1. The college athlete is now one of the hottest commodities in the world, contributing in
earning schools millions of dollars in ticket sales, merchandise sales, and media exposure, with
the players on these teams getting used and not gaining an of the profit. The average player earns
about $23,204 in scholarship money and is not permitted to earn any income on their respective
sport outside of that; not even for autographs or their own likenesses! The average starting
football player in division one college athletics is estimated to be worth approximately $137,357
per year with starting division one basketball players thought to be a staggering $289,031 a year.
With only a fraction of this worth going to the players the college athletic industry is a cash cow
and, in result, skilled college athletes to be a million dollar industry.
The NCAA (National College Athletics Association has ridden on the back of college
athletes in search of profits, with utter disregard for players needs for years. This behavior was
not something that occurred over night, but rather something that was being put in place for
around one hundred years. In 1906 the NCAA was formed with the innocent idea of being a rule
maker and enforcer in the growing idea of college sports. When the corruption took root however
was when the NCAA started to make money from new TV and advertisement deals and then
decided the players are not allowed to have this profit. The situation was worsened when the
NFL(National Football League created a rule that all NFL players must be three years removed
from high school in order to play professionally, forcing athletes to make money for the NCAA
to recognize there dream of playing pro football. The National basketball has a similar one year
rule. This would be the same as if you had to work for a company for free for a number of years
without a side job before beginning to make a wage.
How commoditized college athletes have become is shown no better in EA sports NCAA
Football. EA sports sell these games at $40 to $60 dollars a game and are estimated to have sold
almost two million copies of the 2013 version of the game. And of course the players see none of
this money. The players are finally taking a stand to get the rightful share of the money they
manufactured for the NCAA, however by former players suing for the use of their identity in
these games without their assent or profit. The fight seems to be going in the players favor
because EA has canceled the next addition to the game series and many schools are prohibiting
there universities from being part in the game. This is just the start of the battle, with the end
goal either being monetary payment for college sports or the ability to go directly to the pros
after high school.
After years of hardship, college athletes have faced trying to gain payment for their key
role in one of the most successful industries in the U.S. the plight of the college sports player is
finally being heard. After being thrust on to a national stage, having basic ownership rights taken
away (likeness, names, autographs, etc.), and all while trying to make their way through college,
college players are finally getting the backing they need from the public for a change. Many

2. people are still glued to the idea that college sports is made great by the fact that players are not
paid and used for a tool for the economics of universities, but the train to a fair system has
started; get on or be left behind.