Recommendation Report

Memorandum
To:
Mark Emmert, President of NCAA
From:
Nicholas Jones, College Athlete at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Date:
October 29, 2015
Subject:
Recommendation Report Regarding Paying College Athletes
Following your acceptance response to my research proposal on October 26, I continued my

research on why college athletes, such as myself, should have some sort of extra compensation
Based on my experience in college, without a significant amount of financial help from my
family, I would not have any free money to spend. My daily schedule consists of eating,
sleeping, practicing and school, so the only chance for athletes such as myself to make extra
money is in the offseason, in which we are also supposed to continue practicing our sport. This is
why the NCAA needs to help student athletes, so these athletes can focus on academics and
athletics instead of their financial situation.
Athletes Struggling Financially
Many athletes, including myself struggle throughout the year financially. About 30 to 40 hours
every week goes to my sport, and the rest I need to spend studying. Like many of my peers, in
the offseason I have to take a part time job in order to have some cash for anything not provided
by the university, such as clothes or gas. My first year of college I spent all of my savings with
no income, so my parents needed to start paying me.
It is not just normal college athletes that struggle; many
superstar athletes will struggle to receive the food they
need. Shabazz Napier, star point guard and national
champion from University of Connecticut stated,
Sometimes, theres hungry nights where Im not able
to eat, but I still gotta play up to my capabilities.i This
is coming from a man who played in a game in which
79,000 people payed an average of $500 to watch,
which amounts to around $40 million in ticket sales.
People are paying this money to see stars, such as
Original image, cartoon from purdueexponent.org
Shabazz, and he still cannot afford to eat some nights.
Given that the players generate so much money for the
NCAA, the NCAA needs to make sure all the athletes basic needs are met.
Trouble with the NCAA and law
Over the past few years, many star college athletes and schools have been found disobeying the
law or NCAA regulations because of financial troubles. Of course, some of the blame is on the
athletes, but if they were not struggling financially these things would happen a lot less. For
example in 2011, star quarterback Terrell Pryor and other players on Ohio States football team
were found taking cash from a local tattoo parlor. Although people offer these superstar athletes
gifts for the enjoyment they bring, the NCAA decided to suspend these athletes. Furthermore,
Pryor was investigated for taking money from autograph signings.
It is acts such as these which could send an athletes future on a downward spiral because of the
NCAAs amateurism rules. People will view these athletes as having no morals, yet taking away
an education and the sport these athletes love for something they earned is not morally correct.
Some of these athletes come from noting and it is necessary to compensate them for their work
OBannon vs. NCAA
In this case, which ended on August 8, 2014, Ed OBannon, former college basketball star at
UCLA, challenged the NCAAs use of student athletes for commercial purposes. He argued
NCAA Division 1 mens football and basketball players should be entitled to compensation, yet
the NCAA refuted stating this is a violation of the concept of amateurism in sports.
In the end the court agreed that certain amateurism rules in the NCAA violate federal antitrust
law, yet said schools only need to cover cost of attendance for their students. The judges did not
fully agree with OBannon stating that giving NCAA athletes benefits would turn the NCAA into
a minor league statusii.
NCAAs Use of Amateurism
Since the 1950s the NCAA has used the term student-athlete, a term that former NCAA
president Walter Byers enforced to avoid the dreaded notation that NCAA athletes could be
identified as employees by state industrial commissions and the courts.iii Yet college athletes are
employees of the NCAA spending hours practicing each day. Even if athletes are on a
scholarship, it can be taken away for poor play.
Using amateurism, no one is allowed to pay a college athlete for their athletic performance.
Former Division one college athlete at Point Loma Nazarene University, Hayden Lescault stated
I see hundreds of fans come out to support me and my team, which makes thousands of dollars
for my school, why cant I see some of the reward too? He continued, commenting, If the
NCAA paid based off of income like professional teams, some of these athletes would be making
well over $100,000.
Pay of Coaches and NCAA

Executives
Although the players of the sport
will never see a cent of the
money they generate outside of a
scholarship, coaches see
thousands, and for some
millions. Average salaries for
college football coaches of
major schools have risen by over
Original image, data courtesy of http://mulberrytrim.com/
70% since 2006 to $1.64
million. Furthermore, NCAA basketball coaches who have made the NCAA tournament average
around $2.25 million. This is more than some professional athletes make; Head coach of the
LSU football team, Les Miles earns $4.3 million every yeariv.
Given that these coaches see so much payoff how is it fair for these athletes who are nearly
professional to never see any money. Additionally, without the players the coaches and NCAA
would generate no money whatsoever. According to the NCAAs 2011 tax return, president
Mark Emmert made $1.7 million in 2011.
Income of the NCAA

Throughout the year, the NCAA makes money from things such as jersey sales, video games and
mostly through television deals.
Pac 12 Signed an 12-year, $3 billion contract with ESPN and FOX in 2011v
One season of home games for Texas A&M generates $86 million in business for Brazos
County, where the university is locatedvi
From 2011-12 Texas football made $77.9 million and Michigan made $61.6 million in
profitvii
CBS/Turner sports paid $10.8 billion for the rights to March Madness(a three week event
every year) between 2011 and 2024viii
ESPN paid the NCAA $5.64 billion between 2014 and 2025 for the rights to NCAA
college playoffs or 3 football games every yearix
The NCAA will make around $16.4 billion for three

football games and 68 basketball games, and this is
only the television deals. The universities and
NCAA also make money from selling tickets as well
as apparel, and video games
Possible Payment Method
The players generate a lot of money for the NCAA,
it is time for the players to be rewarded. Some sports
generate more than others, yet every collegiate
Image courtesy of CNBC.com
athlete should have their basic needs met by the
NCAA. As for payment, the ones who generate the
most money should also earn some extra cash. This means college football and basketball
players will be paid. Maybe the NCAA could take 10% of the money they make and give it back
to those who make their cash. On top of this athletes should be compensated if they have an
autograph session as well as jersey sales. With these terms, athletes and the NCAA will win and
should both be happy.
CC: Jeffery Armstrong, President of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Sherman, Rodger. "Shabazz Napier: 'There's Hungry Nights Where I'm Not Able to Eat'" SBNation.com. N.p., 07
Apr. 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
ii
Mccann, Michael. "What Appeals Court Ruling Means for O'Bannon, NCAA." SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 9 Sept.
2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
iii
Byers, Walter. "Unsportsmanlike Conduct." The University of Michigan Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
iv
Gregory, Sean. "It's Time to Pay College Athletes." Time. Time, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
v
vi
vii
viii
Wilbon, Micheal. "College Athletes Deserve to Be Paid." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 18 July 2011. Web. 05
Nov. 2015.
ix
Wilbon, Micheal. "College Athletes Deserve to Be Paid." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 18 July 2011. Web. 05
Nov. 2015.

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Memorandum

Mark Emmert, President of NCAA

Nicholas Jones, College Athlete at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

October 29, 2015

Recommendation Report Regarding Paying College Athletes

Following your acceptance response to my research proposal on October 26, I continued my

Pay of Coaches and NCAA

Income of the NCAA

The NCAA will make around $16.4 billion for three

CC: Jeffery Armstrong, President of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

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