For many years now there has been a large debate on whether college athletes should be paid or not. A college athlete is someone who participates in an originated competitive sport for where they go to school. Some people believe that college athletes should be paid while others do not. College athletes already receive money for their participation in sports through scholarships. College athletes are also already given more than just scholarships to play sports. Most colleges would not be able to pay athletes anyways because it would cost so much. Athletes should not get paid to play college sports because they are already offered scholarship, they are given everything to them, and paying college athletes would be too expensive for colleges.
College athletes are undoubtedly some of the hardest working people in the world. Not only are they living the life of an average student, they also have a strenuous schedule with their specific sport. One of the most discussed topics in the world of college athletics is whether or not student-athletes should be paid money for playing sports. The people who disagree with the idea have some good arguments to make. Primarily that the athletes get to go to school for free for playing sports. Another argument is that if student-athletes were to get paid then it would ruin the amateurism of college sports. People who are against paying the athletes do not want to see the young people become focused on money. “Paying student-athletes would dramatically shift their focus away from where it should be - gaining knowledge and skills for life after college” (Lewis and Williams). This is very understandable because one of the biggest reasons college sports are so popular is because the athletes play for school pride and for bragging rights. They play because they enjoy the game, not because it is their job. Most people that disagree with the idea of paying the athletes fail to realize what really goes on behind the scenes. At most Universities around the country the bulk of the income the school receives is brought in through the athletic programs. In fact the football and basketball teams usually bring in enough money to completely pay for the rest of the athletic programs all together. To get a better understanding of how much has changed in the world of college sports a little history must be learned.
A question that has been rising to the surface lately is “should college athletes be paid a salary?” One cannot get on the internet now a day and not see some kind of college sport headline. The world of college sports has been changed greatly the past decade due to college athletes. These athletes make insurmountable amounts of money and an unbelievable amount of recognition for the universities. The athletes that provide and make a ton of revenue for the colleges also spend a huge amount of their time practicing and staying committed to sports, and have to maintain good grades in school which requires quite a bit of overtime. Because college athletes generate massive amounts of revenue and put in massive amounts of personal time for their individual universities, colleges need to financially compensate players for their contributions. The colleges that these superstars represent are reaping all of the benefits of the accomplishments the athletes have, yet the big named players are making nothing from what they do.
I was not really aware of the amount of people who actually concerned themselves with whether or not college athletes should be paid until I started doing research. There is no coincidence between the absurd amount of money that college sports have begun making and the more recent argument that college students should be getting paid. Going into this, I anticipated that there would be an endless amount of articles against athletes being paid for playing sports in college, but I was surprised that when looking through different databases, I found that more people think that they should. As a college student, and a non-athlete, and also as someone who has to pay full tuition, I just don’t really see why they should be able to receive anymore money than the schools are already providing them through room and board, meal plans, gyms, travel expenses and other things that the rest of us do actually pay for. I think it would be good if athletes and other proponents of them getting paid would see that this is already a great, “opportunity to both receive an education and get the exposure to win a major professional contract more than compensates NCAA athletes for their efforts” (Riely, 2008).
Between class, keeping up with their studies, participating in multiple practices and games per week, it is very hard for a college athlete to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Not to mention, these students have little time to sleep, eat, or even maintain a part time job, so that they can earn even a small income. Even though these college students receive many athletic scholarships and do get benefits like athletic apparel and fame for being a college athlete, they have no time or money for themselves. There are many pros and cons to adding college athletes to the pay roll, but does the good really outweigh the bad? The debates will continue to rise on the pressing issue of whether or not college athletes should be paid any further than the scholarships they receive. Adding college athletes to the school’s payroll is definitely something that can happen, just maybe not anytime in the foreseeable
In my experiences as a student athlete, I can vouch for those in favor of paying student athletes. Because I need more money to help me through college, I had to apply for financial aid and eventually received a grant. There are many additional expenses I have encountered in just my first semester as a student athlete. An estimate of how much money I spend each semester is around 100 dollars. These expenses range from shampoo to eating out when the cafeteria is closed. The amount of time I spend as an athlete each week takes up at least 20 hours. The combination of time spent for basketball and personal needs demonstrates why student athletes should receive money. I’m amazed at how many things require money from my own pocket. The bottom line is student athletes need to start getting paid even if it’s minimal.
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!
Should College Athletes be Paid?
Over the past century college athletics have grown more popular than most professional sports. Most of its popularity is due to a large student body in addition to its Alumni, but nonetheless it has surpassed professional sports from its monetary success to its fan support. College athletics are also a very important commodity to Universities around the nation.
In today’s world, college athletes may not play a sport for “the love of the game” instead; they may play with the hopes of making it as a professional athlete. While “the love of the game” feeling may have gotten an athlete to a Division I school to play and the chance to display their talent; at the Division I level, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) see sports strictly as a business. Over the past few months, college athletes have started to come forward claiming that they feel they should be rewarded for being one of the main sources of profit for their university. Many people believe that college athletes should not be paid due to the fact they are receiving a free education; however, college athletes may have expenses that their scholarships or grants may not cover, and being paid for what they are good at may help them cover the differences.
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.