Literature Review #2

Taylor Branch

Citation:

Branch, Taylor. "The Shame of College Sports." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 07 Sept. 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.

    

Summary:

The article details  the many ways through which the NCAA uses the "student-athlete" label to protect itself, deny payment to athletes and, above all else, make lots of money. The article shows how they NCAA treats athletes differently, such as Cam Newton being reinstated to Auburn even though he had broken payment rules. It also shows how the NCAA denies players with injuries workers compensation saying they are not paid and therefore are not eligible. The article shows how the NCAA does what ever is best to make money at the expense of the "student-athletes" that it claims to protect.

About the author:

Branch is a well known historian and writer who has written many books about presidents and historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. He is an investigative writer who has written about civil rights and can provide insight into the argument and help decide the fairness of the way the NCAA treats student-athletes.

Key Terms:

NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma: A decision that stripped the NCAA of its control over televised games and the revenue they generate, giving the power to the individual schools. This stopped revenue sharing as well.

NCAA v. Tarkanian:  A decision which exempted the NCAA from any due-process obligations because it was not a government organization.

Quotes:

"Last year, CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting paid $771 million to the NCAA for television rights to the 2011 men’s basketball tournament alone. That’s three-quarters of a billion dollars built on the backs of amateurs—on unpaid labor. The whole edifice depends on the players’ willingness to perform what is effectively volunteer work." Page 4

"Cognizant of its precarious financial base, the NCAA has in recent years begun to pursue new sources of revenue. Taking its cue from member schools such as Ohio State (which in 2009 bundled all its promotional rights—souvenirs, stadium ads, shoe deals—and outsourced them to the international sports marketer IMG College for a guaranteed $11 million a year), the NCAA began to exploit its vault of college sports on film. For $29.99 apiece, NCAA On Demand offers DVDs of more than 200 memorable contests in men’s ice hockey alone. Video-game technology also allows nostalgic fans to relive and even participate in classic moments of NCAA Basketball. NCAA Football, licensed by the NCAA through IMG College to Electronic Arts, one of the world’s largest video-game manufacturers, reportedly sold 2.5 million copies in 2008." Page 4

"The game, perhaps the most exciting of the season, was unbearably tense, with Auburn coming from way behind to win 28–27, all but assuring that it would go on to play for the national championship. Days later, Auburn suspended Newton after the NCAA found that a rules violation had occurred: his father was alleged to have marketed his son in a pay-for-play scheme; a day after that, the NCAA reinstated Newton’s eligibility because investigators had not found evidence that Newton or Auburn officials had known of his father’s actions. This left Newton conveniently eligible for the Southeastern Conference championship game and for the postseason BCS championship bowl. For the NCAA, prudence meant honoring public demand.

'Our championships,” NCAA President Mark Emmert has declared, “are one of the primary tools we have to enhance the student-athlete experience.'" Page 4

Value:

This article is incredibly valuable as it gives in depth descriptions of many of the scandals that have occurred in college sports and shows how the NCAA handled them. It gives many examples of the NCAA making rulings in order to keep profits or avoid paying for various expenses. It also reveals that Universities as well as the NCAA have moved to a money making approach and that the idea of calling the athletes "student-athletes" only serves to keep them unpaid and make more money. Universities, the NCAA, and various corporations have made lots of money off of unpaid labor.