Drexel and NCPA Study Shows NCAA’s Use of “Amateurism” Denies College Athletes Billions in Revenue
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A joint study released by Drexel University’s Sport Management Department in the Goodwin College of Professional Studies and the National College Players Association (NCPA) shows that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) uses amateurism as a tool to deny athletes billions of dollars per year in revenue that they would otherwise receive in a fair market. The study is entitled The $6 Billion Heist: Robbing College Athletes Under the Guise of Amateurism.
These findings come at a time of great significance for the college sport enterprise. “While IMG officials applaud the increasing commercial value of football to television broadcasters and FBS coach salaries increase at rates that are double those of executives in the corporate sector, the NCAA’s principle of amateurism continues to be used as a mechanism to deny the dignity, humanity and worth of the athletes whose hard work and commitment gives value to the product that others profit from,” said Dr. Ellen Staurowsky, a sport management professor in the Goodwin College.
Study Highlights:
- The average full athletic scholarship at an FBS school left “full” players with a scholarship shortfall (out-of-pocket expenses) of $3285 during the 2011-12 school year.
- FBS football and men’s basketball players would receive full athletic scholarships plus an additional $6 billion between 2011-15 if not for the NCAA’s prohibition of a fair market.
- The lost value over a four-year career for the average FBS football and men’s basketball player is $456,612 and $1,063,307, respectively.
- The lost value over a four-year career for the average football and men’s basketball player in the six BCS conferences is $715,000 and $1.5 million, respectively.
- University of Texas football players will be denied approximately $2.2 million, incur scholarship shortfalls of over $14,000, and live below the federal poverty line by $784 per year between 2011-15.
- University of Louisville men’s basketball players will be denied approximately $6.5 million, incur scholarship shortfalls of over $17,000, and live below the federal poverty line by $3730 per year between 2011-15.
Study Documents:
Three undergraduate sport management majors in the Goodwin College – Kevin MurrayMatthew Puzio and John Quagliarello – assisted with data collection on this project.