Cash Tech What if someone was to say that many people across the nation believe that a form of slavery still exists in our country today? As shocking as it sounds, there is support of the belief that the NCAA is profiting off of “slave labor” in the form of its student athletes. A relatively recent college football controversy involving former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has served as an ideal platform for people to make their case for whether or not college athletes should receive compensation. It’s a debate that’s been up in the air for decades but has now really heated up in the aftermath of the Manziel controversy. The best way to put it is that when the NCAA issued a one game suspension for receiving money in exchange for autographs, the NCAA also sparked a possible revolution upon itself. In the summer of 2013, one of the biggest stories in sports was the Johnny Manziel autograph scandal. Manziel had been accused of receiving a five-figure payment for autographed jersey’s, pictures and memorabilia (Manfred). On the surface, people might not even flinch at the sound of that. A star athlete selling autographs, no big deal, right? Well the “big deal” was that he was a collegiate, not professional, athlete. By NCAA rules and regulations a student-athlete cannot profit off of their name. In other words, this is hypocrisy at its finest. By signing to play football at Texas A&M, Manziel’s name now belonged to Texas A&M until the day he leaves the school. So basically they have the right to use his name to promote their brand and bring cash into the school and athletic program, but he can’t bring in any money off of his own name for himself. But it’s all about ethics with the NCAA… Despite the outcry from people to change their policy on student-athlete compensation, the NCAA has remained firmly against “pay-for-play”. The NCAA made over a billion dollars in 2013 (Trahan), but the players that people pay to see perform can’t have any of it. ESPN and other sports broadcasting stations can use these players and their names to help promote themselves and their brand, but can’t give any of the money they made to the players they exploited. And until this year, EA sports could make a video game that included players with the same number, size, and skills as the players who can’t receive any money from it. Yes, getting a full-ride scholarship is invaluable and can open many doors for these kids but you have to remember that just because they are enrolled at some big university doesn’t necessarily mean that all is well for that student and their family. Lots of student-athletes, including the ones we watch on TV, come from poverty-stricken inner city schools and have families that need their help. Working towards a degree or professional sports career is absolutely a good thing in the long run but a lot of these kids can’t wait three or four years to start making money because they have families to think about. Nobody is saying the NCAA can’t make money off of the student-athletes, it’s just wrong that they do so without compensating the kids that have helped make it into the empire it is today.