Student Athletes Should Be Paid

Words: 1239
Pages: 5

I. INTRODUCTION
The right to associate is a fundamental liberty codified in the United States Bill of Rights. The right to unionize is a right guaranteed under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and the right to be paid for one’s work is an internationally recognized principle of labor and worker’s rights. This analytical research paper will explore the issue of student athlete rights as it relates to one of the most lucrative sports industries—college football. This legal paper will compare and contrast the duties, privileges, and requirements of student athletes to professional athletes. As well as evaluate the labor options made available to professional athletes that are deprived of college athletes.
In assessing the similarities and differences between the two industries, the paper will examine the key legal issue of whether a student athlete is a worker within the context of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. In evaluative the employee status, this paper will address challenges related to private versus public college institutions and the jurisdiction of the NLRA as it relates to the status of the university. Lastly, this paper will explore the
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When the NLRB refused to address the students’ classification, it avoided the “elephant in the room” which dawns the cloak “amateurism.” The NCAA states, “amateur competition is a bedrock principle of college athletics and the NCAA. Maintaining amateurism is crucial to preserving an academic environment in which acquiring a quality education is the first priority.” The NCAA goes on to state that its amateurism rules guarantee the students’ priority remains in the classroom and is focused on maximizing the quality education opportunity and equitable grounds for competing. Prior to the NCAA’s certification process, which began in 2007 , each institution made its own determination about