College Athletes Should Be Paid

In the recent past, college athletics has gained massive fame in the United States. The immense fame of the college athletics has developed over the past twenty years. The massive development and fame of the college athletics have resulted in improved incomes for the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Due to increased revenue received by the NCAA, the participates in athletics in the colleges has fuelled the argument of whether the college athletes need to be paid and rewarded more than just the athletic scholarships. In this research paper, I will take a stab at to respond the question whether they should be paid by delving the explanations for and against the payment of the college athletes (Adams and Becky 108).

College sports can determine a person’s lifestyle. Determines whether or not they can go pro or get a job. Paying athletes can give them a better sense of money. They can learn how to save their money up, learn how to spend it correctly, and a great sense of financial awareness. The problem is that many

College sports is a multi-billion dollar industry. Each year thousands of high school students are recruited to play college sports, but under strict conditions. Students are required to do well in athletics while keeping up with their academics. College athletes spend up to forty five hours per week on practices, training, and games. In addition, they spend roughly forty hours on their academics. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) does not think it is necessary to pay these athletes because they want to maintain the “amateur sport” status. According to Stanley Eitzen in his “College Athletes should be Paid, “The universities and the NCAA claim their athletes in big-time sports programs

A few problems arise as a result of the athletes overloaded schedule. With barely any room for free time, these athletes have no chance at obtaining even a part time job to earn money for things that a full scholarship simply does not cover. 85 percent of college athletes on a scholarship live below the poverty line, this fact found in a 2011 report (Mitchell and Edelman). That fact is surreal considering millions of dollars are being made of these athletes and well over half of them are below the line. With the overloaded schedule the athletes time to eat often does not align with the hours of operation of the cafeteria which can

Some college athletic departments are as wealthy as professional sports teams. The NCAA has an average annual revenue of $10.6 billion dollars. College athletes should be paid because of the amount of revenue that they bring to their college. Each individual college should pay its athletes based on how much revenue they bring to the college in which they attend. The colleges that win their Division title, their Conference title, or the National championship, give bonuses to the Head coach of that team. If colleges have enough money to give bonuses to coaches, that means they have money that is left over for the athlete who gives them recognition to pay them. College athletes should be paid based solely upon the performance and success that they have.

Kim Kardashian’s ex lover is not just famous for dating a “Kardashian”; he was more famous for the controversial issue with the NCAA due to proceeds given to him for his ability on the field. Reggie Bush made a lot of accomplishments while being a college athlete. Because of his skills, he was rewarded an amount of money. While Reggie Bush was playing at the University of Southern California, statistics show that the college generated roughly fifty-five million dollars. That’s a lot of money for one athlete to bring in. Every day we hear more and more stories about NCAA investigators and colleges being punished for “paying” players. However, college athletes bring in a lot of money. Therefore, they should get a percentage whether it is a small amount or a large amount. It will depend on the athletes’ ability. While some may argue that paying college athletes to play is wrong, college athletes have a marketable skill and should be paid for their skill.

Asking wether to pay college athletes or not is one of the most heated debates in NCAA history. Although it may sound good to the students, it will arise devastating effects on society. The discrimination that might occur if we decide to pay athletes could initiate public riots or violence. The idea of college athletes being paid should be put to rest based on the consequences that would arise (Bokshan).

Over the last several years, college athletics have gained monumental popularity in the United States. With the rise in popularity, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its colleges have also seen a rise in revenue. Some college athletic programs have revenue in the millions. Yet with this large sum of money, no college athletes are legally compensated for their work. According to NCAA rules, “You are not eligible for participation in a sport if you have ever: Taken pay, or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport” (NCAA Regulations 1).

College coaches have a low-tolerance policy for players that will not attend practice or work hard while they are there. Practices are typically mandatory to all players and last over 50 hours a week (Nocera). Due to the high intensity practices, the players do not have time for even a part time job. This causes a problem to the players because they do not have a direct income source and only their school is paid for. Once a player graduates they start from scratch again, since athletics and studying take up all of a student-athlete’s time. The athletes do not have a fair opportunity to develop savings for a future. Due to the lack of time, the NCAA should present the players with a monthly allowance to support all expenses life offers, rather than only supporting the players’ education. College life is expensive, and the absence of income is not a smart path to take during a time of lonesome. Students transition from their home life, where most things are paid for by their parents, to an expensive college life, where most students are left with their own financial responsibility. Garda shows how the NCAA restricts the players from income, “Furthermore, many colleges and universities prohibit student-athletes from holding part-time jobs, because work could potentially diminish an athlete's energy and dedication towards his or her

College athletes should be paid and coaches should not be paid multimillion contracts. College athletes work really hard as they try as hard as they can to try to get noticed more to get into the professional league. Even though the NCAA makes 1 trillion dollars and it all goes to the professional leagues and to the college coaches the college teams still don't get paid. When a top tier basketball or football players plays it generates $200,000 dollars for their school and nothing for them. Their coaches get millions of dollars per year for their contract and the players get no money from any of those choices.Olympians that go into the olympics get paid for some reason. Olympian Kyle Snyder got money for winning and got 250,000 while setting

If college athletes get paid, most of them will use their money for their families. They will also have money to provide for their neighborhoods. Most college athletes come poor neighborhoods and families which means they are lucky to get money to go to college. So if college athletes are able

professional athletes. These athletes are often one step away from either being picked up by a professional team, or one step away from being recognized just as much as a professional athlete. What separates college athletics from professional athletics is the pay and perks that come along with playing in a collegiate division versus those that involve playing at a professional level.

College athletes are holding down basically a full time job without getting paid money to buy food or live off. These players work countless hours all day all year around for their school with many off season training. Many of these athletes come from a poor family and don’t have any extra money to buy the food that they need or even live a life like these other college students that don't play sports.

Instead of getting what they are worth, college athletes are forced to pay costs like room, board, and travel expenses that are not covered by most athletic scholarships—leaving many college athletes living below the poverty line. In most cases, excluding the glamour sports of football and basketball, the average N.C.A.A. athletic scholarship is nowhere near a full ride, amounting to $8,707. In sports like baseball or track and field, the number is routinely as low as $2,000. Even when football and basketball are included, the average is $10,409. Tuition and room and board for N.C.A.A. institutions often cost between $20,000 and $50,000 a year. So because of the low number of scholarships given to student athletes and expensive college costs, the NCPA/Drexel report proposes an alternative solution. The proposed solution is to allow players to receive a portion of revenues (from TV contracts, for instance) and sequester those funds in an “educational lockbox,” which players can only tap to cover school-related costs. Players would receive the rest of the money only after graduation, potentially increasing graduation rates “Why college athletes deserve six figure salaries.”

Also, athletes would not have enough time between their sports and education to hold jobs. College athletes usually dedicate about 50 hours per week to their sport (Nocera 2). Because athletes do not have enough time for jobs, 86% of college athletes that are covered by full scholarships live below the poverty line (College 1). Shabazz Napier, the star point guard of Connecticut, complained of hunger after leading his team to win the March Madness men’s basketball tournament. “I just feel like a student-athlete, and sometimes, like I said, there’s hungry nights and I’m not able to eat and I still got to play up to my capabilities. … When you see your jersey getting sold — it may not have your last name on it — but when you see your jersey getting sold and things like that, you feel like you want something in return.” (Phillips 1). The NCAA and the colleges earn enough money made by college athletes, to get the athletes out of poverty.