Two sides with decidedly different opinions on whether college athletes should be paid participated in a public debate on Tuesday night in New York City.
Whether college athletes should be paid has been a long-running debate in the world of intercollegiate athletics. The conversation has ramped up over the past few years in the wake of court decisions, conference realignments and the increased prominence of a limited number of institutions with powerful athletic programs.
On Tuesday night, Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) staged a debate on the topic, titled “Pay College Athletes.” In favor were Joe Nocera, columnist for Bloomberg View and co-author of Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion Against the NCAA, and Andy Schwarz, economist and partner in OSKR. Against paying college athletes were Christine Brennan, best-selling author and sports columnist for USA Today, and Len Elmore, attorney, television analyst and former NBA player.
Members of the audience were asked to vote on their phones yes, no or undecided before the debate began. Moderated by John Donvan, author and ABC News correspondent, the debate lasted 90 minutes. Each participant presented opening statements, asked questions of each other, took questions from Donvan and audience members and gave closing statements.
IQ2US was created to engage parties in nonpartisan, balanced dialogue on key issues of the day. While often intense in presenting significantly opposing viewpoints, the debate remained respectful throughout.
The fundamental points were clear. The two debaters in favor of paying college athletes said college athletes are being exploited. Colleges, universities, conferences and personnel are making money from the athletes’ labors. The damage is particularly acute for African-American student-athletes, who are graduating at significantly lower rates than African-American non-athletes.
The two opposed to paying college athletes said the athletes are receiving an education, tutoring, high-level training, medical expenses, leadership development and exposure. Pay-for-play could lead to countless Title IX lawsuits and dramatically erode fan support, which in turn can impact everyone at a college or university.
