Unpaid athletes, overpaid coaches, and revenue from merchandise are a big
business in college athletics. Colleges make millions off of ticket sales, memorabilia,
and television contracts and don’t allow the athletes to see any of it. Athletes’ risk
career-ending injuries every time they step out to play or practice. In addition, players
for these colleges have to manage academic and athletic requirements, but don’t see
any extra money. These extra requirements can include such things as honors classes,
community service and service projects. While some of the athletes do receive
scholarships, it sometimes isn’t enough to pay for housing and tuition. Some people
may wonder if college athletes should get a share of the profits. Opponents think the
athletes should not be paid because they already receive money in the form of
scholarships and free travel to and from games. Supporters believe athletes should get
paid because they risk a lot and do a lot to bring in revenue for these colleges. Should
college athletes get paid?
Scholarships are already given to athletes; what more do they need? Some of
the athletes, especially for football and basketball, receive a full-ride scholarship which
means their education is paid for and they still want more money. Donaldson points out,
“the “payment” that the student-athlete receives for being a scholarship athlete is a full
ride athletic scholarship that includes tuition, room and board . . . also receiving a
monthly stipend that can range anywhere from $500-$1,000 for basic expenses (food
and gas money)” (pg. 4 of 7). Some athletes are receiving as much as $50,000 a year
including books, tutoring, and access to fitness centers. According to Chen, high sc...
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...but not giving them any part of the profit. These athletes are seen as
entertainment and many think of it as only being a game and don’t understand what it
takes to be a college athlete. They don’t understand that being a college athlete is their
job. Colleges make millions off of ticket sales, memorabilia, and television contracts and
don’t allow the athletes to see any of it. Athletes’ risk career-ending injuries every time
they play or practice their sport for these colleges, in addition to managing an academic
and athletic schedule without seeing any extra money. While some of the athletes do
receive scholarships, it sometimes isn’t enough to pay for housing and tuition. Jackson
says, “We need to stop looking at college as it relates to athletics as an educational
aperture and look at it for what it has become: a business platform” (pg. 3 of 4).
Should college athletes get paid an additional salary? They are an important assets to universities and colleges, so why should they not? How else would universities justify taking advantage of these young men and women? These are questions that arise when pondering the issue. This has been a large controversy over the years of rather or not college athletes should be paid, more specifically football and basketball players. However, they fail to mention that colleges are only considering paying a select few, the stars of the sports. Every single sport in colleges is making revenue for those campuses, making colleges money hungry. Thus, if they decide to only pay a select few, would that leave out women sports all together? Why pay college athletes more on top of everything they already receive? Most college athletes receive free tuition, medical care, meal plans and room and board, which can acquaint to more than a quarter million dollars for their entire college career (Scoop, 2013). Why ask for more? What is this teaching our youth? They should appreciate their chance to do what they love and value the education they are receiving, because that education is far more valuable than a potential sports salary. Even though colleges and college athletes have a few good points on why they believe they should get paid, over all the issue is larger than that, college athletes already make their share of “money” through free education and much more.
Should college athletes receive pay for what they do? You’ve probably seen this pop-up a million times, and thought about it. You’ve probably figured why should they? Aren’t they already receiving benefits from a full-ride scholarship? But then an athlete will get caught up in a scandal like Johnny Manziel, where he signed footballs for money.. then you think well why shouldn’t he receive that money? And you then contradict yourself. But shouldn’t they receive money from outside sources, and then the benefits from the school. Not get a salary from the school just the benefits they’re already receiving, and money from sponsors. Wouldn’t that make sense considering the money they’re making the school? According to an ESPN report Alabama University makes $123,769,841 in total revenue from sports. (College Athletics Revenue) Yes ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY THREE MILLION. Yet an athlete from Alabama can only receive benefits from a scholarship.. That doesn’t seem right. You would want to be payed when the opportunity arises. It should only be fair these players get a piece of the revenue pie, after all they are the ones creating the revenue. The players should be getting benefits to allow them to pay for basic college needs, grow up to be responsible adults, and allow the NCAA to thrive. This would allow for the NCAA to truly thrive as a sporting association.
Schneider, Raymond. "College Students' Perceptions On the Payment of Intercollegiate Student-Athletes." College Student Journal (2001).
Another reason that college athletes should not be paid is because they are, under NCAA rules, to be considered amateurs. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association Rules it states, “College athletes are not to be paid, not to cash in on their prominence, never to cross any kind of line of professionalism.” Steve Wieberg, of the USA Today, studied the rules that the NCAA has placed on paying college athletes. He concludes that, “Athletic programs are meant to be an integral part of the educational program” (Weinberg). The reoccurring theme here should be obvious now —education is the most important part of the student’s time in college and being an athlete should come second.
Today, most college athletes receive a scholarship to pay for a portion or sometimes all of one’s college tuition. So, what does a scholarship cover? According to an article written by Tyson Hartnett, “A $25,000 scholarship covers the basics, university fees, tuition, housing, a meal-plan and textbooks.” But most scholarships given to college athletes are not full rides. According to US News, in 2010, the average scholarship given to a college athlete was worth $10,400. Even with this amount, many college athletes are not granted a scholarship and have to pay for college themselves.
Dorfman, Jeffrey. "Pay College Athletes? They're Already Paid Up To $125,000 Per Year." Forbes.com. Forbes LLC, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
College sports has become like a job with players getting paid in scholarships, and the coach being the boss. The players must do what the coaches tell them to, and that is not always the best thing because coaches will do whatever it takes to win and earn money, even encouraging the use of drugs (Peck 36). Sometimes when coaches want players to come to their schools, they will give them preferential treatment and benefits while they participate in college sports regardless of NCAA rules (Saffici and Pellegrino 1 of 6). There is no doubt that college athletics are changing and becoming a big business, so the rules associated with how student-athletes are treated must change too (Saffici and Pellegrino 1 of 6).
...it off of their likeness. No we should not be paid millions of dollars, or even hundreds of thousands, but I do believe that student-athletes should receive a small amount of money .It is only fair to the student-athletes because they are the ones out there putting in work on the field, weight room, film room, and traveling half the time to represent the university on top of trying to maintain a grade point average. I feel that it does not only deserve, but I also believe that getting a stipend would help student-athletes learn to manage their money. There is a reason so many athletes that make it to the professional level end up broke. It’s not fair to the players that they cannot make a profit off of their god given talents and their likeness. In a certain aspect college athletics is sort of like slavery, the university controls almost every aspect of your life.
substantial amount of money each year"(Johnson and Acquaviva np). Some athletes do not appreciate the gift of a scholarship given to them and wish for a salary instead. William Casement of Naples, a former philosophy professor, states, "Athletes are fortunate that they received their degrees or made substantial process toward it while competing athletically"(Casement and Haug np). Craig Greenlee, a free-lance sports journalist, claims, "The scholarship does not include spending money allowance to help cover incidental expenses such as laundry or bath items"(Greenlee 62). Why should student athletes receive spending money when students with academic scholarships do not even expect to get spending money. Athletes complain about not getting a salary for the sport they participate in, but they do not realize that education acts as another form of payment.
... money to live. They are most likely not capable of getting a part time job, especially during season because of their hectic schedule. They do not always have the financial support of family while they are away. College athletes are also at risk multiple injuries that could lead to them being let go from the team. It would be great if they were allowed to keep their scholarships as long as they kept their grades up. They also should be able to make at least a percentage off of their own names. Businesses make products using their names, jersey numbers, faces and can make thousands of dollars and none of it will go to the athlete. That is not right and it is really just another form of slavery. College athletes are controlled by these organizations and their contracts that tell them what they can and cannot do; yet, they are not paying them anything.
One of the strongest arguments against student athletes getting paid is that many people feel they already are getting paid, through their financial aid package. Sports Illustrated author, Seth Davis, states in his article “Hoop Thoughts”, that “student athletes are already being payed by earning a free tuition. Which over the course of four years can exceed $200,000, depending on the school they attend. They are also provided with housing, textbooks, food and academic tutoring. When they travel to road games, they are given per diems for meals. They also get coaching, training, game experience and media exposure in their respective crafts” (Davis, 2011). This is a considerable amount of income. While the majority of regular students are walking out of school with a sizeable amount of debt, most student athletes are debt free. Plus they get to enjoy other benefits that are not made available to the average student. They get to travel with their teams, t...
Mitchell, Horace. "Students Are Not Professional Athletes." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .
As I said in my last paragraph, many athletes who receive full ride scholarships have been given thousands of dollars for tuition, a meal plan, free books, and school fees, just to play sports. These athletes are also entitl...
College athletes should be paid! College athletes are often considered to be some of the luckiest students in the world. Most of them receiving all inclusive scholarships that cover all the costs of their education. They are also in a position to make a reputation for themselves in the sporting world preparing them for the next step. The ongoing debate whether student athletes should be paid has been going on for years. These athletes bring in millions of dollars for their respective schools and receive zero in return. Many will argue that they do receive payment, but in reality it is just not true. Costs associated with getting a college education will be discussed, information pertaining to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and benefits student athletes receive. First, I’ll start with costs associated with college and most of all why student athletes should be paid!
Some people say that college athletes get paid by having a scholarship, but if you look at it a different way, scholarships might change your mind. Coaches try to get players who they think have the talent to make them win and to persuade them to come to their school by offering them scholarships. The whole idea behind a scholarship is to lure the athlete into coming to your school. Scholarships are nothing more than a recruitment tactic. They will give you a scholarship as long as you produce for them. It’s all about what you can do for them. Indeed these scholarships pay for tuition, room and board, and books, but these athletes don’t have money for other necessities. The NCAA doesn’t want friends or boosters to offer athletes jobs because they ...