dollar industry and the athletes are being exploited so the people above them can make money. As a popular analyst, his opinions are seen by millions of people across the country

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One of my close friends that I graduated High School with is currently playing Division I baseball at St.Johns University. As a division I athlete, in my opinion he should be paid and rewarded for his commitment to the sport. My friend who is one of the athletes took a different angle that completely shocked me. He said in a text to me "No they shouldn't get paid, compensation of scholarship for education and exposure to play professionally are enough and plus competition would decrease because they are getting paid." This is a viewpoint that not many athletes have, but it shows how my friend believes paying athletes will compromise the tradition and integrity of the sport. Although I don't agree with his opinion, it is interesting to see an athlete who would be paid say that he should not be paid. His points are valid and our differing opinions bring up the ongoing debate that is happening on whether the college athletes should be paid.

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GW31 Remix

On the drive up to Umass, I had a lot of different expectations for my first year of college. Having an older brother who went through college already, I was able to ask him what it was about. An important piece of advice he told me was to stay ahead with my work, because if I don't it could pile up and thus create a lot more stress. I expected a lot of work in my classes and not too much free time. I was a little worried because I didn’t have great work habits in high school and often waited until the last minute on everything. Since coming to college I have corrected these bad habits. I spread out my work throughout the week so I don’t have too much on any given day. Also in some of my harder classes, I have formed study groups to help learn the material better. This semester, my improved work habits have helped to deal with the more work I have to get done. I also expected humongous classes for almost all of my subjects. Besides from Computer Science 121, the classes that I am in aren’t that big. College Writing is very small, my math class is smaller than I thought and my history class is around 60 kids. Prior to coming to Umass, naturally I had thoughts on how college would play out. I’m happy to say I have adjusted to the challenges of college and put myself in a position to succeed in my first semester.

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This cartoon shows how these athletes are being used for their talents and not receiving any benefits in return. Yes they get an education, but they are being used by their superiors so the NCAA and Pro Sports can benefit off them.

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Interview

Me: Do you consider yourself a sports fan, and in particular a fan of college sports? Brian: I am actually a big sports fan, although I know most about the NBA, I do also follow college sports like basketball and football. Me: Do you believe in general, college athletes should be paid? Why? Brian: I don't really have a definite stance, but if I had to pick yes or no, I would pick yes. This is because of just the overall amount of money in college sports. They should spread the wealth to the athletes. Me: How would divide the money up amongst athletes on different sports? Brian: I would probably pay each sport evenly just because that is what is fair. They are still college athletes and should be treated fairly no matter what sport they play. Me: Coaches in college football make well into the millions of dollars, do you think they should? Brian: if College coaches make that much money, then the athletes should be paid. As of now since the athletes don't get paid, I would say coaches should not make that much money.

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My context and connection

My context and previous essays have had a large influence on the topic of college athletes being paid. Personally I am a huge sports fan and always have been. This combined with me being an 18 year old college student led me to write this particular blog. I meshed together the environment around me and my love of sports and this is what I came up with. I see the amount of hype and attention all athletes get on tv and throughout the media. Umass has signs all over campus urging students to attend different games and using national televised games as a platform to get us more interested. Also in my unit 2 essay, I saw how media plays such a giant role in society for better or for worse. The media is what generates all the attention for college athletes and is a big reason why I believe they should be paid.

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Class Ask

lucasframos:

Q:What do you think would be the most effective payment plan for college athletes to ensure that they are financially secure as others are profiting on them, and should this payment plan vary from sport to sport?

A: Although i am not sure of exactly how much I would pay the athletes, I think a per hour basis would be the best way. A salary seems like it would cause even more controversy and you don't want athletes making too much money. Depending on the revenue the sport you are in, should dictate how much the athletes make. So obviously this would result in football players and basketball players making the most. You may see this as unfair but that is the culture we live in. Not everyone will be making the same amount of money, different fields make different amounts of money. Naturally not as many people will be going to see a swim meet as will be in attendance at a football game. Life isn't always fair but if a particular sport is generating most of the money for the school, then those athletes should be making the most money.

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GW6

A room that means a great deal to me is my friend Pats room. This is where I feel all my best friends always end up hanging out. In ninth and tenth grade my friends and I were at Pats house every weekend. We would play video games in his room then head outside to go in the pool or play basketball come back in and head right back up to his room. As time went on in high school we ended up in this room less and less. We were getting older and wanted to go out meet new people and try new things. Senior year we were rarely in this room and as a friend group we started to branch out and do different things. The week before my first close friend left for college we decided to return to the good old times and end our high school journey where it began, in Pats room. With all of us now in college but reuniting for Thanksgiving break the first place we will meet up is the last place we were all together. This room will always mean a great deal to me and I can't wait to be back there again.

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21 Reasons Why Student-Athletes Are Employees And Should Be Allowed To Unionize

This week, college football players at Northwestern University petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to form a union.  The NCAA disagrees with the petition, arguing that student-athletes are not "employees" under federal law. There are many reasons why NCAA athletes should be treated like traditional employees.  Here are 21 of them: 1.  The typical [...]

This forbes article breaks down 21 reasons why college athletes should be paid. This article brings out the hypocrisy of the NCAA, the crazy amount of hours that the athletes put into their sport and the amount of money that is in the NCAA. At the end of the day I agree that athletes at the Division 1 level have become employees and their sport is now a job. Read this article to see the many reasons why college athletes should be paid.

[a-roidriguez]

I think we all heard what the old guy named Cha Cha said, but I’ll give you a recap. He said “Major League Baseball knew these guys were on steroids, and they did nothing about it because it livened up the game. The game was dead.” Baseball was a dying sport before players started taking steroids and the MLB just looked the other way when players started juicing because it made them more money. Ticket prices and sales went up because it made the game more exciting. It’s not fair for the MLB to outcast players like Barry Bonds when the MLB administration looked the other way on the issue and let it happen. 

[mcassano6696-blog]

This is similar to my issue because like the MLB, the NCAA is trying to maximize the amount of money that they are pulling in for themselves. By not paying the college athletes the NCAA saves a lot of money. In comparison the MLB isn't concerned about the welfare of the athletes and just want to make money. The NCAA and MLB are using their own methods to make as much as they can for themselves without caring for the athletes.

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ESPN College Basketball analyst Jay Bilas gives his take on why college athletes should be paid. I think he is completely right when he compares college sports to professional sports. When this much money is involved in a business there is nothing amateur about it. Everyone around the players gets paid so now it is time to pay those that deserve it most. This is a billion dollar industry that isn't paying the large majority of the employees. Jay Bilas is not the only one taking this stance, now it is time for you to join the movement!

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In this cartoon, you see how the NCAA is telling the players that they are protecting them, and that the money would be a bad influence over them. Meanwhile all the schools are loving all of the money that they are able to bring in by exploiting kids who might not even know better. The NCAA is trying to almost brainwash the athletes, by telling them that they are looking out for their best interests so that they don't fight for the money that they believe they deserve. This so called "protection" is the NCAA being greedy and wanting all of the money for themselves. 

[mcassano6696-blog]

This video gives a multitude of good points and interviews which help to explain why college athletes should be paid. With the opinions of sports analysts, former players, current players and the facts to back up the argument you can see why these athletes deserve to be paid. At the end of the day, college sports have changed from what they used to be. These sports are as popular as professional sports, and the NCAA is a billion dollar industry.If everyone gets paid around the athletes why shouldn't they be paid as well. Examples of athletes getting money off autographs is used to show how hypocritical the NCAA is. The athletes are being exploited for their talents and it is time for them to get paid. This video gets this point across perfectly and is worth your while to watch.

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"I feel like as much money as universities make, I feel that some of that money should be given down to the players as well because we are the ones that are making this university money," Peterson said.

This a quote said by Minnesota Viking running back Adrian Peterson. He attended the University of Oklahoma and talks about how college athletes pull in a lot of money for the school. Without the athletes this would not be possible. Hearing from a former popular college football player you can see a perspective of someone who went through the process. Adrian shares the opinion of many college athletes alike and is using his platform in the NFL to make his point. 

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Blogs To Follow

http://breakingsportsnews247.tumblr.com/ - This blog relates to breaking news throughout all of sports. This includes my topic of all college sports and different news on the athletes being paid. This is suggested by jvigneault10.

http://modernbaseballbandpa.tumblr.com/ - This discusses how baseball players are making massive amounts of money in today's game. This relates because with the similar media attention that college athletes get, they don't get paid at all. This is suggested by a-roidriguez

http://yourmediahasproblems.tumblr.com/ - This relates to anything dealing media. Media has had a large impact on the argument of whether college athletes should be paid. The media coverage is a main reason why these athletes should be paid. This is suggested by jovanna9400m.

[mcassano6696-blog]

This is a video interview of former UCONN Basketball point guard Shabazz Napier, after winning the national championship in 2014. He gives his take on paying student athletes and gives his personal experience. This is a MUST WATCH.