1. NCAA in the 21st Century:
Eliminating Amateurism and Compensating Student-Athletes
By:
Bryce Clack, Bryson Craft, Jade Parker-Warner, Jawanza Robinson, and Cody Taduran
2. Thesis Statement
The current rules prohibiting student-athletes from earning
income from their labor and image is unethical and should
be changed by those in the Power Five conferences with
the autonomy to do so. The Power Five conferences,
should create a system that allows more flexibility to
remove the amateur regulations imposed on student-
athletes by the NCAA, and treat them more like young
professionals, by allowing them to earn income or
compensate those of the major revenue generating sports.
3. The Power Five Conferences
The Best of the Best
● Atlantic Coast Conference
● Southeastern Conference
● The Big 10
● The Big 12
● The Pacific 12
NCAA Autonomy
4. About:
The National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) is the nonprofit
governing body for roughly 460,000
student-athletes participating in
intercollegiate athletics.
The Rules:
❖ Contracts with professional teams
❖ Salary for participating in athletics
❖ Prize money above actual and necessary expenses
❖ Play with professionals
❖ Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team
❖ Benefits from an agent or prospective agent
5. Most expensive Television Network contracts in College Sports
in United States in 2013 (in billion U.S. dollars)
6. Ticket sales revenue from NCAA college basketball tournament
from 2000 to 2013 (in million U.S. dollars)
7. Coaches Salaries:
★ Urban Meyer’s basic annual salary is $4.5 million
★ Alabama’s Nick Saban, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Texas’
Charlie Strong and Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin all make at
least $5 million annually.
8. Recruiting numbers
-SEC schools from 2008-2013
-$580,000 average
-University of Tennessee
-$1,300,000
-University of Utah
-117% increase in 2012
9. Ed O’Bannon vs. NCAA
-O’Bannon v. NCAA
-Decided in 2014
-Plaintiffs totaled 20 former
players along with O’Bannon
-Lawsuit challenged the NCAA’s use
of student-athletes image and
likenesses
-District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled
in favor of O’Bannon
-NCAA in violation of antitrust
laws
10. Ethical Dilemma
-The ethical dilemma in
this matter surrounds
the fact that the NCAA
and its member
schools are free to
profit in as many ways,
and as much as they
can, off of these
student-athletes -
Meanwhile, student-
athletes are strictly
limited in how, and how
much, they can profit
off of their skill and
likeness
11. The Stakeholders
Student-Athletes -Academic exploitation -Financial exploitation -Restriction
NCAA
-Amateurism
-Rules
Colleges and Universities
-Cost per athlete
-Keeping up with the Joneses
14. ● Universities exploit student-athletes talents through the revenue they generate from
broadcast rights, merchandise sales, and video game sales
● Student-athletes do not see a penny from these revenues
● Develop a fair and equitable way to compensate all student-athletes
○ Not only the athletes from revenue generating sports
Compensation System
15. ● Will cover all student-athletes in the Power 5 conferences
● 50% of broadcast revenues - split among all student-athletes
● one-third of video game revenues - split among all student-athletes
● Merchandise - 50% of the revenues from the sales go to that student-athlete
○ Include that players name and number on product
● Money will be placed in a trust - gain access upon graduating or leaving
Revenue Sharing System
16. ● Student-athletes will be able to profit off of their name and celebrity status
● Some will profit more than others
● Balances out the difference between high profile athletes and others
Name and Celebrity Status
17. Q&A
● Do you believe amateurism is necessary in college sports? (Why or Why not?)
○ What ethical risks are associated with eliminating this term from college
sports?
● Do you believe student-athletes’ compensation is equal to their contributions?
● In college athletics, do you believe there are equal opportunities for the NCAA,
institutions, coaches, and student-athletes to benefit?
● Do you think it is unethical that student-athletes do not have a union to
represent and protect their rights and interests in legal matters?
○ Do you think they should have one?
*Note: In order to have a union, student-athletes would have to be regarded as
employees of their institutions