Marketing College Athletes: How Can We Help California Student-Athletes Make Money?

Marketing College Athletes: How Can We Help California Student-Athletes Make Money?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was founded on March 31, 1908. NCAA was founded as a result of several various issues arising in college sports, which included severe injuries and deaths. The meeting was held by college and universities official who came up with the association. NCAA regulates college sports from over a thousand Northern American learning institutions. According to Hendricks, S. P., & Johnson, A. T. (2016), college athletics was drawn up to boost students’ education and experience. Sports scholarships offered are meant to enhance the students’ lives and help them acquire a degree. College athletes make millions of dollars for colleges but do not receive any monetary compensation for their contributions. Some students admitted on athletic scholarship came from a disadvantaged background that does not give them a similar competitive edge with their peers. Former students’ athletes confessed that although they have the best resources at their disposal, they are limited and maximizing full potential on these resources. Fifty-four percent of student-athletes admitted that they do not have ample time to study and prepare for tests (CBSSPORTS Pac 12 study reveal YouTube). These student-athletes spend the majority of their school time on the field preparing for major tournaments. And by the time they are done, it is very late, around seven o’clock in the evening. At that time, they need to be at per with the rest of the students while they are drained. Star athletes like LeBron James confessed that he had to leave college sponsorship as he needs to get his mother put of a deprived state. LeBron was advocating for athlete students paid for their contributions to the university. The universities argue that student-athletes are amateurs limiting them from earning money. They further add that paying students creates an employer-employee relationship with students, which is not appropriate. However, former and current student-athletes argue that since they make considerable contributions to the institutions, they deserve rewards for their efforts. Some students come from impoverished backgrounds and require money to take care of themselves and help out their families

Former student-athletes confirm that their old institutions are still making money from their achievements, and the athletes have not been given recognition of any kind. The University of North Carolina was under scrutiny as recent research found out that they committed academic fraud by enrolling their athlete students in fake paper classes to keep them competing for their school in athletic sports. These findings show that a lot of schools may be committing the same fraud as North Carolina university to make money off their students while they are not genuinely concerned about their students’ academic progress and other aspects of their lives. Such fraud aces reveal that the affected students do not achieve the education they are promised. Furthermore, the income cost that these students bring to the institutions is way higher and not comparable to the value the institutions give them on education. They are some lawsuits filed against former learning institutions by former student-athletes concerning using features similar to these students to create video games and other high-income commercial deals. These student-athletes have not received a cent from the institutions regardless of their images being in use.

Some institutions, such as Penn State, do not compromise on tampering with students’ grades regardless of the pressure to perform for everyone, including the athletes (Smith, R. A., & Smith, R. A. 2011). Although institutions such as Penn State have relatively limited cases of engaging in fraud, the former athletes still advocate for fair pay for play. The new fair pay to play law will go a notch higher in ensuring athletic students gain from their athletic contributions to the college. Although signed in 2019, the fair pay to play-act will most likely start fully taking effect in 2023. California is the first state to allow such fantastic progress when the California State government took the bold step of signing in the law.

The Governor, Gavin Newsom, expressed that the athlete students’ welfare is of great concern. Mr. Newsom argued that the students deserve a right to earn from the hard work they put into generating high income for the learning institution. The fair pay to play-act does not state that the institutions will be paying the student-athletes salaries. This part of the law agrees with university stakeholders on not paying the wage to students and partially obeys the amateur act in the NCAA written down rules. Instead, the fair pay to play law allows athletic students to sell their rights to interested parties, especially for commercial purposes. These rights include rights to their names, images, and likeliness to bidders for-profit purposes. These sold out rights gives the players a chance to earn money. The money earn comes from television commercials, signing autographs, playing, or creating video games. California state senate recently argued that students making billions for institutions should be given a fair chance to earn money since they are contributing hugely to the institutions’ success. California schools and the NCAA much oppose the bill as it compromises the NCAA law that states that college athletes are amateurs, and they should not be paid for playing. The NCAA and California schools argue that passing the law in California State will limit California institutions from participating in NCAA sports competition as the athletes from California will have an added advantage. This advantage is that they get paid, but for their fellow competitors, they would earn no reward for participation. Some people interested in college athletics argue that when the students are open to having endorsements, the risk is that they join institutions with the highest bidder. The student-athletes are allowed to have agents to guide them and help them maximize profits and experience from their talents.

Agencies or an agent plays a vital role in marketing a client or a product (Keegan, B. J., Rowley, J., & Tonge, J. (2017). In these modern times, social media is central to any experience. If social media is used positively, it can be such an incredible tool in achieving one’s goals. As an agent, one of the most powerful marketing tools is using social media. As a student-athlete, it means you have to make much more sacrifices than regular students. There are unique festivals that you will have to miss to train and prepare for an upcoming sports event. The agent could take videos of the athlete or have the athlete take videos of him/herself. The athlete should strive to create a realistic experience if he or she spends his or her day. The personal video could start from the moment they wake up and record every event. For the times the athletes are left alone in school while other students have gone to be with their families for special occasions such as Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas, they should portray a real picture. They are being able to sacrifice holidays for training paint an accurate image of a person who can sacrifice much to achieve his or her goal. Sending videos directly to coaches or bidders may be annoying or illegal. Alternatively, the agents could streamline videos of their student-athletes clients in action and make it trend on social media. Eventually, the video will reach the right target who can notice and reach out to the student and agent for an endorsement deal. The agent could get invites on platforms that expose the athlete to the world. Such platforms include charity, community services, and corporate events. The aim should be to render excellent services. In the event, the student-athlete and agent may meet and network with people from various professions and cultures. The exposure may put the athlete at a competitive edge from his/ her peers.

Finances are a delicate matter, not only to student-athletes but to ever human. While hiring an agent, the student should have a good relationship with the agent to disclose all concerns and share the goals. The price should follow the hard work input in the sport. Some athlete students grew up and stayed in very impoverished states. Most use games as a channel to not only relieve stress but as a bridge to work hard and better their lives. Athlete students use most of their time practicing and improving their sports skills. The contributions they give should be equivalent to the rewards they gain. As an agent, your work is to ensure that the scholarship offered by the school to your student is equal to the contributions the students make. If it is not, both the school and the student should reach a compromise that will be suitable for both parties. As an agent, you have to get high and better rewards for your student-athlete client. The situation should be such that with top pay comes heavy responsibilities and hard work. The student-athlete should ensure that the work put out to generate more income and makes the athlete a better person. Sometimes may come in terms of offering one’s service for the good of others. A student-athlete may participate in athletic competition to raise awareness on a severe and developing issue. Some of these issues may include running or playing to raise funds for ailments such as the heart and cancer. Being part of noble acts may be the price you have to pay. It may not necessarily come in monetary gratification, but it builds a high image that will further one’s career. Apart from creating a job, it makes the person better not to revolve around money and forget essential issues happening around them.

Promotions are done through advertising agencies. As an agent to my student-athlete client, I would attend events that have an interest in the growth of my client. Make the public aware of his or her prowess. I will try and get his/her commercials to advertise him/her to the world. I will keep up with news and trends to inform the student with the latest update in the field. As a client, the student-athlete requires a suitable place to stay. The student-athlete trains for long tiresome hours spent preparing for competitions. I will ensure the client remains in an environment that is peaceful, suitable, and comfortable for the client to relax and prepare for studies and significant events. Public relations is keeping a favorable public image by a company or a person. As the agent, I will get my client a life coach and guidance on dealing with challenging situations. I will encourage my client to live a free but healthy life not to get involved in scandals that will taint his/her image and bring a downfall. According to Curtis et al. (2010), men tend to show more confidence while using social media, while women tend to see social media as beneficial to their images and life. I will use this information to maximize it in my client’s experience to build more confidence and reap excellent benefits for both of us.

California’s new fair pay to play law is a trendsetter in changing the old perception and regulations that the focus should be on the school benefits other than mutual interest between the institution and the students. By Governor Newsom signing in the law, he gives hope to struggling students who feel left out and constant pressure to perform yet get no rewards. The law spearheaded other stats such as North Carolina to follow in the same steps. The nation will eventually feel the influence and give thoughts to having similar requirements.

References

Hendricks, S. P., & Johnson, A. T. (2016). The Athlete-Student Dilemma. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 8(4).

CBS SPORTS Pac 12 study reveal YouTube

Smith, R. A., & Smith, R. A. (2011). Pay for play: A history of big-time college athletic reform. University of Illinois Press.

Keegan, B. J., Rowley, J., & Tonge, J. (2017). Marketing agency-client relationships: towards a research agenda. European Journal of Marketing, 51(7/8), 1197-1223.

Curtis, L., Edwards, C., Fraser, K. L., Gudelsky, S., Holmquist, J., Thornton, K., & Sweetser, K. D. (2010). Adoption of social media for public relations by nonprofit organizations. Public Relations Review, 36(1), 90-92.