Dem senator wants college athletes to be paid

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has issued a new report on rules against compensating college athletes that he hopes will change the conversation around the matter.

The whitepaper, “Madness, Inc.,” was released by Murphy’s office Thursday. It outlines how the NCAA enriches nearly all involved in its operations except for the players themselves, according to Murphy’s office.

{mosads}Murphy said the report is the first in a series that he said will outline issues with college athletics. Murphy’s office said future reports will analyze issues such as how programs fail to provide full educations to athletes and long-term health consequences they face.

“Under the current system, students in big-time athletic programs are shortchanged on their education as the college sports machine demands more of their time and more pressure to win. Meanwhile, coaches, universities, broadcasters and even shoe companies are raking in the cash and sending a relatively small percentage of the money to students in the form of scholarships,” Murphy said in a statement.

“The NCAA needs to come up with a way to compensate student-athletes, at least in the sports that demand the most time and make the most money. It’s an issue of fairness. It’s an issue of civil rights.”

Murphy’s report cites the February incident in which Duke basketball player Zion Williamson sustained a knee injury after his shoe tore apart as “a symbol of what college sports has become,” noting that this one moment led to Nike losing approximately $1.1 billion. “In less than a minute, a teenager moves an industry,” the report states.