Fans Reluctant to Treat College Athletes as Paid Professionals

While many Americans are open to compensating college athletes in some form, more Americans prefer to see colleges continue to treat athletes as amateurs who compete primarily for love of the sport and educational opportunities, not for pay. That’s according to a new national survey by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute.

More than twice as many people say that the focus of college sports should be opportunities to participate (71 percent) than say that the focus should be producing the highest level of play possible (30 percent), the survey found.

Asked whether student-athletes should be compensated beyond scholarships, 50 percent of Americans say they should not be further compensated, while 32 percent say they should be. Of that minority who are open to further compensation for athletes, less than half (48 percent) said athletes should be paid a stipend. Ideas such as benefiting from merchandise sales (43 percent), being allowed to work for pay while on scholarship (42 percent), or licensing (40 percent) also registered support.

The public does not have much sympathy for college athletes who have run-ins with the law. Three-quarters of people (77 percent) say such athletes should be treated the same as everyone else in the eyes of the law, and 13 percent say they should face stricter punishment for infractions.

As the new college football playoff system gets underway, nearly half of Americans – including 59 percent of men and 39 percent of women – say they are very or somewhat interested in the coming college football playoffs.

Changing topics…The college football season is coming to an end with the playoffs coming up.  We have a number of questions for you about college football.

How interested are you in following the playoffs?  Would you say…

In your view, besides scholarship funds awarded to student athletes, should college athletes be compensated in any other ways?

The following are a number of suggested ways college athletes could be compensated.  In your view, which of the following would be appropriate?

Which one of the following best reflects your view on what colleges or universities should or should not provide their student-athletes?

“I found it interesting that 62 percent of those polled were in favor of providing these items for all and only standout student-athletes, while 20 percent thought that student-athletes in revenue-generating sports shouldn’t receive anything,” said Fran Reidy, director of athletics at Saint Leo University. “Another way to look at it is that the all students choice was ranked first (46%), followed by no support for these sport participants (20%), and for only stand-out student-athletes was third (16%), which I found striking.”

Which of the following best reflects your opinion about the medical care a college or university should or should not provide student-athletes in revenue-generating sports?

“Every student on campus must have health insurance when they enroll,” said Barbara Wilson, assistant athletic director at Saint Leo University. “When it comes to medical care for student-athletes, that is usually covered for injuries caused by that sport and is typically for up to one year after the injury.”

Overall, college athletics nationally can influence perceptions of and impact the culture at these institutions of higher education. Please think about, based on all you know or have heard, this influence today and five years ago. Please rate this influence as very positive, somewhat positive, neither positive or negative, somewhat negative or very negative.

Which, if any, of the following should be included in the mission of college athletics.

You may be aware of recent news stories about professional athletes who have behaved badly off the field and some who may have committed crimes such as child and domestic abuse.  Sometimes college athletes also behave badly and face criminal charges.  Which one of the following best reflects how these college athletes should be treated by authorities?

“The general public says that college athletes should be treated the same as everyone else when it comes to bad behavior. Whether or not that is actually happening is open to debate,” commented Reidy.

Sometimes college sports fans may change the degree they follow or view their favorite teams when they see some team players behaving badly or even accused of criminal acts.  Which one of the following best reflects how you react to players behaving badly?

While attention to concussions and brain related injuries in sports, especially football, has been around for years, we are only now seeing the impact on many players much later in life.  If at all, how has this risk of brain injuries diminished your own enthusiasm for sports in general? Please use a scale of one to ten where one means your resulting enthusiasm is greatly reduced and ten means your resulting enthusiasm is not at all reduced. 

“With concussions, there seems to be an increased awareness about these types of brain-related injuries, which is a positive step,” remarked Wilson. “Better support for the student-athlete by the athletic department, athletic trainers, and coaching staff appears to be more the norm.”

The full Saint Leo University Polling Institute national survey results on politics, Pope Francis’ favorability, charitable giving, and technology, can be found here: http://polls.saintleo.edu. You can also follow the institute on Twitter @saintleopolls.

About the Saint Leo University Polling Institute/Methodology

This Saint Leo University poll of 1,016 adults nationwide was conducted between November 25 and December 6, 2014. The margin of error is approximately 3 percent +/- with a 95 percent confidence level. The Saint Leo University Polling Institute conducts its surveys using cutting-edge online methodology, which is rapidly transforming the field of survey research. The sample is drawn from large online panels, which allows for random selections that reflect accurate cross sections of all demographic groups. Online methodology has the additional advantage of allowing participants to respond to the survey at a time, place, and speed convenient to them, which may result in more thoughtful answers. The Saint Leo University Polling Institute develops the questionnaires, administers the surveys, and conducts analysis of the results. Panel participants typically receive a token incentive – usually $1.00 deposited into an iTunes or Amazon account – for their participation.

About Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University is a regionally accredited, liberal-arts-based institution known for an inclusive Catholic heritage, enduring values, and capacity for innovation. The school was chartered in 1889 by Catholic Benedictine monks in rural Pasco County, FL, making Saint Leo the first Catholic college in the state. Over its 125-year history, Saint Leo has provided access to education to people of all faiths, emphasizing the Benedictine philosophy of balanced growth of mind, body, and spirit.

Today the university welcomes learners from all generations and backgrounds, from civilian occupations and the armed forces, and from all 50 states and more than 60 nations. Saint Leo’s 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students may elect to study at the beautiful University Campus in Florida, at more than 40 teaching locations in seven states, or online from other locations. The university’s degree programs range from the associate to the doctorate. Throughout these rich offerings, Saint Leo develops principled leaders for a challenging world.

Media Contacts: Kim Payne, staff writer and media coordinator, at kim.payne@saintleo.edu

or (352) 588-7233/(717) 798-1508 or Jo-Ann Johnston, academic communications manager, at

jo-ann.johnston@saintleo.edu or (352) 588-8237/(352) 467-0843.