A Proposed Compensation Plan Using The University Of Kentucky's Men's Basketball Program Under Fair Pay To Play Act

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is gathering research on Kentucky University Men’s Basketball program and the revenue that is generated by the players success. Based on that research, a compensation plan will be created in order to provide the players the financial stability for then they graduate. Having access to this public information in order to see the financial success for the Men’s Basketball program is significant to the thesis in building the plan. In addition, I would like to research how much the university received in revenue for a year that is generated specifically from the Men’s Basketball program festivities. The annual March Madness tournament generates millions of viewers on national television, bringing these prestigious schools to the public eye. With that being said, admission rates also increase due to this tournament, especially if they go into the Sweet Sixteen. Many sports articles such as ESPN will provide me with the information I need to complete my research to develop my thesis. This topic has been heavily debated over the years, and with college basketball athletics becoming a billion-dollar industry, it has attracted a lot of publicity. The main debate is if whether or not the athletes should be compensated for their hard work and dedication to their craft. There has been bills proposed in different states for the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” and there will be research done to see if whether or not that is a good idea and refute the argument by providing information on my compensation plan which is the better option. Many believe that not compensating athletes is wrong. This thesis will agree with that statement, but instead create a different alternative to compensating the players under Fair Pay to Play to provide for these players futures after basketball.