The NCAA’s steadfast refusal to pay players is costing its largely Black labor force an opportunity to create substantial generational wealth, according to a new study conducted by the National College Players Association, an advocacy group for student-athletes.
The study, directed by NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma and Ithaca College and Drexel University professor Ellen J. Staurowsky, concludes that from 2017–2020 alone, $10 billion has been funneled to coaches and administrators when that money could be shared by football and men’s basketball players.
The study uses the NBA and NFL’s collective bargaining agreements as a reference point for what revenue sharing could look like for college athletes in big-money sports.