Why research the topic of paying student-athletes? The easy answer is that I'm planning to work in the sports industry and it's important to have knowledge of the debates within your industry. Additionally, after spending the last four years surrounded by Notre Dame athletes in classes, my job with the Athletics Marketing Department, and in two different roles with Academic Services for Student Athletes, I thought I had a strong opinion on this issue. But, my reasoning is also much more complicated than just one paragraph.
Should student-athletes be paid? I am barely exaggerating if I say a new opinion on the answer to this question is released every day. Just the other day during a press conference following his team’s loss in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Mike Krzyzewski, called the system of amateurism in the NCAA “outdated” (Bleacher Report). Almost everything Coach Krzyzewski says makes headlines, however, this quote in particular grabs attention. For years coaches, athletics directors, and university presidents have continued to offer the same excuses for why student-athletes should not be paid. However, here was one of the most famous coaches in college basketball saying he thinks the NCAA’s amateur rules need to catch up to a comparatively small developmental league. That all being said, Coach Krzyzewski’s quotes may be rooted in the same reasoning as previous sentiments from coaches – self-interest. Duke has recently prided themselves on one-and-dones (athletes who play basketball in college for only their freshman year and are then drafted into the NBA). If the NCAA cannot continue to outpace the NBA G-League, there will be no reason for these athletes to spend a year at Duke or any other university.
What’s my opinion? I kept my opinion out of most of this site on purpose. Prior to beginning the research for this project, I felt pretty confident in my opinion that student-athletes should not be paid. I was strongly in the camp that a scholarship and diploma from the highly competitive schools many student-athletes attend were enough. However, through my research, I have found my opinions to be based on the student-athlete experience I have witnessed at Notre Dame. While the student-athletes at Notre Dame are expected to take and succeed in the same classes as the average student, many student-athletes at other schools are able to skirt academic responsibilities. The question of an education becomes even more complicated when one-and-dones are considered as we all recognize that Zion Williamson was not at Duke to go to class for a year.
Why’d you skirt the question you wrote? Great question. I skirted the question because in many ways, I remain unsure of my full opinion. It’s a really complicated issue that often gets simplified based on sensationalized opinions. However, just because creating a system to pay student-athletes may be confusing or complicated is not a reason to not do it. Beyond that, just about every argument I made prior to beginning this research had an argument from the other side that also makes sense.
How about you just answer the question? Ultimately, my opinion on the matter is probably best reflected by Coach Brey’s quote included in the “quotes against paying student-athlete” page. Coach Brey said, “That’s an easy crutch for everyone to throw out right now, ‘we just should pay them.’” To further that point, there are a lot of issues in the NCAA including not treating athletes fairly, a lack of due process for punishment, and a lack of focus on educating student-athletes off the field. Realistically, none of these issues will be fixed by adding the element of payment. Overall, there are ways to increase the capital student-athletes receive from the NCAA without necessarily getting paid by their universities.
So again, why research the topic of paying student-athletes? A lot of reasons: to gain knowledge in an area I thought I had a solid understanding of; to question my strong opinions on the issue; to prove the points I thought I had; to discuss a side of this issue often ignored; to look more deeply into the landscape of collegiate athletics; to defend my own need for sports to be more than just a game on a field.