Redefining Amateur Athlete: A Case Against NCAA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) has a long standing, successful history defined by amateur student-athletes, who play simply for the love of the game. However, after profiting of young men and women for years without compensating a single athlete, it has come time for a change. The NCAA's greed and refusal to change their definition of an “amateur athlete” has lead to the denial of star student athletes from building their brand and raising their financial ceiling. In the last decade universities such as the University of California Berkeley have went from spending zero on athletics buildings, to 23.4 million dollars, while the University of Wisconsin's annual maintenancing and spending on facilities increased from 10.5

Suddenly, they are stars on large campuses with agents pursuing them prior to their ameteur status ending, bringing 20 year olds to make heavy financial decisions. Some athletes decline, however, some feel they need the money or should profit just as the NCAA does. This was the case with three University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill football players prior to the 2010 season, when Marvin Austin, Greg Little, and Robert Quinn would all be ruled ineligible for the entire season due to an investigation that found up to 25,000 dollars being received between the three players from an agent, which is an NCAA rules violation(Browder). This lead to the Tar Heel football team being forced to vacate all wins from the 2008 and 2009 season, the firing of then head coach Butch Davis, a postseason ban in 2012, the loss of scholarships, and more investigations into the programs academics that continues currently(Browder). A university is severely punished for its athletes receiving benefits that are denied to them by the NCAA, while the organization continues to make millions of dollars annually. Former number one overall NFL draft pick Jadeveon Clowney is a supporter of paying college athletes. “Having to take care of my family, it would have made a difference if I'd have gotten paid," Clowney said prior to being drafted, "If I would have

Players should not be penalized for being star athletes at younger ages, and denying individuals the right to profit of their name, is infringing upon rights granted to every other citizen. Athletes will be more willing to stay in college longer, gaining more experience athletically, mentally, and emotionally, while also creating revenue for themselves, and the