Should student athletes be paid?

Since the formation of the NCAA in 1910, college athletics have become increasingly popular and prevalent in American culture. Student athletes compete at a highly competitive level, are heavily recruited, and generate large sums of money for their universities every year. In recent years, many have criticized the NCAA's policies on student athletes by advocating for student athletes to be paid as compensation for the benefits they help bring to their schools.

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Additional resources to think about

Money and March Madness
This video from FRONLINE includes an exploration of the money the NCAA, the coaches, and universities make through March Madness.

Paying college athletes won’t solve the big problem with US college sports
A journalist writes an argument on why paying college athletes isn't worth the cost.

NCAA Reform Starts with Us
This opinion piece from NFL player Russell Okung details first hand what it's like to be a top-tier college athlete and what it would mean if student-athletes were paid.

NCAA Sports Bring in $1 Billion a Year - Why Aren't the Athletes Paid?
This video from Business Insider details the reasons why the NCAA doesn't pay student-athletes and what it means for "amateur sports."

An Argument For Not Allowing College Athletes to Earn Compensation
The author of a New Yorker essay talks to NPR about his opinion and why the continued professionalization of college athletes is a big issue for universities.

NCAA clears way for athletes to profit from names, images and likenesses
This ESPN article details the new NCAA decision to allow students to receive compensation from their names and likenesses and what it means for the fight for paid compensation.

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Who created this message?

What kind of “text” is it?
How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
What are the various elements (building blocks) that make up the whole?

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

What do you notice (about the way the message is constructed)?
What’s the emotional appeal?
What makes it seem “real?”
What's the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

How many other interpretations could there be?
How could we hear about them?
How can you explain the different responses?

What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

What type of person is the reader/watcher/listener invited to identify with?
What ideas or perspectives are left out?
How would you find what’s missing?
What judgments or statements are made about how we treat other people?

Why is this message being sent?

What's being sold in this message? What's being told?
Who is served by or benefits from the message
– the public?
– private interests?
– individuals?
– institutions?

5 Key Questions of Media Literacy used with permission from the Center for Media Literacy.
Copyright 2002-2021, Center for Media Literacy, www.medialit.com

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