Athletes Should Not Be Banned

The coaches for the two most popular sports in college, basketball and football, “…at Division I colleges and universities regularly earn annual salaries in excess of $1 million…” (G) Where the coaches are making way more than the professors and other staff at the colleges or universities. But they do not provide insurance for their players. The NCAA does not have insurance coverage for athletes’ injuries. The coaches are not the ones playing the athletes are but the coaches make all the money. So if a player gets injured in practice or a game, they have to get medical help on their own, and emergency room visits at hospital are expensive especially if they do not have medical insurance. I believe they deserve medical insurance in cases of injuries and having insurance will ensure the athletes of no worries and a faster recovery. The school takes in money from ticket sales, television contracts, video games and merchandise, just to name a few so if the school or NCAA provide medical insurance, it would be a reward for their hard work and

SHOULD EXECPTIONALLY TALENTED YOUNG ATHLETES BE ALLOWED TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WHEN THEY ARE STILL IN THEIR EARLY TEENS EVEN IF THEY HAVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM HOME AND LEAVE SCHOOL?

Before high school athletes totally rule out trying to play sports in college they need to consider the similarity and differences between high school and college sports. As young children, most high school athletes started out dreaming about being a sports star and making it into the professional. If these dreams are given up because college sports seem out of reach or too difficult, they will never know where they could have ended up. College sports can seem like a big step from high school sports but in the end they have many similarities.

There would be no rush to graduate because the student-athlete is receiving free education, housing and meals as well as making money. College sports should be played for the love of the game, not for the love of money.

Secondly, there is a major difference between professional sports and college sports. “Students are not professional athletes who are paid salaries and incentives for a career in sports. They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports...student athletes are amateurs who choose to participate in intercollegiate athletics as part of their educational experience, thus maintaining a distinction between student athletes who participate in the collegiate model and professional athletes who are also students” (Mitchell). The collegiate athletes’ incentive is the access to an outstanding education. College athletes playing a college sport is not a career or a profession. “The NCAA plays a critical role in the maintenance of a revered tradition of amateurism in college sports”(Ross). This quote is laudable because

         The NBA has seen many different players come and go throughout its 50 years of existence. In the last 15 years, there has been a boom of underclassmen leaving college early to enter the NBA draft. The last NBA draft in June, the top ten picks alone were underclassmen(Sports Illustrated, 264). Many more underclassmen are entering the NBA this year. The typical college career for the basketball players is playing until your junior year, then going pro. The NBA and the NCAA must do something in order to keep these young players in college.

Millions of dollars in their pockets could be a dangerous idea. They may not be able to withstand the pressures of professional sports and spend all their money on drugs and alcohol. What they do not understand is that once they are in that spotlight, there is no turning back. Young athletes are exciting to see in professional sports, but it makes you think of what they actually went through and handle in everyday life as a teenager. In addition, Isamu Bae says ?Professional scouts must attempt to decipher the maturity level of players, and for athletes in their teens, it is nearly impossible to figure out.? Growing up, the time a child would have playing with his friends or going to the movies, would not be there like for any normal kid. They made the sacrifice to play sports rather than have a social life and be a regular kid.

The majority of student-athletes attend college to receive an education. It is a bonus that they are allowed to play a sport that they love a few years longer, before they have to move on and enter the workforce in the field for which they studied for. Advocates for not providing pay for play

This shows these athletes would do better off with the professional help of the NBA. A major part of my action plan is to provide these athletes with the option to either attend a college or university for one year and then enter into the NBA draft or become drafted straight out of high school with the understanding that they will have to play for that specific teams developmental league for one year before joining the actually team itself. Ultimately, this plan would allow athletes to receive the financial benefits needed in the short term while still developing and preparing themselves for years in the NBA.

Many of these benefits that college athletes receive are not included in their scholarship. Forbes.com recently stated in an article that, “at more successful universities, athletes also receive academic counseling, tutoring, life skill training, and even nutritional advice.” Athletes that have these benefits do not pay for these.

     College athletes are not forced into playing the sport that they have devoted their time to during their years in secondary education. They continue to play into the college level for their love of the game.

Contrary to the belief that athletes being used for profit, the NCAA provides extensive benefits for those who participate. The organization provides anything from student financial assistance (including scholarships) to health care and insurance (Student-Athlete Benefits). These believers are all for giving more benefits and money to collegiate athletes.

All the expenses that they have to acquire overwhelm many students that attend college. When this occurs, they tend to dropout, or struggle with taking on college courses and working. What is so amazing is that high school athletes think that is they attend college for a year or two, they can go on and make a career on a professional level. They do not understand that if they do go professional, it will not always last. They will eventually have to go to college anyway. So, why not go ahead, get a good education, and have a successful career.

Many problems going around about college sports and colleges athletes. Most colleges all over the nation allow the college to have sports but then there are some that don't. Being in a sport in college is just like basically having a job. You would need to be dedicated to this and not have much time for anything else. Practices can last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day just for one thing. Kind of crazy to think about something like this. Many people just simply don't have the time to do sports in college because they have a real job outside of school. This is different compared to high school because you would have time then and now you don't have much time for anything else at all. There are college athletes basically everywhere you go. Whether they play for universities or juts community colleges, it's all the same thing. The only big difference about this is the price differences. Universities are much more expensive then when playing for a community college so that's why people get scholarships.

According to NCAA, “There are more than 460,000 NCAA student-athletes, and fewer than two percent will go pro in their sports.” [NCAA.org, “Probability of competing beyond high school,” (Sept. 2013)] This means that only nine thousand two hundred college student athletes make it to the pros after their college career is done. Honestly, that is a very small amount, considering college athletes do not get paid at all to play. Additionally, people assume most college athletes will someday make it to the pros, but that is not the case. Nowadays, outstanding talent is hard to come by.