Collegiate Athletics and Professionalism
This is an excerpt from the paper...
One of the most controversial questions surrounding collegiate athletics is the degree of professionalism that college sports should be accorded. This is most clearly represented in the debate on whether college athletes should be paid, if so, the amount of salaries, and the degree to which the student athlete is a professional wage earner or a student. Although the actual question of whether college athletes should be paid seems basic, there are a multitude of other issues involved. For instance, with the present system the athletes are not paid a salary, but often receive large amounts of financial assistance from the host university. As well, these athletes are often part of large recruiting packages that may well include living allowances, transportation stipends, funds for tutors and travel, as well as other "under the table" perks such as automobiles, clothing, and vacations. The evolution of the student athlete in American college sports has been one of trial and error, finally emerging in the 1970s and 1980s as the "business of intercollegiate athletics." These athletic activities, some say, provide public entertainment, increase alumni funding of the host institution, give widespread media attention to various schools, and prepare student athletes for careers in the world of professional sports (Sojka 17). However, with the business of intercollegiate athletics comes many questions and problems most of which deal in the sociological realm of ethics in acti
. . .
at to pay college athletes would destroy the role that sports plays within the university, and cause grave social problems for athletes who desire to pursue a professional career in sports. For example, John Davis, former president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, vehemently disagrees with those who support the salaried payment of college athletes. He believes that the college athlete is a part of the university community not a separate entity. Since athletic teams typically represent only a small percentage of the entire student body, Davis believes that the revenues and attention generated should benefit the entire campus, not simply the few. "I agree that college sports is entertainment to generate revenues, but there is a big difference between operating an educational institution and a professional sports franchise" ("Should" 56).
Ostensibly, college athletes are also attending an
academic institution to prepare themselves for a career. Some, of course, want to pursue the role of a professional athlete, but many want other careers. Even those who want to play sports professionally realize that they must have job skills.
Studies have also shown that financial assistance to student athletes repres
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Athletic Association, Professor Sage, , Council Education, Kazmaier B2, Angeles Dodgers, A27 Instead, John Williams, Tulane Ivey, Chronicle Education, college athletes, athletes paid, college sports, student athletes, college athletics, college athletes paid, chronicle education, financial assistance, student athlete, intercollegiate athletics, collegiate athletic association, university education, student athletes paid, business intercollegiate athletics, national collegiate athletic,
Approximate Word count = 1816
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Collegiate Athletics and Professionalism
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
