Sparks 1 Gabriel Sparks
1/3/2015
Mrs. Delvecchio
World Literature
Exploitation of The NCAA Athlete The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non­profit organization that undertakes the enormous task of coordinating 450,000 student athletes in 1,281 institutions, conferences, divisions and leagues. The NCAA has existed for 109 years since 1906 when
President Theodore Roosevelt established it to rebuild college football because of injuries and death rates among the players. Roosevelt felt that with the rise of athletic programs in colleges and universities the establishment of the NCAA in college sports would benefit the future of our collegiate athletic programs and ensure the wellbeing of the young athletes. Today The NCAA’s current president is Mark Emmert; the headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NCAA regulations deny student­athletes payments involving money throughout the year. They are awarded academic scholarships. Most full athletic scholarships are received in the big sports of football and basketball, the competitions that bring in the most revenue. There are many reasons student athletes deserve more financial compensation than a scholarship and meal plan. As reported by
Marc Edelman from Forbes Magazine “The average Division 1 college football player devotes 43.3 hours each week to his sport, 3.3 more hours than the average American worker”. This does not take in account the additional time needed for the work load of classes and adjustments of college life. NCAA athletes should be paid because without fair

Sparks 2 compensation from their colleges or the NCAA athletic contributions, they are manipulated financially, mentally and physically. NCAA athletes devote their entire lives to a sport beginning in high school. The chosen sport is the focus of their high school career. Most of these young men and women sacrifice other aspects of teenage life such as having a job, going to parties and hanging with friends.
These individuals are in the weight room at 5 AM before school or in the gym working on agility at 8 PM on a Friday night while other kids are having fun. They don't have time for a job so they can’t save money. Often these students come from poor families.
According to Joe Nocera from
The New York Times “ 1 out of every 7 Division 1 student athlete is at or near the poverty line.”
These hard working athletes aren't able to subsidize their incomes because they must devote their time to keeping up with the rigorous standards demanded by Division 1 schools both athletically and academically.
Just put yourself in their shoes, you don’t have the money to socialize with your teammates.You don’t have the money to go out on date. You don’t own the same kind of clothes as your peers. If you miss a meal at the dining hall, you will be hungry even if its because of a late practice.Traveling with the team is arduous. There are weather and other delays. You miss classes. Life as an athlete at this level is very stressful. You are concerned about the family you left behind. Do they have enough food? heat? Do your brothers and sisters have the shoes they need? Trips home are rare because it costs money and anyway practices and games interfere with vacations. Your family doesn’t have the means to get to your games. You have very little time off. Summers are often taken up with classes because you are so busy during the school year.
Well, you can bring up the argument that there are many non­athletes in college whose families

Sparks 3 live below the poverty line. Why shouldn't they get paid? They shouldn't get paid because they have time to get a part­time job on or around campus. More importantly, the college is not making money because of their talents. Athletes don't have time for a job because between practices and conditioning, they put in more time that the average full time American worker.
Yeah, it