Should Universities Pay Their Hardworking Athletes?

For years college athletes have been working their whole life to play in College. Day in and day out, working their hardest, pouring their heart and soul into their sport. Over decades athletes have been able to showcase their talent to get to College. When a college school recruits you, your job is to bring in money for the University. A real athlete plays the game for their desire and passion for the sport. Recently, athletes have been questioning whether or not they should be paid for their hard work and dedication to the sport. In this essay, I will explain the effects of paying athletes.

All of us have had some kind of emotion after winning a big game. Nothing can ruin the happiness and excitement you feel; you feel on top of the world. In these moments, nothing matters but the victory, you don’t think of the money when you’re winning. It is a privilege to get the opportunity to play at a college level. After doing some research, I noticed a lot of athlete have a split decision between yes and no. I think paying student-athletes could create more problems for other athletes, students and universities. Student-athletes are already getting paid from their scholarship and other benefits from the university, including food, housing, books, and tuition. The average student-athlete cost over $100,000 a year. On top of that, they’re given extra benefits such as strength and conditioning coaches, clothes, equipment, free tutors, and trainers. At most college universities all of those benefits can cost up to about $200,000 over the four years they’re staying in a college dorm. So, if you really think about it, they don’t need to be paid, but at the same time they do.

College universities can be sponsored by three different brand name...

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...time when they need to be independent adults able to support themselves. In search of independence athletes may take out student loans, putting them in a financial predicament. Paying athletes would make them less dependent on their parents and take them out of the debt from their student loans. They don’t need to pay them a lot; just enough to take their girlfriends out, or let them save up for the real world just in case they don’t make it to a professional level.

Colleges, especially big Division 1 universities, bring in millions during football season. But when the die heart fans purchase their ticket and walk through the stadium entrance, who are they coming to see? Are they coming to see the coach? No, they are there supporting the players and the team who have worked so hard. My personal opinion is to pay each player $500 a game, that’s not too much to ask.