Tuesday October 16, 2018
Serving the Rio Hondo Community
Volume 57 Issue 6
13 Billion Dollar Industry Zero Dollar Pay Check The R ealit y of B e i ng a St u d e nt Ath l e te
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RAMON ALVARADO Student athletes bring in $13 billion annually for the NCAA but receive nothing in return. Student athletes living below the poverty line are fed up now.
There is an imbalance in collegiate sports. Editor-in-Chief sabrina.torres2387@my.riohomndo.edu College sports is drowning in money. It is a 13 billion Unpaid college dollar industry. Making athletes generate billions more money than the NFL. of dollars for their instiTelevision rights have been tutions every year. The given for college football NCAA has proven to be games for $7.2 billion. an exploitative world of high-revenue college sports. Alabama coach, Nick Saban The NCAA’s glaring lack of has taken an $11 million dollar raise. acknowledging athletes as individuals who are directly “It’s a business for everyprofitable for schools, often body else except the kids” says Jay Williams a former times generating billions NBA player. of dollars for universities Under armor has a deal for however many live below sports apparel with UCLA the poverty line. for 15 years priced at $280 College recruitmillion. Ohio state has a ers offer top high school deal with Nike for $252 athletes the path to their million dollar deal. dream of playing in the Most student athletes live NFL or the NBA. Athletes risk permanent injury while below the poverty line even though their college is playing for their college. Even college graduates still making millions of dollars. The NCAA does not allow work towards playing proplayers to work unless it be fessional sports. SABRINA TORRES
in the summer. Still they must be granted permission by their schools and the NCAA. March madness generates over $1 billion in TV advertising. NCAA president Mark Emmert explains, “they are not employees, they are student athletes.” meaning they make no revenue from the hard work and sacrifice they put into the sport. In 2016-2017 academic year, 91,775 men played NCAA college football and basketball. Only 303 were drafted by the NFL or NBA in 2017. College recruiters convince players by telling them that by playing for them they will achieve their goal of playing professionally. If a college athlete chooses to transfer from a division 1 school to another, they are
ineligible to play for one year after transfering. A then homeless and now former running back, Silas Nacita at Baylor university was removed from the team because he was offered a place to stay by a family friend. Baylor’s athletic department revenue was $106 million for the 2014-2015 season according to the US department of education. The head football coach was paid $5.9 million according to USA today. As for sponsorships by brands expect for the players to wear their products without pay. Dirty recruiting tactics involve looking at even the best 12 year old players is because they are scouts for brands. If a kid is the top player in the country, it is likely that they have a greater social media following to match. Some
even have more followers than professional athletes or celebrities. That kid being in their product is almost more important than having an NBA player sporting their gear. This helps brands have more visibility without having to pay a cent. Two years ago, Lebron James’ Nike business alone generated $360 million dollars globally. Jordan Brand is a billion dollar business year over year, signing one famous player adds a billion dollars to the bottom line. According to the U PENN center for the study of race and equity in education, Black men make up nearly 56% of NCAA football players, 66% of NCAA men’s basketball players, and 3% of undergraduate students.