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College Inhletes : The Benefits Of The College Athlete

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College athletics are a multibillion-dollar industry, and just about everyone is profiting off of it – except the workers themselves. Although the NCAA draws in about $11 billion dollars a year, the organization’s regulations ban athletes from profiting off of their platform at all. Considering how much money is floating around between the coaches, the universities, and the NCAA, it seems fair that many college athletes at big name schools are looking for some sort of compensation. The average college football player spends an average of more than 43 hours a week on their sport, and must spend countless more hours on their studies and other responsibilities at the university (Anderson). In a Huffington Post article, Shabazz Napier, a star of the 2014 UCONN basketball team, said there were hungry nights where he couldn’t afford to eat (Lemmons). For a player working far more than a full time job and helping bring in millions for the university, the coach, and the NCAA, it’s almost criminal that they can’t afford everyday necessities. The athletes aren’t looking for a huge paycheck, but it would be fair to let them capitalize on their status and earn what they can throughout their career. In 2012, Johnny Manziel electrified college football while at Texas A&M and took home the Heisman Trophy. A study by the university assessed that in one season, he had produced more than $37 million in media exposure for Texas A&M (Cooper). This doesn’t even include the countless merchandise

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