With the Final Four coming up,
64 percent of Americans tell Reason-Rupe that student-athletes
should receive money if a college or company sells gear
containing their likeness or jersey number. And
50 percent of Americans say college basketball players should share
in the more than $700 million in television revenues the NCAA
takes in for the basketball tournament each year.
The latest Reason-Rupe poll asked a series of question about the
National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and its revenues.
Initially only 42 percent of Americans said college basketball
players should be allowed to receive a portion of the revenues
generated from NCAA basketball tournaments. But among
African-Americans, that number jumped to 66 percent—while only 35
percent of whites said players should get paid.
The Reason-Rupe poll, however, showed that respondents’ approval
of student-athlete pay increased after they learned more about NCAA
profits from the popular March Madness tournament.
After being informed that the NCAA will receive over $700
million this year for college basketball broadcasts for tournament
games, 50 percent of Americans said that college basketball players
should receive some portion of the television revenue.
And when it comes to college merchandise, a multi-billion dollar
a year business, a majority of Americans—64 percent—said that
student-athletes should receive money if a college or company sells
gear containing their likeness or jersey number.
The disparity in racial attitudes over college athlete pay could
be attributed to the fact that an overwhelming majority of
basketball players are African-American—57.2
percent of NCAA men’s basketball players and 76.3 percent
NBA players identify as black, according to recent
data.
But the gap in approval highlights the undercurrent of race as
an issue in the latest battle over student-athlete pay—a battle
that culminated
with the National Labor Relations Board’s historic ruling last
week that said full-scholarship football players at
Northwestern University are school employees and have a right to
unionize.
What makes the student-athlete pay issue potential racial tinder
is the fact that the revenue producing sports of basketball and
football are predominantly played by minority athletes. As Dave
Zirin over at The Nation explains:
It does not take Cornel West to point out that the revenue
producing sports of basketball and football are overwhelmingly
populated by African-American athletes. The population of the
United States that is most desperate for an escape out of poverty
is the population that has gotten the rawest possible deal from an
NCAA, which is actively benefiting from this state of affairs.
Nationwide telephone poll conducted March 26-30, 2014
interviewed 1,003 adults on both mobile (503) and landline (500)
phones, with a margin of error +/- 3.6%. Princeton Survey Research
Associates International executed the nationwide Reason-Rupe
survey. Columns may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Sign up for
notifications of new releases of the Reason-Rupe poll
here.
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