Argumentative Analysis Assignment Please review entire assingment before contacting me

To Pay or Not to Pay?

Name

Baker College of Allen Park

Dialogue

Three friends named Milton, Sheldon, and Vladimir are “shooting the breeze” at their favorite bar: The Winner’s Lounge. A college football game is being shown on the big screen. After noticing the game going on, Milton brings up the subject of whether or not college athletes should be paid.

Milton: If you ask me, they ought to be paying these guys that play college sports.

Sheldon: Why do you say that Milt?

Milton: Man, do you know how much money they bring in for these universities?

Schools like the University of Michigan and Ohio State draw over 100,000 fans for all of

their home football games. Not to mention how many million people watch from home or the bars like we are doing right now. Plus you got all the merchandise sales. You think people would be buying school apparel for a school they never went to if that school sucked at sports?

Vladimir, the Russian immigrant who many believe to have grown up under a rock, interjects.

Vladimir: They pay people to play sports?

Milton: They pay people to play professional sports Vladdy. They should be paying these

college athletes too.

Vladimir: That’s incredible! Where can I apply?

Milton: You gotta have talent Vladdy. Like these guys on the TV.

Sheldon: As much talent as these guys have, I gotta disagree with you Milt.

Milton: I figured you would.

Sheldon: And why is that?

Milton: You always gotta disagree with me.

Sheldon (chuckling): Well, if you were actually correct, I wouldn’t have to disagree with you.

Milton: So why don’t you agree with me Sheldon?

Sheldon: Because these guys get scholarships. Why should they get paid in addition to

having their schooling paid for them? That’s great they bring in revenue for the school,

but you know what else brings in revenue for the school? Taxes. I pay taxes, why

shouldn’t I get paid for that? You know what else brings in revenue for the school?

Television ratings. Everybody in here is watching the game. Should we all get paid too?

Milton: No smart-ass we shouldn’t. You know why? Because we’re not risking

injury like these guys. You know as well as I do, that all it takes is one hit to change

everything. One hit or torn ligament could be the end of these guys’ careers.

Sheldon: These guys know what they are getting into when they decide to play football. The risk for injury makes that scholarship all the more important. They should be smart enough to realize that football may not work out and they should focus on getting a good education.

Milton: Man, you know how hard it is to balance sports and an education? I played football in high school and my grades weren’t the best they could be. These guys gotta practice every day. Not to mention they gotta lift weights and study film. Can you say you would get straight A’s doing all of that? And you know how college life is with all those parties.

Sheldon: Again, they know what they are getting into. If they can’t balance school and football, they shouldn’t be playing. School is for learning. Not for playing football or getting paid. These guys should be grateful they get to play football for a top university and get their education paid for at the same time.

Vladimir, who has been sitting, listening, and drinking; finally decides he has something to say.

Vladimir: Sheldon makes good points Milton. If this were a football game, I would say he is winning one to zero.

Milton: You can’t have a score of one to zero in football Vladdy.

Vladimir: Maybe not in American football. But it is the most common score in the football we play back in Russia.

Milton: Touché. What’s your position on this Vladdy?

Vladimir: I feel that it would be wonderful to get paid to play college sports. I’m not sure though. They do make sacrifices and take risks. However, Sheldon is correct in his argument.

Sheldon: You’re damn right Sheldon is correct, Vladdy. And I’m about to be even more correct.

Vladimir: More correct?

Sheldon: Oh yes.

Milton: Whatchu got now?

Sheldon: Do you realize what will happen if they start paying these guys? The price of everything else will go up! We’re talking tuition, the cost of room and board. Not only that, but ticket prices and merchandise prices will go up as well.

Milton: You know how much money the NCAA brings in every year? You’ve got all these bowl games plus the revenue from other sports. Surely, they can pay athletes without jacking up the price of everything else.

Sheldon: Oh, they can, but do you really think they wouldn’t jack up those ticket prices?

Milton: You’re right. You got me there.

Sheldon: That’s not the only thing that will happen either. Everybody knows there is a financial gap between the larger universities and the smaller ones. Well, that gap will increase if they pay these guys. Think about it. Do you really think a school like Wyoming will be able to pay athletes like the University of Michigan? The “have nots” won’t be able to compete with the “haves” and will have to drop some of their athletic programs.

Milton: Who cares? Nobody cares about the smaller schools anyway. I didn’t even know Wyoming had a school. Do they really have a school?

Sheldon: Yeah, Milt, they have a school. The people who can’t afford to attend the bigger schools care about the smaller schools. If those smaller schools can’t pay their athletes and have to drop a sport like football they will be losing money. Then they will have to jack up the cost of tuition and nobody will be able to afford to go. Then the school will have to eventually close.

Vladmir: I believe Sheldon succeeded in making himself more correct Milton. It is time for you to “step up your game” as you Americans say.

Milton, who has been sipping his beer and looking through his phone, suddenly looks up with a smirk on his face. It is a smirk that suggests “I have you now.”

Milton: Oh, I’m stepping up my game Vladdy. How about this? While you were ranting I was on my phone and what I found is going to get both of you on my side.

Vladimir: I am intrigued.

Sheldon: This should be good. What is it?

Milton: These two law professors from Michigan State University are on my side. They say that college athletes are like employees of the university and should be able to form unions and negotiate wages.

Sheldon: How do they figure?

Milton: The labor laws. One of these guys was a lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board during Jimmy Carter’s presidency. I think he knows what he is talking about.

Sheldon: I still don’t see how they are employees. What do the laws say?

Milton: The article doesn’t quote the laws verbatim, but basically athletes have more work to do than any other employees of the universities; even more than the janitors. With all the demands put on them, they deserve to be compensated. Plus, just like any other employee of the university, they can be fired if their performance isn’t up to par with their bosses. If a coach doesn’t like the way someone plays or conducts themselves, they can be benched or kicked off the team and have their scholarship revoked. These guys are employees of the schools and should be compensated accordingly!

Vladimir: Milton has just stepped up his game Sheldon.

Sheldon: THESE GUYS ARE COMPENSATED ACCORDINGLY! THEY’RE EDUCATION IS PAID FOR! SCHOOLS EXIST TO PROVIDE AN EDUCATION AND MAKE MONEY OFF OF PEOPLE! YOU’RE LAST ARGUMENT HAS NO MERIT. JUST BECAUSE SOME LAW PROFESSORS SAY ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID DOES NOT MEAN THEY SHOULD BE PAID!!!

The Winner’s Lounge patrons, startled by the sudden shouting all turn to look at Sheldon.

Milton: Whoa! Whoa! Sheldon chill! You mad bro?

Sheldon: I’M PISSED! YOU GO TO THE INTERNET IN AN ATTEMPT TO WIN

THIS FRIGGIN DEBATE AND YOUR ARGUMENT IS WEAKER!

Milton: I think you’re taking this too personally man. How many beers have you had?

Vladimir: Milton is right, Sheldon. You need to relax.

Sheldon: You guys are right. My bad. I’m taking things too personally.

Sheldon pauses to collect himself and takes a deep breath. The bartender informs him that if he can’t settle down, he will have to leave. Sheldon apologizes and things become civil again.

Milton: You know, you made some good points in your argument Sheldon, but my opinion is college athletes should be paid and I don’t think anything is going to change that.

Sheldon: Fair enough, Milt. I think we are going to have to agree to disagree. Alright Vladdy, you’ve heard both sides of the argument. What do you think?

Vladimir: You both make good points. Milton, you say athletes bring in a lot of money for the schools and they should have money to fall back on if they get hurt. Sheldon, you say they already get a free education and paying them will raise the price of everything else. As much as I think it would be good to get paid to play college sports, I think I will have to side with Sheldon.

Milton: Man, who asked you anyway?

Vladimir: Sheldon did just now.

Sheldon: He was joking Vladdy.

Vladimir: Ah! You Americans and your sense of humor.

The three friends return to watching the football game and drinking beer. The other patrons, who had been staring, go back to their business. Another thrilling night at the Winner’s Lounge comes to a close.

Analysis of Characters

When analyzing the characters in this dialogue, they can be placed into three different categories. These categories are strong support, which is also called accord; strong opposition, which is also called resistance; and no position, which is also called neutral.

Because of his staunch support of college athletes getting paid, Milton would fall under the category of accord. As a former athlete in high school, it is understandable that Milton would feel this way. Who would not love to get paid to play sports and get a free education? Milton’s first argument that athletes bring in money to the universities is a valid, but weak argument. This explains why Sheldon was able to counter this right away by saying fans and taxpayers also bring in money and should be compensated if athletes will be compensated. Overall, Milton’s arguments did not seem to be as strong as Sheldon’s, as evidenced by Vladimir eventually taking Sheldon’s side.

Sheldon would fall under the category of resistance because of his stance against college athletes being paid. There was nothing Milton could have said that would have changed Sheldon’s mind. Sheldon’s argument that paying athletes would raise the cost of other things is definitely a valid one. Without raising prices on everything else, universities will not have the required funds to pay all of their athletes. Sheldon’s arguments appear to be stronger than Milton’s, as evidenced by Vladimir eventually agreeing that college athletes should not be paid.

Vladimir would fall under the category of neutral because he does not have a position in this argument. As a Russian immigrant, Vladimir did not grow up watching college football like Americans. Vladimir’s version of football is what Americans call soccer. Vladimir was very surprised to learn that professional athletes can be compensated for playing sports. It is clear Vladimir is not as knowledgeable on the topic; making it understandable that he would not have a position in this argument.

Annotated Bibliography

Cooper, K. J. (2011, June 23). Should college athletes be paid to play: Michigan State law

professors Robert and Amy McCormick say Division I college athletes qualify as 'employees' under federal labor laws. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 28(10), 12. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA267608796&v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

This article talks about how two Michigan State law professors believe that playing sports is a job for college athletes and the athletes should be paid for it (Cooper, 2011). This is the article that Milton references in the debate with Sheldon. The professors believe this because of labor laws in the United States. One of the professors, Robert McCormick, served as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board (Cooper, 2011). Many labor lawyers and former college athletes, such as current Harvard Men’s Basketball coach Tommy Amaker (cited in Cooper, 2011), disagree: “I never felt like I was an employee of Duke University. I had a chance to have my education paid for at an incredible school” (p. 12). The article does a good job of presenting both sides of the argument and uses credible sources such as lawyers, professors, and former college athletes.

It's about the money. (2011). The Christian Century, 128(21), 9. Retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA272077043&v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

This article talks about how The NCAA does not pay its athletes because the athletes already receive scholarships (“It’s about the money”, 2011). The article seems to portray the NCAA as greedy when it talks about the NCAA receiving $771 million from television networks to broadcast the March Madness Tournament in 2010 (“It’s about the money”, 2011). This fact is good to use when one is using statistics as part of the argument. One interesting point made is when it says “Many players in high-profile sports such as football and basketball come from impoverished backgrounds and don't have the money to buy plane tickets home” (p. 9). This would have helped Milton’s debate against Sheldon, and is a strong argument in favor of paying college athletes.

Content	Criteria	Points Possible	Points Earned
Dialogue	The dialogue has three characters that reflect the agreement, neutral, and resistant qualities. The dialogue has a clear argument and some resolution is noticeable by the conclusion.	50
Character Analysis	The characters are described in terms of their role in the argument and how their dialogue reflects it.	25
Annotated Bibliography	The sources are credible; the format meets APA Guidelines for the citation and Reference page.	50-3
APA	The title page, header, and font meet necessary APA guidelines outlined in the instructions	10-1
Grammar/style	The analysis and annotated bibliography eliminates contraction, second person point of view and there are few grammatical errors	15
Total		50 (draft points)