Is USC... A Cartel?
Many of us can remember in 2005
when Reggie Bush was awarded the Heisman trophy for his outstanding performance
during his college career at the University of Southern California. Reggie Bush
carried the ball for 1760 yards with an average of 8.7 yard per carry…USC won
34 straight games and two national titles during Bush's sensational three-year
career. (ESPN.com) Many of us can also
remember in 2010 when the NCAA decided to remove Reggie Bush of his Heisman
Award because he was receiving improper benefits while he was a student athlete.
In 2010, Bush decided to hand over his Heisman Trophy which made him the first
and only person to ever do so in the 75 years of the Heisman program. Reggie Bush and his family appear to have
accepted financial benefits worth more than $100,000 from marketing agents
while Bush was playing at the University of Southern California. (Yahoonews.com) Unfortunately situations like
this one happen way too often, and most of the time the player is being exploited
for the benefit of the school’s sports programs. Bush’s eligibility as an athlete
was considered questionable which lead to him losing his Heisman Award and
putting the 2004 USC national championship as risk of being rescinded. Colleges
tend to weigh the benefits of breaking NCAA agreements higher than the consequences
when they get caught doing it. In this case USC was forced to vacate the last
two wins of the 2004 national championship season but, Bush was affected the
most. “As in any cartel, the payoff to an individual school for cheating on the
agreement can be considerable. By attracting star-quality athletes,
institutions can improve their performance on the playing field and draw more
fans, make more appearances on television, increase opportunities for
merchandise licensing and corporate sponsorship, and make lucrative postseason
appearances, all of which increase revenues directly and indirectly by
increasing the prestige of the institution. (Humphreys and Ruseski 3) For all
these reasons we see NCAA accredited schools deciding that it is worth being corrupt
if it benefits the institution. The incentive for any institution is high to
attract the best possible student athletes. Brown (1993) estimates the marginal
revenue product of a premium college football player to be over $500,000
annually.( Humphreys and Ruseski) The Reggie Bush scandal at USC is a perfect
example of how NCAA institutions can exploit their athletes for the financial gain
of the college or sports team. While bush was playing for USC he brought many
fans and other attention to the football team. More people wanted to watch USC
football because of the entertainment that players like Reggie Bush brought to
the field. In the three years he started at USC, Bush made the school around 1.5
million dollars and that is why they decided to provide him with finical benefits
to keep him making money. The USC/ Reggie Bush situation supports Brad R.
Humphreys and Jane E. Ruseski’s notion that USC and the NCAA can be viewed as a cartel.
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