Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has stood unbroken for more than 25 years. He has been an actor, an author of young adult books, and a U.S. cultural ambassador. Despite his long and distinguished career, he hasn’t forgotten his experiences as a UCLA basketball player. In this November 2014 article published in Jacobin, he criticizes NCAA rules for college athletes.
Read it here: Abdul-Jabbar, “College athletes of the world, unite”
- Although he never states it explicitly, Abdul-Jabbar is arguing for specific changes in NCAA rules concerning college athletes. What is he advocating? Point to passages in the article to support your conclusions.
- Although Abdul-Jabbar’s argument focuses on college athletes in the United States, he presents cases of injustices concerning child labor in other parts of the world. Do these examples strengthen his argument? Why or why not?
- In addition to his personal experience, what evidence does Abdul-Jabbar present? How well do the different types of evidence complement each other? Explain your reasoning.
- Abdul-Jabbar emphasizes the distinction between treatment of students who receive academic scholarships and those who receive athletic scholarships. How are those two types of scholarships treated at your school? If you find any differences, are they well-justified? Do some investigation and write an essay in which you take a position on the conditions you find. Do you support the status quo? Why or why not? Use Abdul-Jabbar as your They Say.
They Say I Blog 
Although NCAA’s rules may seem of concern to only a small group of athletes, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about or is thinking about getting an athletic scholarship. By listing a handful of the rules in the NCAA and comparing their cons versus an academic scholarship, Kareem is hinting at changing the rules to be more flexible for student athletes on a scholarship. For example, in this rule he asses the con of NCAA by comparing it to a pro of an academic scholarship, “Academic scholarships provide for school supplies, transportation, and entertainment. Athletic scholarships do not”. Kareem is subtly hinting that the rule should be fixed so an athletic scholarship provides all those things as well. Throughout the whole article, he lists certain rules and by comparing some of them to the points of an academic scholarship you can tell he wants them changed, even though he doesn’t say this outright.
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“College Athletes of the World, Unite” by a former NCAA player, advocates the right for more money for college students with athletic scholarships. Kareem Abdul-Jabar is a very well known basketball player, who admits that, “Despite my jobs, every semester was a financial struggle.” He was a star athlete and barely made enough money to support himself. I’m not saying that college basketball players should be paid a ton of money; just a little more to help them survive instead of letting them drown in debt. As with any sport, there is a risk of injury and few college basketball organizations give out any compensation to help with the medical bills. Proponents of college basketball organizations, such as the NCAA, are right to argue that the players are receiving a scholarship. But they exaggerate when they claim that the money that the players do receive is enough to pay all of their expenses. The truth is that, college basketball players make less than what they deserve. For the amount of time that they dedicate to the sport, I agree that they receive more compensation and benefits.
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At first glance, people might say that college athletes in the big leagues are really lucky and that they get a lot of money for playing the sport that they play. But on closer inspection, athletes that play college sports risk their health for the sport that they play, and in doing so they don’t get awarded the way they should be. These athletes don’t get the help that they should be getting financially. Students get more scholarships for academics than sports, yet when an athlete gets injured the school doesn’t cover the injury. The athlete has to use their own money to pay their hospital bills. Also the belief that athletes get paid a lot of money is false. Some coaches may get paid a lot, but athletes not necessarily. These athletes work really hard to bring entertainment to the people of America and yet they don’t get paid as much for the hard work that they do.
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Abdul-Jabbar never fully comes out and states his claim, but through the examples and evidence he provides throughout the article it is clear that he believes that their needs to be changes in the NCAA. He begins his argument by stating that even though he is a top notch college basketball star, he was continuously in financial trouble. Despite the fact that his scholarship was equivalent to thousands of dollars, he barely had enough money to get by. While he was struggling financially and working hard on the court, NCAA was sitting back and watching the money roll in. Abdul-Jabbar believes that NCAA should provide him and other athletes the chance to make money outside of his scholarship, implement a better and stronger policy protecting injured players, and they should be compensated when their name is used to promote their company. To support his claim, he discusses how students on academic scholarships are allowed to make extra cash, the stability of the scholarship, and the fact it includes essential things such as transportation and school supplies. Abdul-Jabbar then states that with an athletic scholarship, you risk losing your scholarship every time you step into the game and that you are not provided the same things as those on an academic scholarship. Although Abdul-Jabbar’s argument for changes in the rules of the NCAA may seem of concern to only a small group of people, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about fair treatment and giving people the respect and credibility they deserve.
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Americans who play sports often aim to receive an athletic scholarship and participate in college level sports. While it would be great to receive an athletic scholarship, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also points out the disadvantages. Upon closer observation, an academic scholarship is much more rewarding than an athletic scholarship. An academic scholarship goes towards supplies, books, and classes, where an athletic scholarship doesn’t cover any of that. I think it’s bizarre to have an athletic scholarship taken away due to injury. While students focus should be on putting in the effort, hard work, and improving their skill, they are worried about how to afford their medical bills due to injury and their scholarship being revoked.
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At first glance, teen athletes think that an athletic scholarship is the best thing they can achieve from their high school career. But, on closer inspection one can see that a person gets more from colleges when they earn an academic scholarship. I find that being rewarded with any kind of scholarship is a good thing, but colleges seem to care more about the academic students than the athletes granted with that honor. Kareem shows this struggle by talking about he was broke during college due to the lack of payment he got from actually playing his sport. Since he was broke, he struggled through every semester even though he was working the hardest he could. I would say it is not fair that both athletes and the academic students are working as hard as they can to reach their goals, but the scholarships that are given to athletes do not even help an athlete’s standard of living. In conclusion, I think that a scholarship is supposed to be a blessing, but with athletes a scholarship can barely help them through college. It upsets me that athletes are not placed on the same level as academic students, since these groups both worked hard to earn scholarships and they should both be taken care of at the same level by the college they are attending.
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In the world for fame and recognition, highschoolers may say that it would be an honor to play for the NCAA. The benefits outweigh the negatives. However, upon closer inspection, the college students who actually play for the NCAA have a different perspective. For instance, the NCAA do not pay their athletes, this can be compared to child slavery. The NCAA makes money with their tickets and concession stand food items. The athletes do not make a single dime. Colleges can afford to make the best stadiums, but they leave their money makers hanging. Instead, the athletes have to pay to play for the NCAA. Injuries can lead to their scholarships be taken away, and scholarships are the only way they can afford to attend that college. Student athletes should given what they deserve for their contributions to profit for colleges.
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I agree with Kareem on how it is not fair to the student-athletes since they do not get paid and that they risk the possibility of injury every game and how they could be cut from the team and could lose their scholarship. I do believe that the college athletes should get paid some sort of money so they afford more things than just what they need for school but also to have fun.
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Student athletes assume that an athletic scholarship is something that will help a great deal in college. But, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar informs us, these athletic scholarships are nothing compared to the academic scholarships some students receive. While an athletic scholarship will pay for your education, it will not pay for the basic necessities in life, like an academic scholarship will. Furthermore, an athletic scholarship prohibits you from making money on the side, which causes many students to find themselves in a financial struggle. The most frustrating part of this scholarship is the fact that if injured and you can no longer play the sport, you’re scholarship is taken away from you. Ultimately, what is at stake here is the financial status of athletes during and after college.
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In Abdul-Jabbar’s article about the NCAA rules, the author expresses his feelings to the NCAA rules and tells us his story of when he was once part of being a “broke hero”. At first glance athletes appear to be heroes and are living there life in college. But on closer inspection we observe that athletes are usually broke and are always in fear of getting cut from the team. Abdul Jabbar embeds present cases of injustices concerning child labor in other parts of the world. As a result these cases strengthen his argument and add pity to the children that earn pennies for their long workdays. Research shows what a misery these children face everyday, “We were outraged again in 2006, when the Labor and Work life Program at Harvard Law School reported that about two hundred children as young as eleven years old were sewing clothing for Hanes, Walmart, JC Penney, and Puma in a factory in Bangladesh”. With cases like this, the author strengths his argument by influencing on the mood and tieing in the athletes and the kids.
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I think that it is extremely unfair for college athletes to be given so little money for what they do. I’m confused as to how the coaches get more money than the actual athlete when the coaches don’t have to worry about education, school fees, and everything that comes with living at college like the student athletes do. The only thing the athletes really get is a scholarship which can be taken away if they’re seriously injured while playing. I agree that the athletes should be paid for all the hard work they put in. And it would also help them with their tuition fees so they wouldn’t have to worry about it as much.
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Although college athletes being paid may seem of concern to only a small group of people planning to live that lifestyle, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about being take advantage of. These athletes, bringing in millions of dollars for the NCAA and other major corporations, barely are able to get by on the scholarships they are given. Kareem compares the benefits of being on an academic scholarship to being on an athletic scholarship, and by far the athletic scholarship is not worth it. Kareem reminds us that if one of these players was to get injured and not be able to play, they lose their scholarship as well. So now, not only do they not have a scholarship, but they have thousands of dollars in medical bills on top of that. And the NCAA will not do a thing to change their ways because of their greed. I know that reading this article makes me rethink ever possibly being a college athlete, because it doesn’t seem to be even worth it. Playing with little to no compensation while these big guys make millions, it just isn’t fair to these young college students.
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At first glances, teenagers might say that it is their dream to become a professional athlete. But on closer inspection, the likelihood of that actually happening are slim because they do not realize that a professional athlete isn’t just about playing a sport. Abdul-Jabber explains what kind of dedication is needed to become a professional athlete. Athletes have to do so much more than play their sport; they travel so much for games, they practice nearly every day, and they want to have a social life.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar advocates how students who receive athletic scholarships deserve more privileges. At a first glance, many people would think that gaining a athletic scholarship is a great thing to hold and be a part of. Although it may seem like a huge advantage, Kareem Abdul Jabbar even states “Despite my jobs, every semester was a financial struggle.” Many students who go to college off of a athletic scholarship find that they could barely make it by. I would say it is not fair for athletes to not be able to get involved in anything else except their sport. The NCAA should understand that college is very expensive. If the athlete becomes injured they need to have something to rebound off of, and be able to support themselves. not having any free time is one thing, but not being able to find a job or focus on an actual career is another. I believe that athletic scholarships are very rewarding of your skill, but just are not worth it financially. Although athletes may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over athletic scholarships, to allow students to make money.
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In his article Abdul-Jabbar argues against the NCAA regarding the controversial topic of exploiting college athletes for their own compensation. Abdul-Jabbar discusses his own experience playing sports in college and how he was always financially struggling. Recent informative articles like these shed new light on NCAA’s refusal to pay college athletes or allow them to have jobs outside of their sport. Athletes like Jabbar had to work spring and summer break to try and make ends meet while their schools are making millions of dollars of profit off of them. Their student athletes are broke and have no source of income/can’t acquire one. College athletes are overworked and underpaid and should be fairly compensated for their hard work.
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In his article, Kareem Abdul-Jabar advocates for a drastic rule change in the NCAA. The rule change is one that should have happened a long time ago, in his eyes. It is to pay, or at least supplement College Athletes. As an athlete, as a 3 sport athlete, I can advocate for this. I commit around 3 hours 6 days a week to my sports, and generate money and spirit for our school. If I wasn’t playing these sports, school would certainly be easier, and all of my grades would be higher. But really, who cares? At first glance, the school’s might say that there is no significant effect on the students. But on closer inspection, they would find that putting in that amount of time and not earning as much as they need to be comfortable has a notable effect on them. Abdul-Jabar compares what the NCAA athletes do to child labor in other countries. Up until the point where Abdul-Jabar tries to compare these, his argument was great. But, a bad point like this sticks out like a sore thumb and completely weakens it. He says, “While such horrific and despicable conditions are rarer in the United States, we still have to be vigilant against all forms of exploitation so that by condoning one form, we don’t implicitly condone others. Which is why, in the name of fairness, we must bring an end to the indentured servitude of college athletes”. Even going as far to call college athletes indentured servants is out of place and is still going too far.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s views on the current day economic status of collegiate status is a compelling one. However, college administrators find other wise. While schools such as UCLA as raking in the dough, the athletes are scrapping together quarters and dollar bills to have simplistic meals. I agree with his views of a collegiate athlete needing to get some sort of financial compensation. Due to all of the time that is put in from practice and to games, there isn’t much left. Then for the college athlete, they can’t even play their sport if their grades aren’t good enough. Then to top off all of these hardships, they don’t have time for a job so they can’t have any money. I think that it is only realistic or fair that there is some form of payment. Perhaps, some money from the scholarship could go towards personal use and they could take it out so they can still support themselves. Within the campus life that they have been subjected to due to their agreement to play college sports, they deserve some equilibrium in the financial department.
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In his article, “College Athletes of the World, Unite”, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explains the financial struggles, lack of academic and financial opportunity, and oppression by the NCAA experienced by college athletes. He believes that the NCAA is an unfair and corrupt system, collecting unnecessarily large profits, and distributing the wealth only to those who hold executive positions in the system. He also claims that student athletes and those with athletic scholarships are not given the financial/job opportunities or college perks that non-student athletes and those with academic scholarships are given. At first glance, many may agree with Kareem’s negative opinion of the NCAA and believe that student athletes should be paid and given the opportunities and benefits that others receive. Looking deeper however, college athletes aren’t entitled to pay. Although I agree that they deserve equal opportunities to have outside jobs and perks, I feel that they are not, and should not be entitled to receive money. School athletics is itself a perk, and should be considered a job only on a professional level. School is centered around academics, and should not be consumed by athletics. On the contrary, I do still believe that student athletes should be provided with the same benefits as other students, however I oppose the common belief that athletes should be paid.
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After reading this article about a college athlete who struggled to get by at UCLA, I came to the conclusion that college can be a trap. Kareem acknowledges that a college athlete had to work his butt off to stay afloat in college. He was forced to work on all his vacations so he could make a little money on the side so he could somehow pay the expenses that came with the college life. Kareem demonstrates college athletes on athletic scholarships are not allowed to earn money on the side. Kareem also concedes that “athletic scholarships will be taken away if the player is injured and cant contribute to the team anymore.” Most athletes will tell this story and how badly they are struggling to stay afloat. I stress that Athletes should take a stand and try to fight these rules. These rules are taking away basic rights of athletes and I strongly disagree with these rules. College students should somehow find a way to stop these rules and make athletes lives a little less stressful.
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These findings have important implications for the broader domain of unfair treatment. Like the article said, many of the coaches and companies are reeling in a lot of money and the people who actually do the work don’t get anything for their time and effort. Its terrible that people treat others this way. And the fact that if the athlete gets injured they lose their scholarships with little to no compensation is an abomination. While the academic students get a lot of freedom the athlete students get nothing. They can’t make money from anything other than the scholarship and must live in fear of getting injured in a game or at practice. At first glance people might say, “Great he got a scholarship and he’s following his dreams”, but in reality it inst as simple as just that.
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It’s unfair to the team players that they can’t make extra money unlike the coaches. Everyone should have the rights to be able to make extra payments for themselves and earn more money than they should be getting. If sports enthusiasts stopped to think about it, many of them might simply assume that the most successful athletes won’t be getting enough salary. However, new research shows that sooner or later the athletes might be contributed into to more jobs that they’re looking for. I believe that coaches should get more money than the team-players bat at the same time the team-players should get as much jobs as they want to improve their salaries.
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If we are right about the way college athletes are being treated and if it’s as worse as the athletes actually make it out to be, then major consequences follow for the colleges if these athletes get the rights they deserve. The way it is now is pretty much the way it has been for decades in the colleges. Athletes can’t have other jobs outside of their sport and they don’t get paid for playing. This gives the athlete only enough time to do school work, study, and play the sport. Most of the time their scholarships don’t cover everything they need like academic scholarships do so they have no other way to provide for themselves. Therefore they are let in debt for years because of unfair college restrictions. The athletes alone raise millions even billions of dollars a year for the school yet the athletes are struggling to get by, how does this sound fair? If things don’t change in favor for these athletes then maybe the number of students who want to participate will go down.
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If sports enthusiast stopped to think about it , many of them might simply assume that collegian athletes, particularly ones that are very talented are payed for there exceptional work and devotion.However, in this article Kareem reveals that the life of a hard working, talented and successful collegian athlete is far from glamorous. Kareem advocates for the rights of these athletes to be rewarded with money rather than just scholarships.My own view is that, collegian athletes should be reimbursed for there hard work and time.
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Although this former college and NBA basketball player never states it explicitly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is arguing for specific changes in NCAA rules concerning college athletes. Abdul-Jabbar describes his financial struggles during his four years at UCLA, explaining that students on athletic scholarships are not allowed to make money outside of their non-paying contracts, while those on academic scholarships are allowed to do so. Kareem is arguing that college athletes whose contracts are sanctioned under the NCAA rules should be compensated for the revenue that they produce for their universities. He is saying that paying them and allowing for other money to be made will allow the athletes to lead a less stressful life and not have to worry about what might happen to them financially if they were to get injured. Abdul-Jabbar points to the fact that many college athletes will have their scholarship dropped if they “can’t contribute to the team anymore” and that they are responsible for their own medical bills if injured during a game. The author makes it clear in this article that not paying college athletes is wrong and that policies must change. Although collegiate athlete pay might seem of concern to only a small percentage of students and people around the country, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about college sports, especially publically broadcasted basketball and football.
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In Kareem’s article concerning student athletes, he indirectly argues for certain changes to be made. He is subtly advocating for more rights, benefits, and opportunities for the young players with athletic scholarships. He states that unlike on academic scholarships, students on athletic scholarships are forbidden from earning extra money, are not provided with school supplies, transportation, or entertainment. They can also have their scholarship taken away if injured and cannot contribute to the team anymore, which is a risk put on the table during every game. These findings challenge stereotypical views of college athletes, and the common assumption that they have everything very easy and have the ability to slack off more than students with academic scholarships. The reality is that students with athletic scholarships often struggle more and are provided with less than other students with scholarships. Ultimately, what is at stake here are the benefits of student athletes with scholarships to make the most amount of money for the college, coaches, and NCAA.
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Although Kareem may seem of concern to only a small group of very good basketball players, or coaches, It should in fact concern anyone who cares because he was an excellent player who was better than most of the other player on the varsity team.Although Kareem may seem a good basketball player, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over if there are any good and professional playing basketball players.
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In the article, “College Athletes of the World, Unite”, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes about the struggle financially, the unjust treatment of the NCAA towards college athletes, and the lack of academic and financial support from the schools themselves. Abdul-Jabbar thinks the NCAA is an unfair system to student athletes by collecting so much money from the students, and only “pass it out” to the people that matter, basically. If there’s a star player on a team, they’ll get the money instead of a bench-warmer. Some may agree with Abdul-Jabbar on his negative look on the NCAA and think that the student players should get paid to play. But, as you might know, they aren’t entitled to be paid money to play. They play because of scholarships, or to “show off” their school. I feel as though that student players should not be paid to play on a team for their college. They should be playing for the fun of it, not for funds. As I said earlier, a star player has a better chance of getting money than a bench-warmer (if they got paid). Athletes shouldn’t be paid. They’re normal students. School is based off of scholastic and academics. Not sports. Not all the smart kids get paid, so why should athletes? It’s simple; they shouldn’t get paid.
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Although he never states it directly, Abdul-Jabbar is arguing for specific changes in NCAA rules regarding college athletes. These specific changes would involve the treatment of college athletes in concern to academics, being equivalent to those of a regular college student. This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who have long assumed that athletes have always had the advantage over regular students. Due to the fact that most student athletes go to college based on an athletic scholarship they receive, if anything happens to their athletic career, their college career also goes out the window. Student athletes also have no time to do anything besides school work and their sport. This means no job, basically meaning no extra money. Having no money as a college student, could potentially make them unable to pay off student debts. Ultimately, what is at stake here is student athletes educations. Kids may go to college to play sports, but they also go to college to get an education. Rule of the NCAA right now are making it very difficult to thrive in school in addition to playing a sport. If NCAA doesn’t want to lose their amazingly skilled players over a college education, then quick changes need to be made in order to insure that they stay there.
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IT is to no doubt that a majority of people would consider it a privilege to receive a scholarship for college. Whether it be for academic or athletic reasons, they will be grateful. As you look deeper into it, however, the academic scholarship’s benefits trump the athletic scholarship so greatly that it seems a problem. Athletes all over receiving a scholarship are in no doubt thankful, but they, however, are catching on how much little appreciated they are. For instance, Athletes aren’t treated equally in relation to academic scholars as they are seen more as disposable. As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar himself puts it, “In this light, not only is the compensation inadequate to the effort and risk compared to academic scholarships, but there is a real chance that players may end up without an education, yet deeply in debt”. Kareem has a point, that if an athlete gets injured, his scholarship essentially dissolves and he is now stripped of a college education and struggling in medical debts. While academic scholars aren’t burdened with this, as they have no threat of losing their education. If the NCAA and the college board stopped to think about it, many of them might simply assume that the most successful athletic scholars will be treated equally to academic scholars . However, the facts show that this is not true. Academic Scholars have an unfair advantage over athletic scholars that should be thoroughly looked over.
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In the recent discussion of the article, “College athletes of the world, unite”, Abdul-Jabbar argues that college athletes should get paid for the hard work and time they put into their sport, and I agree because it’s not fair the amount of time and effort they put in by “…practicing, learning plays, and traveling around the country to play games…”, every day and still not get paid for it. In other words, Abdul-Jabbar believes that it would be necessary for athletes who put their all in the sport they’re playing to get paid for it. If sports enthusiasts stopped to think about it, many of them might simply assume that the most successful athletes get tons of extra money on the side for all of the hard work they do and get provided with school supplies for them. However, new research shows that athletes don’t get enough credit for school supplies or even get an income to support themselves. Athletes even risk the possibility of getting injured in a game which, even if it’s major, it does not get paid for and their scholarship gets taken away immediately. Ultimately, what is at stake here is that athletes can end up without an education in the near future. Abdul-Jabbar argues about his concern for child labor in other parts of the world in his argument because it relates to the college athletes towards the fact they don’t get enough credit or pay for their hard work. Abdul-Jabbar states, “The children sometimes were forced to work nineteen to twenty-hour shifts, slapped and beaten if they took too long in the bathroom, and paid pennies for their efforts.” Jabbar’s point is that just like these children who don’t get paid the appropriate income for their work is how athletes must feel when they put their all into the sport and get nothing in return. In conclusion, then, taking the time to think about all the backbreaking work that these athletes do just to get nothing in return makes you realize the frustration and confusion they must feel when academic scholarships get more attention and appreciation than athletic scholarships which should be a change in today’s society.
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In high school any student that does not play a sport it seemed to be made inferior compared to those who do no matter how well they perform academically. I think this is a point that is overlooked by many people, so let me state it again. Because some teens do not play sports, no matter how well they perform academically, they are indirectly shamed. According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s article “Athletes, unite: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on NCAA rules”, the tables turn in college. Those who receive academic scholarships have less limitations on how they may proceed through college than those with athletic scholarships. Under athletic scholarships, athletes are not provided with school supplies, they may lose the scholarship if they become injured, and they may not make any money on the beyond the scholarship of their sport. While I do believe the fact that these athletes cannot earn money beyond their sport is a tad ridiculous, I think all the other downsides are justified. These students received their scholarships because of sports. Academic scholarships are received because of outstanding academic performance. It is sort of implied in the name “athletic” that school supplies are not going to be provided. Also, yes with sports you are risking your physical health, but with academics, you are risking your mental health. You stay up all night studying, you go crazy when you don’t get the grade you want, you cry from all the stress. Yes, I do believe athletes work hard for their cause, but more academic-centered students work just as hard with just as much of a risk of tiring and hurting their bodies. At first glance you may say I am unjust in saying these students who receive academic scholarships do not have an unfair advantage. But on a closer inspection you’ll see how I along with others have been made to feel everyday of our lives. It is because these high school academic performers are looked upon negatively for not playing a sport in their high school years that I really do not mind how athletic scholarship recipients are not given the most fair treatment when they enter college.
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Before I read this article, the issue of whether or not college athletes should get paid never really crossed my mind. In his article, Kareem Abdul gave many statistics about how much money college coaches make per year, the rules of athletic scholarships, and the amount of money that college games bring in each year. These statistics will blow your mind and really make you consider college athlete paychecks. According to the article, the NCAA brings in almost a billion dollars each year from March Madness and some of the top paid coaches in this year’s March Madness made between 2 million and 9 million dollars. The athletic scholarships that most college athletes thrive off of are also not as rewarding as you might think. Athletic scholarships can easily be taken away if the athlete is injured and is no longer an asset to the team, which is risked every single day they play a game or practice. Athletic scholarships are also only for tuition, room and board, and books, while academic scholarships can cover other expenses such as transportation.Now you might be wondering: Well why wouldn’t college athletes get paid, there’s plenty of money to go around, and they certainly deserve it. But, my own view is that if you think about it, people don’t get paid unless they work. A college coach is working, that is his career, these college athletes are playing sports by choice and they know all the possible consequences that could happen. There are hundreds of Division I schools in the country and thousands of Division I athletes. If you paid all of these athletes, then all of the money being brought in could not be given to the coaches, could not buy the players their nice apparel, could not keep their fields and stadiums as nice as most of them are, and so many other things would not be possible. If many sports enthusiasts stopped to think about it, they would simply assume that the most successful athletes deserve to be given a salary, and that there is enough money to go around. But according to the statistics, it wouldn’t be fair to the coaches and staff in the end who have these jobs as a living and also, the athletes would not have many of the nice things that they do have if they were being consistently paid.
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In Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s article,”College Athletes of the World, Unite”, he brings up many valid points about the unfair position college athletes are put into. He sheds a light on what college athletes have to go through just to barely make it by, if they make it at all, and most people don’t realize just how bad they have it. At first glance, people might say that they’re having fun and enjoying the fact that they’re able to play a sport they love in the first place. But on closer inspection, it’s not all fun and games, it’s the difficult long hours, and huge amounts of tiring work. College athletes put a lot of hard work into the sport they play and they don’t get paid for it. Professional athletes get paid for what they do, and they don’t have to worry about paying for college. College athletes don’t even have the privilege to make money on the sides, but the students on academic scholarships are allowed to. Some might argue that it’s because academic scholarships are more important than those that are for sports, but that’s not true. Sports can be just as beneficial as academics, and the students who play sports put in just as much work as the other students. Another privilege they lack is, if they’re injured while practicing or playing, they lose their scholarship and they still have to worry about getting the medical bills paid. Overall, college athletes don’t have an easy time getting by and changes need to be made so they can finally be treated fairly.
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Abdul-Jabar makes a great argument in showing through his own experience how hard it really is to be a student athlete in the NCAA. They seem to struggle to have anything, like a proper dinner or a well working car. Between school and playing a highly competitive sport at a very high level these players are expected to also have a paying job. Students on an athletic scholarship are not allowed to make money, unlike those on an academic scholarship. So they cant sell merchandise or signatures. Although this issue may seem of concern to only a small group of college students, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about the well being of the youth in this country. By restricting the ability of the kids and making it so they can’t make money off of their talent the NCAA makes it extremely hard for them to make any kind of real money. I am highly in opposition of this, based on how much money the NCAA itself makes in a year. They use these kids to make themselves money while the kids struggle to make ends meat. Who cares if the college students use themselves to make money, it shouldn’t be the NCAA’s concern. If someone is that good at a particular sport they should be able to make some kind of money off of it. They shouldn’t be exploited by a league that doesn’t need to restrict their ability to make money.
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At first glance, teenagers might assume that the life of a college athlete is just like the life of any other academic student. But on closer inspection, life for college athletes is in fact a life full of practice, school work, debt, and injury. Athletes do not get any privileges whatsoever, unless they are one of the lucky ones, and earned an athletic scholarship. The restrictions limited to college athletes’ lives differs for the regular athletes versus the scholar athletes. But who really cares? Who besides me and a handful of recent researchers has a stake in these claims? At the very least, the athletes and people involved in college sports who formally believe in equal privileges for all athletes, should care.
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This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who have long assumed that having an athletic scholarship means you get to have a stress-free college life. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had to work just have enough money to survive; and while taking care of his body.If he gets injured, he loses his scholarship, and he also had to worry about his allowance and daily needs, excluding his studies and his long hours of practice.
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Athlete college students deserve to get paid for playing in my opinion. Recent studies like these in this article shed light on college athletics , which previous studies have not addressed. While being in college needing to do schoolwork, and on top of school and homework having practice and games there is not time to be able to make money. Also I should mention the idea that there are also games to attend, which is traveling possibly in the middle of the week ; where is the time to do homework? I believe that college students should be able to get some type of pay for playing at these types of levels. Some of these teams have private jets or buses to get from place to place traveling and playing against the best of the best college teams.
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In the article, Abdul-Jabber a very well known and NBA’s all time leading scorer, talks about his college years and how the NCAA rules today are unfair to student athletes. He mentions that in his college years most of his time was devoted to basketball. But, even though he spent all his precious hours learning and practicing ways of the game, he and his teammates never got paid. In fact college athlete no matter how good will get paid. This cause him to be broke during his college years. It is already hard enough for college students to go through college with sufficient amount of funds, but when they are also spending more time with the sport instead of studying or having a job, it makes life even harder. Recent observations like these shed new light on how student athletes should be treated. Sports teams generate a lot of money and publicity for the college but in return the athletes get the bitter end of the deal. I feel that it is unfair that athletes get in the NCAA get treated like this and it is also a big risk for them. Athletes shouldn’t go through more stress in college just so they can play a sport but instead they should get more financial help and time for academics. The changes that are mentioned in the article will help in a brighter future for the NCAA and student athletes everywhere.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar argues over questions of morality and ethics that have been brought to light by the NCAA’s treatment of college athletes. He recounts his college experience when he himself was a collegiate athlete and explains the hardships and injustices that he faced. He describes times of poverty, of overworking, and of great health risk. He worries that the experience may have damaged – and may still be damaging – his education and that of the modern day student athlete. He also details the inconsistencies between athletic and academic scholarships. All of these points seem to challenge the stereotypical idea of being an athlete in college. This idea is one that Kareem addresses when he says, “Life for student-athletes is no longer the quaint Americana fantasy of the homecoming bonfire and a celebration at the malt shop. It’s big business in which everyone is making money … except the … kids who every game risk permanent career-ending injuries.” He is trying to address the now-fantasied concept of the average athlete. The players are not the well-respected heroes on the court, but just pawns being manipulated by larger forces fixated on the money that could be made, and not the students’ potentials that could be realized.
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Athlete college students deserve to get paid for playing in my opinion. Recent studies like these in this article shed light on college athletics , which previous studies have not addressed. While being in college needing to do schoolwork, and on top of school and homework having practice and games there is not time to be able to make money. Also I should mention the idea that there are also games to attend, which is traveling possibly in the middle of the week; where is the time to do homework? I believe that college students should be able to get some type of pay for playing at these types of levels. Some of these teams have private jets or busses to get from place to place traveling and playing against the best of the best college teams.These jets and buses are to help get these busy college athletes from place to place near or far in a timely manner. In sum, I believe that these hard working athletes should be given the benefit of the doubt and given some type of payment for playing on a college team.
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People assume that with a athletic scholarship, you are at a greater advantage compared to an academic one. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives us the knowledge that an athletic scholarship is in no comparison to an academic scholarship a number of students receive. Students attending the college/ university on an athletic scholarship are at a disadvantage from the start. Although an athletic scholarship will pay for your education, it will not pay for your basic necessities, like an academic scholarship would. On a closer inspection, the author acknowledges that if injured or incapable of playing, the student loses the scholarship, but gains the debt that has to be paid off in order to continue attending said school. While still attending on an athletic scholarship, the student is not allowed to make money on the side unlike an academic scholarship. Fundamentally, the financial status of a student is a pressing matter during and after college. Especially for a student with an athletic scholarship. It isn’t a guaranteed scholarship that you’ll have throughout college. Some would say that kids attending with an academic and or athletic scholarship leave college with just as much debt as a student without a scholarship.
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At first glance that seems alright that the NCAA doesn’t pay college athletes, but when you indulge further into the problem: college athletes should be paid, with the amount of time they spend working towards their sports. Now why aren’t they being paid? The students make the NCAA ridiculous amounts of money at games, they bring people out into the stadiums, people who bought tickets that aren’t cheap. The NCAA refuses to pay their athletes merely because they are students. The NCAA gains while the students luck out. The students are losing time that they could be using to study for tests, homework or jobs that actually pay them and allow them to slowly pay off tuition. The NCAA should be paying the athletes but aren’t and most likely won’t in the near future.
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In his article, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fights for what maybe most college athletes seek for. He fights for how the NCAA should change their mind about not letting the college students make extra money on the side. Ultimately, what is at stake here is that college athletes are scraping by in college debt. But why? And if you’re not in that position (yet), who cares? Well, you should care. Take some notes. If you’re going into a college, wanting to play a sport, how are you going to make some extra money on the side? You can’t do that, thanks to the rules of the NCAA, as Kareem says. At first glance, teenagers might say “I won’t have to worry about that. My parents got my back!”. But on closer inspection, those teenagers will realize soon enough that they can’t depend on anyone but themselves to pay those debts of college without making extra cash which will be hard. Still thinking who cares? Or are you worried? Take it to the NCAA as Kareem would’ve told you, or start saving up kid!
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In Abdul- Jabbar’s article regarding the NCAA rules, he explains his past struggles of being a college athlete. At first glance, teenagers might say that earning an athletic scholarship is very beneficial when attending college. This is true, but on closer inspection, there are many setbacks the come with earning an athletic scholarship. In the article “College athletes of the world, unite”, Jabbar explains how athletes have to work just as hard as students with academic scholarships. With this being said, they deserve to get paid along with students who receive academic scholarships. It is unfair to college athletes to have to deal with the extra expenses when they work the same amount as their fellow peers that receive academic scholarships.
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In the article “Athletes, unite; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on NCAA rules”, Kareem discussed the injustice that collegiate athletes have faced for years. He emphasizes his point that these athletes are being taken advantage of, first by describing the difficulties they come across when balancing their sport, their finances, and their education- all while receiving barely any of the benefits that academic scholars are, for example money for school supplies, transportation and entertainment. At first glance, graduates might say “so what? College is an arduous time for everyone.” But on closer inspection we find that these students talents are being used almost purely to make a profit, like most other employees- except for the fact that if they have a career ending injury (which they risk every time they play) on the court there is zero compensation; they lose their scholarship; and they are on their own. To represent the student’s vulnerability, he refers to other injustices in the world, for example those that are done on to children: child labor. When the audience reads this, and the images of children working long hours under dangerous conditions, being abused, and not even being paid enough to feed themselves everyday it causes the reader to feel sympathetic towards the athletes. I feel that this metaphor strengthens his argument by stressing the struggles that these NCAA players are facing to get through college on a scholarship that is not sufficient to support them and rules that deprive them the opportunity to generate income on an activity that they already spend hours on daily.
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Although I agree with Hannah Butler, I cannot accept her view that student athletes should not be paid by the college they play for. Colleges and universities are the sole beneficiary of the performances of student athletes, that is, they are the ones directly profiting from the students. Yes, they are receiving professional training at the hands of the institution they play for, but this training is only to improve that players skills which are directly linked to profits made by the school that player plays for. To say that this professional training has a monetary value would be correct, but that monetary value is more for the institution than it is for the player who is putting his/her body on the line.
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar argues that, during his time while playing at UCLA he was hardly able to make it by. Whether he was trying to find clothes, or trying to get the food that he needed, he wasnt able to make any sort of money through basketball.(Which was his main priority at the time.) Must I remind you that this was in 1966 when Kareem started his college career at UCLA. No college players are paid due to NCAA rules and regulations, and that was the case in 1966 and it is still the case now. On one hand I agree that college basketball players need to be payed because of the obvious reasons of the well being of the players. Kareem states in the article that, ‘I was always too broke to do much but study, practice, and play.” (Jabbar) This concerns the well being of the individual in the sense that they have no life outside of their college. Everyone, no matter what situation they are in should be able to have somewhat of a social life. On the other hand, I still think that college players should not be payed for different reasons. For example, when you think of college players you think of students, just like you or the class you once were apart of, hence the name Student-Atheletes. Once money comes into play, those students are no longer considered student-athletes, they are able to make a living for themselves. What does the team, or the education they’re receiving matter anymore to them if they are already financially backed?
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After reading this article, my opinion on how college athletes are treated has changed. He recognizes the value that college athletes create for their programs, but thinks they are being fairly compensated in the process with a college education. I agree with the stance that Hannah Butler takes on the issue, as she thinks that these athletes deserve more than just their education being paid for. I think that these athletes deserve way more than an education for the revenue they bring to these institutions. They create millions of dollars in revenue, yet there still not allowed to have any special privileges, or even sign autographs. They should have the ability to use their relevance to support themselves, similar to professional athletes. There events are more popular than professional ones in some cases, and they don’t make millions of dollars per year. The culture of college sports athletes being underserved needs to change.
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Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to college athletes making nothing, while those higher up on the pyramid are pocketing millions. I fully agree with O.Breck when he/she said, “students on athletic scholarships are not allowed to make money outside of their non-paying contracts, while those on academic scholarships are allowed to do so”. This shows that college athletes are not given the same opportunities as regular college students, just because they are held to a higher standard. The NCAA does not want to allow anyone to make money off of something that the NCAA is not making money off. By allowing college players to work jobs, the players would make additional money that the NCAA would not also be making. The NCAA does not even fully protect their players, if a player is seriously injured, a majority of the time that player is on his or her own. In his writing, Abdul-Jabbar claims, “the policy doesn’t apply unless the medical expenses exceed $90,000 — which most claims don’t.” This means that if a player has a major injury that costs less than $90,000, then that player is on his or her own, with no financial benefits from the NCAA. Like O.Breck said, “not paying college athletes is wrong and that policies must change.” The NCAA essentially uses its athletes as puppets, using them for the “show” without giving them any sort of reward or attention. The NCAA does not truly care about its players, and like Abdul-Jabbar said, “We were only as valuable as our ability to tote that ball and lift that score.”
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In response to Ethan Dewaal, I agree that there should be some sort of compromise, but I do not believe that the terms you lay out are completely plausible. In order for the NCAA to pay the “full-cost” of attending college they would have to not only pay tuition and college fees, but give the athletes money for day to day expenses. If the NCAA were giving student athletes money for day to day lives and that money was going towards alcohol or going to bars, it would be a complete misuse of NCAA money and would tie the NCAA to its athletes doing illegal activities. However, Ethan and Abdul-Jabar make valid points about the benefits of health coverage for athletes. These athletes put their body on the line in every game they play, and if something were to happen to them they would not only lose their scholarship, but also have health bills to pay on top of that, according to Abdul-Jabar. If these college students are putting their bodies on the line for the benefit of others, they might as well receive some compensation, but not necessarily by receiving money for them to use however they choose. After all, they are getting a reduced-price college education.
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