Assignment: Persuasive Essay

March Madness' TV rights alone bring the NCAA $771 million annually

Officially, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) says, “Student-athletes are students first and athletes second. They are not university employees who are paid for their labor.” In light of the hundreds of millions of dollars generated yearly by college sports, is that a fair position? Should student athletes be paid for their services? What are the implications of maintaining the current system, and what might happen if student-athletes received financial compensation? Likewise, who are the winners and losers in the current system? And what happens if the system is changed to compensate student-athletes? Finally, what is in the best interest of student-athletes? In a concise essay, argue for or against student-athletes being financial compensated. Cite specific evidence from at least three of the articles below to support your thesis:

• “Which Football and Basketball Programs Produce the Largest Profits?” (The Business of College Sports)
• “Why the Biggest Problem with the NCAA Isn't Paying Players” (Bleacher Report) 
• “Opinion: Why College Athletes Should Not be Paid” (USA Today) 
• “The Shame of College Sports” (The Atlantic) 
• “Why Student-Athletes are Not Paid to Play” (NCAA) 
• “Should Student-Athletes Get Paid?” (The Sports Digest) 
• “NCAA to Consider Sweeping Changes in Athlete Aid and Eligibility Rules (The Chronicle of Higher Education) 
• “Should College Athletes be Paid? Why, They Already Are” (Sports Illustrated)

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a Works Cited page

The best papers will:

• Have a clear argument outlined in a concise thesis
• Stay within the parameters of the prompt, examining the debate over student-athlete pay
• Clearly support their thesis utilizing solid evidence presented in a logical structure
• Properly cite evidence from the above articles using MLA's in-text parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of the argument, as well as main points
• Be formatted according to MLA Style

Due: Mo 02.20 (Draft 1—Bring 3 copies)