Senior capstone presentation

ALLEVIATING ATHLETE ABUSE IN ACADEMIC SETTINGS

Ethics and Values:

Why go to college?

Opportunity of higher education

Degree

Exposure to new and different things

Chance to keep playing sports

Receive financial assistance

College Sports

Pros Way to gain education

Improved fitness

Teamwork and problem solving skill

Encourages empathy towards others

Cons Feeling extremely

entitled Ignoring academic

rigor and honesty Insatiable desire to

have the most points on the scoreboard

Young players solely used for their entertainment value

NCAA Overseeing College Sports

“No Benefits Rule” A college athlete is ineligible for NCAA competition for

accepting benefits from anyone interested in marketing the athlete’s athletic ability

Universities can also be sanctioned

Regulations presume that benefits received are based on athletic skill, and are not available to general student population

Difficulties with this?

Claim

The current state of college athlete recruitment creates perverse incentives, such as illegal payments to athletes and other disreputable practices. A revamped model for college athlete compensation could help alleviate this issue, without creating undue inequality.

Original Research

Giving questionnaires to MSU head coachesCoach Tricia Binford (Women’s Basketball)Coach Brad Huse (Men’s Basketball)Coach Rob Ash (Football)

Anonymously surveying MSU student-athletes77 Football6 Women’s Basketball

Results from Coaches

1. How do you usually recruit student-athletes to come to MSU?“We sell championship football, character-based coaching, and a commitment to academic success as well as success on the field.”

-Coach Ash

“Once a prospective student-athlete is identified, we begin the vetting process: academic readiness, athletic skill, program fit, social responsibility, interest in us, etc. The process would include continual contact as permitted within NCAA rules.”

-Coach Huse

“We follow the NCAA guidelines in our recruiting. We can send them camp brochures and a questionnaire. We can email them. We also will talk to their high school and club coaches. After the start of their senior year, we can call them, and bring them in on a paid visit.”

-Coach Binford

Coaches cont.

2. What do you think of NCAA regulations on recruitment and/or financial aid?“The recruiting rules are very highly structured right now and they can be very limiting, but I like the fact that all schools have the same rules.”

-Coach Ash

“I’m comfortable with the NCAA regulations on recruitment now that they have opened up our ability to maintain contact with recruits. With regard to financial aid, I am against paying players to play, but believe they should have a stipend for personal travel.”

-Coach Huse

“Financial aid is a challenge for low income student-athletes, especially the ones on the bubble that don’t qualify for the Pell Grant.”

-Coach Binford

Coaches cont.

3. Could it be improved? How?“I like the idea of a streamlined rule book – there are too many little, insignificant violations that are inconsequential and minimal and waste a lot of time and effort.”

-Coach Ash

“Should the NCAA decide they want to pay student-athletes, then the amount needs to be limited to Cost of Attendance figures only.”

-Coach Huse

“Recruiting needs to be limited during the summer to two weeks maximum.”

-Coach Binford

Coaches cont.

4. How do you feel about increased stipends to financial aid packages? “I personally think in general the concept is good. The players have a full scholarship, but it takes so much of their time, they cannot work a job to pay bills or put gas in their car. The problem is that some players are very well off, and they don’t need any more money.”

-Coach Ash

“I believe that incidental costs such as travel could be covered.”

-Coach Huse

“The NCAA is proposing a $2,000 stipend to all student-athletes. I don’t think universities have the budget for it. The more we separate sports, the more we hinder the prestige for all student-athletes.”

-Coach Binford

Coaches cont.

5. Changing scholarships from 4 one-year contracts to 1 four-year contract? “I don’t think it helps anyone who is dedicated and organized, because those student-athletes always get renewed anyway. The athlete needs to be motivated to work for that renewal every year.”

-Coach Ash

“This condition could prove to be a valuable recruiting tool for coaches, and I’m a proponent of this as long as there are conditions tied to the contracts.”

-Coach Huse

“I think they mean the same thing.”

-Coach Binford

Coaches cont.

6. What do you think about past major recruiting scandals? “I think that perpetual rules violators should be suspended or banned. I have zero tolerance for people who intentionally violate rules. Penalties should follow coaches, not necessarily schools. Sometimes, the successor to an unethical coach gets the brunt of the penalties (although the school is also culpable and I get that).”

-Coach Ash

“These are few and far between, but bring to light why we have rules. It is certainly sad for those programs, and negative for college athletics in general. The purpose of NCAA rules is to create fairness.”

-Coach Huse

“It saddens me. There is a lot of pressure to win at all costs if you do not have the right leadership in place.”

-Coach Binford

Results for student-athletes

1. How do you feel about the recruitment process to play at MSU?

Positive Review: 59 FB and 5 WBB

Rational Review: 11 FB and 1 WBB

Unclear Review: 7 FB and 0 WBB

Results for student-athletes

“I feel that it is effective, and a well made process.”

-MSU football player

“I believe the recruitment process is great, because they schedule a weekend where you can come and see the campus, meet the players, get some information on the team, and see if it is the right fit for you.”

-MSU women’s basketball player

“I feel that coaches work their butts off, but can also put a lot of pressure on guys coming out of high school. Not necessarily a bad thing. Just part of the process.”


Student-athletes cont.

2. What athletic or educational reasons do you have for coming to MSU?

College degree and MSU sports: 64 FB and 4 WBB

General sports opportunity: 7 FB and 1 WBB

Other opportunity: 6 FB and 1 WBB

Student-athletes cont.“I have always wanted to be a Lacy Bobcat, so when I got the opportunity, it was a no-brainer.”


“To play football, and earn a business degree.”


“A winning football program, and the opportunity to get a ring.”


“A full ride scholarship to get my education, while at the same time playing a sport I love.”



3. Does MSU listen to the concerns of its student-athletes when it makes decisions?

Yes: 48 FB and 4 WBB

Somewhat/Unsure: 19 FB and 2 WBB

No: 10 FB and 0 WBB

Student-athletes cont.“I think for the most part it does. There is room for improvement.”


“From my standpoint, I think that the student-athletes get treated well with help with the education part, since we have to take up so much time for our sport.”


“I believe MSU makes the attempt to. I say this because we are able to voice our opinions in a committee called SAAC, but I have not been here long enough to see the suggestions put into action.”


“At times. It depends on the individual taking the information. Coach Ash does an excellent job in this area.”



4. Should only male basketball and football players get significantly more incentive to be college students? If so, how?


Depends on factors: 13 FB and 0 WBB

No: 40 FB and 6 WBB

Unclear: 6 FB and 0 WBB

Student-athletes cont.“Not necessarily. I say it should depend on the amount of revenue created to the school through the sport program, no matter the gender.”


“No, absolutely not. Women work just as hard as the men, and put just as much time into their sport. If any sport deserves it, I believe basketball should based on how the season is the longest, and it is the sport that misses the most school days.”


“Yes, because of the money brought in by the games and boosters.”


“Why would they? Us women put in just as much work, and maybe more, than those males. It would totally defeat the purpose of Title IX.”


“No, if you do it for anyone, you have to do it for all.”



5. Should the interests of the general student population play into the decisions that are made for varsity sports?


Somewhat: 25 FB and 3 WBB

No: 26 FB and 1 WBB

Student-athletes cont.“I think it is important to take into account what the student populations wants, because we want and need their support, however we also need to make sure that we are doing things that are the best for our team.”


“To some extent, yes. Student-athletes are a minority, so I feel that they should have a bit more say compared to general students.”


“I believe all athletes should have a general concern of what is going on, and not just focus on athletics only.”



6. Do under-the-table incentives help or hurt student-athletes? How?

Help: 18 FB and 1 WBB

Both/Not Sure: 22 FB and 0 WBB

Hurt: 37 FB and 5 WBB

Student-athletes cont.“Big picture hurts because it becomes a highest bidder type of deal. But some poverty stricken individuals would benefit from it.”


“They help because they allow kids who are unable to pay for college themselves pay for college!”


“Hurt. It would make the athlete do it for the money, and not the team.”


“If someone finds out, especially in a small town, then that could lead to a bad reputation for the athlete and the school. It is not worth to have your scholarship taken away for that.”


Counter-claim

The only solution is to treat top-level student-athletes as employees, and let them be paid to play. This allows disadvantaged to gain significant income, and keeps universities from forcing students to stay in undercompensated situations, thereby infringing on the rights of students.

Issues with counter-claim

No viable model of such a system has been produced. Aren’t forced to go to go to college in first place. Where to draw the line of “top-level” among Divisions and different

sports? Limited to revenue producing Division 1 football and men’s

basketball? Reinforces idea of favoritism based on performance, and unequal

treatment among student population. Employee issues of worker’s compensation, taxes, gender equity,

insurance, unionization Under-the-table incentives would still look good on top of paycheck. How do student-athletes learn to be responsible with what they’re

given? How to get around Title IX, which requires athletic departments to

spend proportionally the same on men and women, or how to include the student-athletes at service academies?

Rejects desire to learn and think critically.

Conclusions and recent change

NCAA-proposed stipend to cover cost of attendance for all scholarships and for incidental costs like travel to and from home (Coach Huse)

Require same admission standards for athletes and non-athletes, and look at strengthening education before college.

Universities have option to have 1 four-year scholarship, rather than 4 one-year scholarships, which can give more security to student-athletes.

Make scholarships emphasize lower-income students. (Coach Ash) Make Pell Grants more available to student-athletes. (Coach Binford) Proposal that portion of revenue generated be put into “educational

lockbox”, which athletes can use to help finish their education after they use all their eligibility and receive what is left over upon graduation.

Have mandatory insurance coverage for sports injuries. While student-athletes can’t technically unionize, can use NCAA and school

Student Athlete Advisory Committees to better communicate their concerns. Keep emphasizing purpose of college education and sports, and stress

cooperation and understanding among all involved.

Documents

Senior capstone presentation