Proposal Justification

The cost of getting rid of bylaw 12.1.2 is financially nonexistent, and the increase in quality of life that the student-athletes would receive in return is monumental. The only significant cost that would have to be made is in terms of the time it would take for the NCAA governance system to reach an agreement. The NCAA members that would be charged with making this decision would be faced with a lot of time spent discussing and debating a change to the regulations. There is no real way of knowing exactly how long this review would go on until an agreement is reached, so determining the time needed to be spent in order to eliminate this bylaw is difficult. However, no matter the time spent, it would not be too great of an inconvenience for the NCAA committee that would make this decision, as it is there job to review NCAA regulations. Even if it was an inconvenience and took time away from other regulations that need to be reviewed, there are no other regulations that need to be eliminated as urgently as bylaw 12.1.2. Editing this bylaw out of NCAA regulations is the best thing to do, as it does the best job of ensuring the current and future wellbeing of all student athletes.

Some collegiate sports fans, participants, coaches and officials feel that removing bylaw 12.1.2 from NCAA regulations would not resolve the financial difficulties that student athletes face. They either call for different solutions to the problem, or do not believe that the problem is severe enough to deserve a call to action. Some deny the very existence of the problem. The problem is severe. Student athlete Bo Wallace, who is plays quarterback for Ole Miss, reported to CBSSports.com:

A lot of guys go to bed hungry at night. That's real. We have our breakfast and lunch. Our cafe is open, so you can go and swipe your card, but dinner you have to pay for it...We need more compensation for that just to be able to survive. If I didn't have my parents I don't know what I would do. A lot of these kids don't have the same things that I have. I know that their struggle is something terrible (Fowler, 2014, p.1).

The fact that numerous collegiate athletes have claimed to be suffering from similar problems across the country is sickening, and speaks horribly for not only collegiate sports, but also the American system for higher education. The only way to revert this wrongdoing and give student athletes the monetary compensation they need to thrive in the college environment is to completely eliminate bylaw 12.1.2. NCAA recently passed a new rule that allows student athletes access to unlimited meals. Some (particularly athletic directors and critics of the collegiate athletic system) feel as though this more than solves the problem. However, college athletes accumulate numerous charges that are necessary just to be on their teams. For example, on media days football players are required to present themselves in a suit and tie. But, how will these suits be afforded if there is no financial income with which to purchase them? How are these athletes going to afford travel to go home in the scarce breaks they have from collegiate competition to be reunited with family? To put it bluntly, they can’t. This is why eliminating NCAA bylaw 12.1.2 is the only answer to the underfunding of student athletes.

            NCAA exploits student athletes on a daily basis. The inability of the student athlete to obtain a part time job due to time constraints is understandable, but this should be compensated by payment from their respective colleges. All the time and effort these athletes give in an effort to promote their university and NCAA must be compensated. The only way student athletes can be adequately compensated for their effort is monetarily, and the only way college athletes can be compensated monetarily is through the elimination of bylaw 12.1.2. Editing bylaw 12.1.2 may be the most effective and efficient way to alleviate the struggle student athletes face when paying their tuition bills. However, completely eliminating bylaw 12.1.2 is the only way to completely eradicate the problem. Bylaw 12.1.2 must be erased entirely from NCAA regulations in order to place collegiate athletes on equal financial ground with the rest of the student body.