College athletics have established themselves alongside professional sports as a staple of American society. The NCAA lists one of its core values as a commitment to “the pursuit of excellence in both academics and athletics.” Despite NCAA’s intentions to provide a strong environment to help student-athletes learn and develop, many issues are still brought to light, such as compensation, academics, and career paths after college. With all the various rules and regulations that college athletes are subject to, the role of the typical student-athlete at a university has become uncertain and muddy. These athletes bring in exorbitant amounts of money for the university, yet they are not allowed to be paid. With growing media presence, schools are able to make more money than ever off of …show more content…
Controversies surrounding student athletes and their inherent economic value reach back far into history. In 1984, for instance, a Supreme Court ruling banned the NCAA from restricting the televising of football games to ensure live attendance, opening the floodgates for the TV and mass-media market to profit off the players. Another incident occurred in 2014, when the NCAA was told by the courts that they could no longer ban players from compensation for uses of their likeness, real or virtual. Furthermore in 2014, football players at Northwestern University attempted to form a player’s union in similar fashion to other classes of employee, only to have their bid denied. In 2015, an agreement between Power 5 conferences gave them the power to award athletes monthly stipends, ambiguous cash injections to supposedly cover intangible expenses like textbooks and food. Each of these landmark events have smudged the lines between student, athlete, and employee beyond recognition, forcing the college athlete of today’s world into an uncomfortable gray area. How does one go about clarifying the ambiguous status of our lauded