Should College Athletes Be Paid Analysis

Summary/Response Essay
March 21, 2015
Should College Athletes Be Paid? The article, titled “Should college athletes be paid?” was written by Allen Sack and published on March 7, 2008 in the Christian Science Monitor. Allen Sack is a professor at University of New Haven. He attended college at University of Notre Dame, where he was on the 1966 National Championship football team. He has a published book, many journal articles and has given multiple presentations on the management of sport industries. Allen Sack’s main points when he wrote this article was either give college athletes all the benefits of pro athletes, or place them on an amateur status. His article focuses on how the organization, NCAA, has changed throughout the years as a
He also believes the current system of renewable one-year scholarships has strayed far away from the NCAA 's original mission. Sack uses his personal experience as a football player at University of Notre Dame to show how the structural history of the NCAA has changed. Sack states that in 1957, the NCAA adjusted its’ mission to allow athletic scholarships, and he believes that this was the turning point for college’s to start treating their athletes as professionals. “At first, NCAA rules allowed these scholarships to be awarded for four years…… Unfortunately, since I graduated, scholarships have taken on the trappings of an employment contract.” (Sack, 1) Sack writes. He swayed from his original opinion by explaining that currently only a very small number of athletes are the main cause of colleges’ athletic programs to be able to continue to create revenue, which is why athletes aren’t paid. At the end of the article, Sack writes, “At the very least, however, the athletes who put fans in the seats and in front of TV sets deserve a genuine opportunity to receive the education they were promised and a stipend to cover the full cost of their education.” (Sack,
However, his specific support ended in the early 1970’s, over 30 years ago. Therefore he does not give up to date incidents that support his opinions. The quality of his writing was strong, giving his argument a good foundation because he presented several different issues with the current system and gave supporting examples. One issue he presented was scholarships. When he attended college, he was awarded a no strings attached four-year scholarship, and “was assured when I was recruited – regardless of my performance on the athletic field.” (Sack, 3) Unfortunately, since then things have changed. Scholarships for college athletes are no longer offered for the full four-years. “Today, scholarships are awarded on a year-to-year basis. Athletes who have been injured or who turn out to be recruiting mistakes can be fired.” (Sack,