In recent news, there has been a lot of discussion around paying the players in the U.S.’s most recognized university sports league, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCA). The association, though it has raked in billions in total revenue, has long maintained that amateurs in sports should not be paid; that is for the professionals. Yet, here we are, in a new era where the so-called amatuer league is making untold fortunes off of players who are compensated with scholarships and the privilege to become associated with these universities.
Stephen A. Smith and Tim Tebow can duel on ESPN about the issue until the cows come home. I don’t think much is going to change when it comes to the public perception that things need to change very soon. The days of exploitation within major sports infrastructures are numbered, or at least threatened by many who are realizing that this isn’t right. No one is arguing that these players need professional-level contracts. No compensation at all though? For the young men and women who are solely responsible for the television ratings? Yikes.
