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College Athletes Should Not Be Paid To Play
Week 5 Assignment 1
By: Katie Lewis
Instructor Gary Henry
ENG 2001 S04
August 23, 2013
Introduction
Long brutal practices, time away from friends and family, and having a grueling work out schedule are only some examples of what athletes go through on a daily basis. College athletes in particular have worked immensely hard their entire lives to achieve a sports scholarship to an amazing college. Most of these athletes have missed huge family events because of practice, or have had to change their entire lives to be committed to their sport. The most recent debacle among the sporting world, especially college sports, is whether or not college athletes should be paid to play. Most people that hear about the grueling situations these athletes go through would automatically jump to the answer of “yes, they should be paid for their hard work” when in reality most people don’t understand the hurt it would cause smaller colleges as well as the athletes themselves. From the extensive research conducted on this issue; college athletes should not be paid to play due to several issues; such as financially hurting smaller colleges, and inabilities to focus on an education with scandals brewing within the leagues.
A Glimpse into the Life of a High School Athlete
Basketball and football are the top two sports in which high school students strive for excellence in order to be recruited and offered a scholarship to a top name school. A normal day for these athletes is waking up at the crack of dawn to get a practice in before school starts. After a long 8 hour day at school, these students then proceed to their after school practice that last anywhere from 2-4 hours. Once the after school practice is over, these students then go home to complete 2-3 hours of vigorous homework, go to their part-time job, and some of them will even through in an extra work-out before bed. This is an everyday process for these students in hopes that they will succeed well enough to achieve a full ride scholarship to college. Should these students be paid as well? If college students should be paid for their outstanding athletic performance, why shouldn’t high school students be paid as well?
College Athletes
The biggest issue throughout college sports in today’s society is whether or not college athletes should be paid to play. The day of a college athlete consist of at least 3 practices a day, a full day of classes, and perhaps a job to support them in between. Similar schedules to when they were high school athletes. Most of these college athletes are between the ages of 17-21, barely adults in their right mind. What constitutes that these young athletes should be considered as “professionals?” “First, if many Division 1 athletes stop playing, they stop receiving pay. And if it were not for their playing, they wouldn’t have been paid in the first place. To claim they are paid primarily to be students, which colleges use to classify them as amateurs, is an assault on common sense. Second, while some Division I athletes receive no financial compensation, all of them – paid or not – put in arduous work schedules. An NCAA study released in 2008 showed they average about 40 hours per week at their sports. Other studies show that college students spend about 25 hours per week on academic activity (class time and preparation). And time for sports isn’t only greater in amount but also in importance. Athletes sign up for courses that will accommodate their work schedules (usually avoiding afternoon time slots). Further, it’s understood that they’ll miss some classes because of work, yet it’s risky to skip practices in favor of their studies. Third, by an NCAA rule, Division I athletes are required to sit out a year from their sports if they transfer to another school (Florida Times Union, pp. 4-16).” Does this sound like a professional, or does this sound like a college student?
Revenue from College Sports
For the athlete’s outstanding sporting abilities, they contribute huge earnings for the colleges. What many people do not know is that the money that is earned from these sporting events actually goes back into the schools to help pay for the athletes scholarships as well as many other tools and technology. “According to the NCAA, college athletic programs are big money makers for colleges. Ticket sales, television, radio, alumni donations, royalties and NCAA distributions, combined bring in over $6.1 billion in annual revenue to colleges. This is big money for the schools. It also is a wonderful marketing tool for colleges.” (Sulmasy, pp.2).” Would it be fair to take this money away from the schools as well as the millions of other students that receive scholarships from this money just to pay these select few athletes? Why was it okay for them to conduct similar rigorous routines in high school for no profit, but it’s not okay in college? Well, it’s not okay and it’s not fair to the millions of other students that receive scholarships from this money. These college athletes should feel good about themselves for what they are doing because of the way they are helping these other students be able to attend college, when they normally would not have been able to attend because of not being able to afford the expenses. More of like a “pay it forward” type of view. What would happen if the athletes did receive money for their sporting abilities? Would they continue to be regular college students obtaining an education? What would happen to the leagues?
Splitting up leagues
There have been many suggestions made to split up the Big 10 and the SEC schools to make them into minor leagues. This would allow the athletes to be paid, but what affects would it have upon the other colleges? Not only that, what affects would it have on these athletes as students? “One of the ideas I’ve come to champion with is the establishment of a kind of superleague, consisting of marquee names like Kentucky, Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, U.C.L.A. and the like: maybe 72 or so football teams and 100-plus basketball teams. These teams would openly serve as the minor leagues for professional football and basketball. The players would get wages. They could get an education if they chose — and that would be a good thing, of course — but there would be no more pretending that football players were actually students first.” (Nocera, pp.3) Splitting these leagues up gives college athletes the opportunity to choose whether or not they want an education while at college. As a parent, this is a terrible idea. These athletes have had the morals of attending college imbedded into their heads since they were little tikes. Now, to go against what these athletes’ parents have been instilling into their child since the beginning of their life, is not an ethical choice. In today’s economy, is it more important to have a strong education or more important to play sports and not learn any information to help them further in life.
“Only a tiny minority will ever make a living competing in professional sports. The four major sports employ fewer than 5,000 people at the major league level. According to the National Football League Players Association, the average NFL career is now 3.3 years. Moreover, most of these college athletes will end up working in a career unrelated to their athletic prowess or requiring substantial additional skills. The truth is most Division I athletes are fortunate that they received their degree or made substantial progress toward it while competing athletically. For many athletically talented students, college communicates one of the most valuable lessons in life. Whatever one’s athletic talents, getting prepared to do something else is essential. Paying students as “professionals” would communicate the worst message possible, that universities can value an individual for athletic prowess only and abandon their educational calling with impunity. Far better to convince talented athletes to get an education and training they will need as they grow than to throw in the towel to “professionalism.” (Florida Times Union, pp. 27-29).” Is splitting up these leagues and giving these athletes an option to an education a good idea? What about what would happen to the tiers if these colleges break apart from the rest. “If the big five conferences break away, the impact will be felt throughout college sports. It would force some schools that currently field teams in the top tier of college football to drop to the second tier. It could also mean less revenue-sharing money for some of the smaller schools. There are also smaller schools in the top five conferences that might have difficulty competing financially with the bigger schools.” (McClatchy, pp.8) It’s okay to pay these players and allow the risk for smaller schools to close and lay off thousands of employees? Or how about it’s okay to not educate these students and allow the risk of failure to adulthood. Does this sound like the ideal America you grew up learning about? Are these athletes mature enough to be paid, or have they already shown they are not responsible enough by the scandals presented throughout some athletes?
Scandals
One of the biggest issues throughout these two sports is “boostering”. A booster is someone that sells their name or items with their name on them for money. It is against the rules for college athletes to accept any type of money, good or service for money pertaining to their sporting ability. This is a big problem with young athletes because they are still amateurs when dealing with these types of situations, which is another reason for them not to be paid. One of the most recent, debatable booster issues is one with famous college football player Johnny Manziel. “In the latest and by far most serious report concerning the off-the-field activities of Johnny Football, the NCAA is investigating whether Manziel received money for autographing hundreds of photos, footballs, helmets and other memorabilia in January. ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” citing two sources, reports that Manziel received a “five-figure flat fee” from autograph broker Drew Tieman while he was in Miami for the Discover BCS National Championship. Both sources told ESPN they saw him signing but not receiving money (Boren, pp.2).” Do you feel as if these young athletes are responsible enough to be paid if they are already breaking the rules? “Although this is likely to rekindle debate about whether college athletes should be paid, Manziel isn’t the best poster child for the movement. He has been a magnet for criticism throughout the offseason, tweeting about being eager to leave College Station, crashing a University of Texas party and having to leave the Manning Passing Academy early. In a press conference, he vowed not to change his behavior, reminding everyone that he’s only 20. Shortly after that, his father said in an ESPN profile of his son: “Yeah, it could come unraveled. And when it does, it’s gonna be bad. Real bad.” (Boren, pp.6-7).” So what is an alternative suggestion made to pay these amateur athletes that would not result in negative behavior? A stipend.
Offering athletes an extra stipend
An alternative suggestion to paying athletes is offering them an extra stipend to help with college expenses. “The biggest issue for the big five conferences is paying players a small stipend in addition to room, board and tuition. The larger schools favor the idea, but haven’t been able to get it approved by the NCAA because of opposition by smaller schools, which argue they can’t afford the additional cost. The pay issue is a slippery one. Once institutions pay players, what’s to keep Texas from outbidding Iowa State for a player’s services? (McClatchy, pp.5-6).” This is not a good idea because it will severely hurt the smaller colleges as well hurting the budget for more scholarships, technology, and supplies. “It should also be noted that the life of a major college athlete bears no resemblance to the life of an ordinary college student. These athletes receive the best in accommodations, food, training and tutoring (McClatchy, pp.7).” Is it fair to give these athletes this extra stipend and tell thousands of other hopeful college students that they are unable to receive a scholarship due to lack of money? No it’s not okay and it should not be acceptable to any educational institution. These institutions were created to educate society not to pay them for their sporting abilities.
Scholarships
The scholarships that college athletes earn are more than enough compensation. Not only do these scholarships cover room, board, and tuition; these scholarships also provide these students an education of a lifetime from a top name school. This in turn allows these students to go out in society with the skills and abilities to obtain an outstanding career for the rest of their adult lives. If colleges were to choose to pay their players, this will cut these scholarships for the players as well as other college students. With the cuts, these players would be paid to play but would have to worry about covering these expenses that were already once covered under the scholarship. Wouldn’t this lead back to the same scenario of when the athletes didn’t get paid? One source states “Despite some abuses and irregularities, scholarship programs benefit both students and universities. The students receive substantial financial rewards to be used for educational expenses, enhancing their growth and development. Universities enrich their campus life through athletic discipline, achievement and esprit de corps. To pay students as “professionals” would cause colleges and universities to bolster false hopes of professional sports as a lasting career option and betray the very goals and values they embody as educational institutions.” (Florida Times Union, pp. 27-36)
Another source says “The Colleges recruit young men and woman to play for their respective schools awarding them with athletic scholarships. The reason we have Colleges and Universities is to educate our young people. The colleges expect star performances for their upfront investments, rewarding college players with full paid 4 year college education. (Sulmasy, pp. 11-12).” So, are scholarships still more than enough for athletes or should we pay them and risk offering students an education as well as risking the closure of smaller colleges?
Conclusion
Overall, college athletes receive more than their fair share of “free” money for their playing and hard work, and to pay them would only lead the players to false hopes and failure. It’s not fair to the millions of regular college students to take away their scholarship money to pay the select few outstanding college athletes. They receive more than enough publicity and recognition for their hard work, as well as more than enough free services at a top name school. These athletes have the option to be recruited by professional leagues well before their college years are over, and if they feel as if they should be paid to play, then they have the option to accept that offer. The fact that they have options is more than enough reason to not pay them while they are still considered “amateurs” and they receive more than enough compensation for their age levels. Paying these athletes could result in many of the smaller colleges to close, laying off thousands of workers, as well as not providing our society with the necessary tools and education needed to succeed in life. Education is more important than sports, and colleges are educational institutions that are here to provide just that. Making education a choice among athletes that are already receiving all of these free accommodations from the schools is absurd, and society needs to be reminded that these athletes are still “young adults” with the need to still learn many decision making skills.
References
Allen Sack Christian, S. M. (2008, Mar 16). College athletes are students first and should not be paid. Deseret News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/351615303?accountid=13931.
Boren, C. (2013, Aug 06). Johnny manziel accepted money for autographs, report says (posted 2013-08-06 02:46:08). The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417787896?accountid=13931
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College athletes need fair treatment. (2013, Aug 06). Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417958274?accountid=13931
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EDITORIAL: Should college athletes get paid? (2011, Sep 21). McClatchy – Tribune Business News. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/893136457?accountid=13931
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EDITORIAL: College sports have their own pay-to-play issue. (2013, Aug 04). McClatchy – Tribune Business News. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417339398?accountid=13931
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Kenneth, J. C. (2011). Should college athletes be paid to play? Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 28(10), 12-13. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/874652804?accountid=13931
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March madness – should college athletes get paid? (2013, Mar 26). PR Newswire. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1319493943?accountid=13931
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Nocera, J. (2013, Aug 06). The plot to rule college sports. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1417816171?accountid=13931
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PRO & CON. (2013, Jul 02). Florida Times Union. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1376140979?accountid=13931
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Running head: Television commercials 1
Television Commercials 7
Robert Polacca
South University
August 24, 2013
Composition III | ENG2001 S04
Instructor: Gary Henry
Television Commercials
Commercials, we see and hear then every day, whether it’s from the radio or the television. For as long as television has been around and maybe even further there have been commercials that have had an impact on society. The commercials that we see on TV every day may seem harmless at first, but there is more meaning in these commercials then you think. Commercials influence us to buy the latest gear or technology, but what are some of their methods to achieving this result; so that they can gain the most consumers and get the most profit from their customers.
Commercials use a variety of different methods and techniques to draw a person into viewing their commercial. The advertising company has to understand what would be appropriate for any given commercial. They must be able to persuade whoever is watching the commercial, through the use of miscommunication or false promises. Most of the commercials seen in television may say that their product is better than other products. Some may even suggest that is better for your health and well-being.
They may not be telling you the whole truth about their product, like the some of the recent soda or energy commercials like Red Bull® and Coca-Cola®. They depict their drinks as a good tasteful drink to have on a hot sunny day with your friends and family. Although there has been a lot of recent studies in today’s time, which shows that too much sugar based drinks can have a huge impact on your health and can lead to obesity and even diabetes (Highsmith, 2013).
Especially in the younger generation, because when you are young, you have the basic concept of life and you are just starting to learn the rights and wrong of certain things. So they are more than likely to buy the things that they see on the Television. When a child at a young age has diabetes from too much surgery drinks that they see on commercials today; then they have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. Stretching the truth and hiding it behind false promises needs to be stopped and more of the truth should be shown.
This is just one of the methods that they utilize, to get you to purchase their products, like an empty promise. Another way that they are able to capture people attention is to understand the age group that is going to view these commercials more often than others. They achieve this by hiring a popular celebrity to endorse their produces. This drives people to believe that that one person uses this product a lot so they decided to buy it themselves, because they see that one particular person utilize it in a commercial (Majeed, Razzak 2013).
Celebrities in commercial influence people to believe that they can look just like the person that they see in the commercials. It also gives credibility to a product that the company is trying to sell, which is what consumers want to see in their products. Something that they can rely on and that is dependable or so they think, with the endorsement of a celebrity. But what consumers don’t realize is that the product that they are using may be equal to other products on the market. It is just that when people see celebrity use it, which makes people think that it is something good to use (Suttle, 2013).
It is just another idea that commercials show to the consumers that draw people into buying their commercials. There is also the usage of colors in any commercial, because colors have been known to influence a certain emotions a certain emotion in some people, through the use of the sense of sight. Things like usage of the color red in food commercials make people a hungry, and drives them to want to buy something that they see on commercials based on what they feel or experience.
The use of the color blue and green, makes people feel relaxed and at ease when they watch a commercial. The reason is that it sets a tone of tranquility and serenity which is a pretty effective strategy to be used for high end luxury products. While the usage of bright colors like yellow and white catches the people’s attention, and instills the feeling of energy and purity (Team, 2009). Each color that you see in any commercial has a lasting and powerful effect on the consumers. It draws out a certain emotion specific to each commercial, so that the consumers will feel more intrigued into buying something.
Emotions and mood also play an important role in the selling market of the commercials. Studies have shown that a positive or even funny commercial has a positive effect on the consumers. People feel more inclined to buy the stuff that they see on commercials, because it sends a positive message to the people that view it. When a commercial sends a positive image people feel a lot more confident about the product that they are buying and even puts them in the buying mood.
Whereas if a person sees a negative commercial, they would feel less inclined to purchase a product, because it just doesn’t put a person in the buying mood. Positive commercials have a greater emotional richness, over negative auditory emotional contents. So companies try to utilize the feelings that people feel through the use of colors and the emotions that it sparks within a person.
Although not every commercial sends an image of an empty promise or try to get just money form their consumers but also support. There are some that have a huge impact within our society; like during the WW2, when the US was pulled into war with the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 7. The US at the time was in a bad position after the crash of the stock market, which gave rise to the Great depression. So the US didn’t have a whole lot of funds to support the war effort after the first initial months of the war (Norris, 2013).
In order to raise money for more supplies and funds, the US utilized advertising to sell war bonds to the American people. So that they can help build up more supplies and things that we needed to win the war. If this wouldn’t have succeeded, then the war would have been a very short one. The United States may be a different place from the one that we know today, we may even have lost the war.
There have also been some recent catastrophes in the past couple of years, like the Katrina hurricane and the tornados over in regions of Oklahoma and the surrounding areas. Without the use of advertising to raise money to help the people in need, harder times may have fallen on those that lost their homes. These are just some small perks that come out of advertising, but their influence is more for profit rather than for your own benefit.
In conclusion, Commercials in television today have had a huge impact on society in many ways. Whether it’s a small one or a big difference, depending on how powerful the message is to the consumer. Although not all commercials send a message of profit, there are other commercials that send a good positive message of doing some good in the world. It just all depends on what they think the viewers want to see, that can influence them.
References
Highsmith Vernick, Nikki. “The Dark Side of Super Bowl Ads” Baltimore Sun. 03 Feb 2013: A.15. SIRS Issues Researcher Web 04 Aug 2013.
Majeed S & Razzak S. (2011) “The Impact of Television Advertisement Repetition, Celebrity Endorsement and Perceived Quality on Consumer Purchase Decision” Australian Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 5(12), 3044-3051.
Rick Suttle, 2013, Demand Media What Are Five Advantages to Using Celebrities in Advertising, retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-advantages-using-celebrities-advertising-34394.html
Jeong, Y. (2011). The Impact of Commercial Break Position on Advertising Effectiveness in Different Mood Conditions Journal of Promotion Management, 17(3), 291-314 doi:10.1080/10496491.2011.596765
PAHWA, A. (2012). THE PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION ON TELEVISION ADVERTISING AS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEDIUM FOR PRODUCT PROMOTION AND SALE Golden Research Thoughts, 2(6), 1-7
Royo-Vela, M. (2005) Emotional and Informational Content of Commercials: Visual and Auditory Circumplex Spaces, Product Information and their Effects on Audience Evaluation Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising (CTC Press), 27(2), 13-38.
The Colors Team, Colors: All around us ©Simply Connected to All 2009, Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/01276/colorsanddesign/colorinadvertising.html
Norris, David A. “Life on the Home Front during WWI.” History Magazine (Toronto, Canada) Vol. 7, No. 6 Aug. /Sept. 2006: 21-25. SIRS Renaissance Web 04 Aug 2013
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Example of how to review. |
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1. Paper provides a clear position statement in an introduction that arouses reader’s interest 4) I like how you brought up that there currently are plenty of underage drinkers even with the legal drinking age being 21. |
ENG 2001
Evaluation Criteria for Short Argument Paper
Use these criteria as you critique your own paper and the papers of your peers.
When critiquing the papers of your peers, if you determine that some aspect
of the paper could receive less than a 4, be sure to comment on the reasons
for this and o�er suggestions. In the same way, make sure you o�er positive
suggestions for change relative to what you �nd through the Editing Checklist.
Improvement comes when we know why something does not meet a standard
and how we can change it.
1. Paper provides a clear position statement in an
introduction that arouses reader’s interest
2. Paper provides a clear focus throughout
3. Reasons for position clearly stated and backed by
relevant evidence in the form of examples,
quotes, etc.
4. Paper is written from an appropriate perspective
5. Ideas in paper are ordered logically with appropriate
connections within and between paragraphs
6. Paper has an ending that adequately concludes
the piece
7. The paper is fr ee or virtually free of grammatical,
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
4 3 2 1
mechanical, and spelling errors (Use of the
editing checklist should clarify this.)
In addition to using the Peer Critique Evaluation Checklist, you will also be
asked to use the Peer Editing Checklist. You need to take the time to become
familiar with both of these checklists each week. Although the Peer Editing
Checklist will remain the same throughout the course, the Critiquing Checklist
will change with the di�erent assignments. These checklists are of value to you
when you go over your peers’ papers and when you are r eadying your own
papers for having them critiqued and/or for submission.
Page 1 of 1
Composition III
© 2010 South University
ENG2001
Editing Checklist
When reviewing your work or that of your peers, make check marks on any of the items
below that appear in the writing sample. There is space below for any additional
comments you might have regarding the writing.
There are examples of:
______ incorrect subject-verb agreement
______ run-on(s)
______ fragment(s)
______ omitted words that interrupt meaning
______ incorrect verb usage
______ shifts in verb tenses
______ incorrect use of common words (homonyms)
______ incorrect use of pronouns
______ capitalization problems
______ comma problems
______ apostrophes used incorrectly or missing
______ semicolons misused or missing
Additional comments:
Page 1 of 1
Composition III
© 2010 South University
