Sophomore chemical engineering major
A problem that seems to pervade colleges throughout the country is the way NCAA student-athletes are treated.
Everything may look all right. Student-athletes receive scholarships for their education while representing their schools in the sports they love. However, the reality is depressing. Student-athletes are nothing more than a captive workforce continually filling the pockets of the NCAA.
In recent years, the NCAA has been considered a cartel by some, and rightfully so. It is nothing more than a collection of bodies with a singular interest of maximizing revenue through amateur sports. Just as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries influences the price of oil by regulating its production, the NCAA is similarly involved in a form of collusion and price fixing — illegal actions in the United States.
By paying students only in scholarships, which is equivalent to a price-fixing agreement, the NCAA is able to use its student-athletes to fuel its multibillion dollar industry. However, for many athletes, the scholarships are not even enough to cover their entire tuition.
In addition, athletes don’t always get the most out of their education that the NCAA is supposedly paying for. In between training sessions and games, it is difficult for athletes to dedicate themselves to their academic courses and explore internships and career opportunities. Considering that less than 2 percent of student-athletes make it to the pros, an education will be a vital asset after graduation.
Unfortunately, some athletes might have selected an easier major to handle the pressures of school and athletics. Others might have barely passed. As a result, some might have to start from scratch and identify a new passion outside athletics after four years of hard work.
In a way, this makes the scholarships given by the NCAA essentially useless, and student-athletes end up making an exorbitant sacrifice.
Lawsuits are quickly piling up against the NCAA to fight for student-athletes, and it’s about time. Athletes need to be compensated and rewarded for their hard work, whether through the NCAA or individual sponsors.
It was only recently that the College Athletes Players Association was established, and more needs to be done. Individual universities need to get involved and at least make sure student-athletes are graduating with an education that will provide a strong foundation for their futures. This university’s Maryland Way Guarantee is one such program that attempts to address the issue, but until we can really press the issue throughout the country, unfair treatment of student-athletes in the NCAA will remain a cancer in college sports.
Sauradeep Sinha is a sophomore chemical engineering major. He can be reached at ssinhadbk@gmail.com.
