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Kari Allen
Professor Harold Blanco
First Year Seminar Critical Thinking 100 – 110
17 September 2014
“A rim-rattling ruling in college sports; Athletes aren't blind to the billions they earn for
the NCAA. Change is coming...” by Michael Dobie is an article giving a clear argument to the
NCAA. He thinks that college athletes should be paid for their services. Not just a scholarship
but extra money to get them through the academic year too. It’s a very interesting argument.
However, who is Michael Dobie to say whether the athletes should be paid or not? What makes
Michael Dobie credited enough to get to say anything relevant on the subject matter? Are his
points accurate with great sources behind them or are they all just his opinions? These questions
and more will be answered within the following research by use of scholarly facts, evaluated
statements, and credible sources.
Michael Dobie supports his argument by using the Northwestern University case. He
wrote in the first paragraph, “…National Labor Relations Board ruling that football players at
Northwestern University are employees of the school. Not student-athletes, the preferred term of
the NCAA. Employees. Which means players can form a union and engage in collective
bargaining.” He’s saying that this means change for the NCAA, because these are not just
volunteers playing for fun, they’re people who are employed and working for the NCAA so they
should get some kind of pay. Brad Wolverton, a senior writer for the Chronicle of Higher
Education, agrees with Mr. Dobie. He wrote an article called, “Labor Board's Ruling Presses

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Question of Change for NCAA.” This article argues that the athletes should be paid and that the
Northwestern case is one of many cases that are trying to change the NCAA. The case is trying
to get rid of the business aspect of college sports and get the students the money they deserve.
However, the NCAA doesn’t seem to care and ignores these cases. The article states, “those
cases have the potential to upend the business of major-college sports. But the NCAA has shown
little willingness to negotiate change in its amateur model.” This source is credible, because Brad
Wolverton has wrote about university leadership, college finances, and intercollegiate athletics.
He also has a focus on money and sports on campus. Plus, he has achieved the Dick Schaap
Excellence in Sports Journalism award. His sheer writing experience on sports makes him a very
credible source.
Another point Michael Dobie makes is about the Ed O'Bannon versus the NCAA case. In
his article he states, “The NCAA goes to trial this summer on a suit filed by former UCLA
basketball player Ed O'Bannon that claims college athletes should be compensated when their
likenesses are used, for example, in video games.” The NCAA is making money off of the
athletes by selling merchandise with them, but the athletes aren’t getting a cut. However,
Michael Dobie doesn’t really have the proper qualifications to make that assumptio n creditable.
His history of writing about money and sports is scarce. William D. Holthaus Jr. is a lawyer who
wrote a peer reviewed piece at St. Louis University Law Journal. His degrees include a J.D. from
Saint Louis University School of Law, a M.E. in Civil Engineering and Construction
Management, and a B.E. in Civil Engineering. His article is definitely accredited, because he has
a Juris Doctor degree and his article was peer reviewed. He supports Mr. Dobie’s article by
saying, “Although student-athletes play a large role in the success of collegiate athletic
programs, the universities—not the student-athletes—cash in on the profits.” Mr. Holthaus is

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referring to Tim Tebo who was the first sophomore to win the Heisman, but didn’t get any extra
money from his university for it. He also refers to Louisiana’s first Bowl Championship in 2003
where the athletes did not receive any compensation either.
“The NCAA system - call the players amateurs, give them scholarships and start counting
the money”, is another point that Mr. Dobie makes in his article. This is saying that the only
compensation the NCAA is providing college athletes with is a scholarship. Rohith A.
Parasuraman agrees with Mr. Dobie that the NCAA does require them to be amateurs and while
they’re rolling in the money, the college students are left to fend for themselves. Mr.
Parasuraman uses the example, “Suspended his teammate, Donnie Edwards, from participation
in college football. The NCAA, which requires college athletes to be ‘amateurs,’ punished
Edwards for accepting free groceries once he had exhausted his scholarship money.” He has his
Bachelors from Miami, Masters from Duke, and J.D. from Duke University which makes him
credible.
“Still, the ruling feels like a Rubicon-crossing moment, and the NCAA has itself to
blame. It could have let athletes earn money from marketing ventures. It could have paid them a
much-discussed $2,000 annual stipend for expenses not covered by a scholarship” is Dobie’s
final point for displaying his belief that college athletes should receive some compensation other
than a scholarship. Marc Edelman states, “That the no-pay rules represent a form of wage fixing
that harms not only the market for student-athlete services but also the quality of college sports’
on-field product.” He is also expressing his judgment that college athletes need to be
compensated. Edelman is credited because his experience and expertise. He Marc Edelman is an
Associate Professor of Law at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, and University of
New York. He focuses in sports law, antitrust, intellectual property, and gaming law.

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Michael Dobie expressed a very well thought out opinion. However, it’s just an opinion.
He doesn’t have a law degree, a focus on sports and money, or experience writing on the subject.
He doesn’t have the credentials to make this an actual judgment. The sources used in this paper
have all of these qualities that one would want for a reliable source. Many people however, fuel
misinformation by not taking a closer look at who the source is and what gives them the
authority to make it a judgment. In the article, “Adolescent Health Literacy: The Importance of
Credible Sources for Online Health Information” reinforces these points. A credible source
means everything in research and without it, one has only an opinion.

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Works Cited
"A rim-rattling ruling in college sports; Athletes aren't blind to the billions they earn for the NCAA.
Change is coming...." Newsday (New York). (March 30, 2014 Sunday): 583 words. LexisNexis
Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/09/16.
WOLVERTON, BRAD. "Labor Board's Ruling Presses Question Of Change For NCAA."
Chronicle of Higher Education 60.29 (2014): A6. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Sept.
2014.
"Brad Wolverton." The Chronicle of Higher Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
HOLTHAUS JR., WILLIAM D. "ED O'bannon V. NCAA: DO FORMER NCAA ATHLETES
HAVE A CASE AGAINST THE NCAA FOR ITS USE OF THEIR LIKENESSES?." St. Louis
University Law Journal 55.1 (2010): 369-393. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
"Professionals." William D. Holthaus, Jr. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
Parasuraman, Rohith A. "Unionizing Ncaa Division I Athletics: A Viable Solution?." Duke Law
Journal 57.3 (2007): 727-753. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
Edelman, Marc. "A Short Treatise On Amateurism And Antitrust Law: Why The Ncaa's No-Pay
Rules Violate Section 1 Of The Sherman Act." Case Western Reserve Law Review 64.1 (2013):
61-99. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
Edelman, Marc. "A Short Treatise On Amateurism And Antitrust Law: Why The Ncaa's No-Pay
Rules Violate Section 1 Of The Sherman Act." Case Western Reserve Law Review 64.1 (2013):
61-99. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

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"Marc Edelman: Law Professor and Sports Business Expert." Marc Edelman: Law Professor and
Sports Business Expert. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
Ghaddar, Suad F., et al. "Adolescent Health Literacy: The Importance Of Credible Sources For
Online Health Information." Journal Of School Health 82.1 (2012): 28-36. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.