Literature Review #1

38 S. Tex. L. Rev. 1081 (1997)
Pay for Play for College Athletes: Now, More than Ever; Goplerud, C. Peter, III

Peter Goplerud explores a very controversial topic in regards to paying college athletes. The argument has been very heated over the past years. Many people believe that as student athletes, college players should not recieve any compensation and just be happy with their scholorships and degree. However, student athletes generate millions of dollars for their university and it's often hard to believe that they recieve none of it. Peter Goplerud offers a different perspective from most offering reasons why college athletes should be paid.

The author, Peter Goplerud, has extensive knowledge on sports and the law. He's currently the Dean of Law at Florida Coastal School of Law along with a professor. Previously he served as a the Dean of several other law schools like Drake and Oklahoma. Since 1997 he's been a member of the Sports Lawyers Association Board of Directors.

NCAA- voluntary, private association composed of over 800 colleges and universities

Extra Benefit- any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletic interest to provide a student athlete or the student athlete's relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
"Imagine a large group of employees in a company working long
hours, some of them far from home, going to school full-time, and
helping bring in millions of dollars to their employer. Does this sound
like a sweat shop making Reeboks or Kathy Lee Gifford clothing?" (p. 1081)

"The athletes are used, abused, and then thrown out, while the schools
make millions on television money, gate receipts, and sales of licensed
products, many directly tied to particular players" (p.1082)

"The NCAA has long been 'concerned that athletes are tempted to
accept gifts from boosters and sports agents because of financial hard-
ships created by the above restrictions." (p.1085)

This material highlights why it's unfair for student athlete's to not receive any compensation. Although there are many other factors as to why college athletes don't get paid, this piece of reading certainly exemplifies the reasons why they should. My topic is going to involve the mistreatment of college athletes and how they generate millions of dollars yet recieve none of it essentially.

Research Blog #3

I've officially decided to write about the controversy surrounding college athletes and compensation. I want to explore the arguments on both sides of whether college athletes should be paid while also touching up on several other issues. Privatization ultimately affects this issue first hand through the increased tuition. “The price of public higher education has been growing at twice the rate of the economy, twice as fast as health insurance, and three to four times more quickly than consumer prices in general” (Meister). Money is the motive behind this whole argument. As the universities are raising the tuition, schools are ultimately generating more money and expanding. Athletes at these universities come from all different kind of backgrounds. Some can afford the education through scholarship or their family's money, but others are less fortunate. The need for money among college athletes can sometimes be dire. Some players come from little to nothing and are relying on a professional career to supply compensation. Other's aren't good enough to make it on the professional level and must rely on their degree to land them a job. Either way, the privatization of universities has caused more money to be generated. The question remains on why some of that extra money cannot be put towards increased scholarships or even personal payments to the players.

Research Blog #2

Since blog #1, my paper idea has changed a bit. I think I'm going to write about something other than sports. Most likely, I want to explore the decision making behind college students and career paths. Everyone these days are always asked "what do you want to be when you're older?" Some people have the answer, but I dont anyone should really have that answer until they've been exposed to all different types of careers.

Research Blog #1

I'm still undecided about my topic but I'm leaning towards something involving sports. I definitely love the industry of sports and may try to write about the student athlete title and rules regarding no compensation among other things. However I'm still keeping my options open to something else