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Let 's Start Paying College Athletes

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Workers Compensation? As college sports continue to progress and attract millions of fanatics, the idea of paying these young athletes seems more reasonable considering all the revenue they generate. New York Times features an article by economist Joe Nocera, called Let’s Start Paying College Athletes. Nocera argues that payment to college is inevitable, the NCAA generates $6 billion dollars in revenue, and can only compensate the athletes with an inadequate education due to all the time athletes spend contributing to the athletic department. His professional background and analysis, with the help of a few others, helped Nocera develop a 5 element plan to reform college athletics. Some of the elements such as lifetime health insurance …show more content…

Using very crude terms, referring to athletes as workers Nocera mentions, “The workers are supposed to be content with a scholarship that does not even cover the full cost of attending college. Any student athlete who accepts an unapproved, free hamburger from a coach, or even a fan, is in violation of N.C.A.A. rules.”(Nocera,Ny Times). Nocera starts the article by appealing emotionally to the reader which is clever since, he can lure readers into his five element plan to reform the current collegiate practices by presenting all the issues first.

The 5 element plan Nocera proposes does not only include elements that people believe should be already integrated to college sports such as the six year scholarship program and a lifetime healthcare for college athletes. But also includes elements on paying athletes on a free market approach with a salary cap. The salary cap would keep each team in fair playing field considering they can only spend the salary cap amount on the whole team. The free market approach just flat out makes sense. For example you will not paying your starting quarterback as much as the second string kicker, that would not make sense. Yet with the 5 element plan every player has a minimum salary as well as the six year scholarship program and lifetime healthcare, so the that second string kicker is receiving adequate and fair benefits for his duties on the team. With his economic expertise Nocera presents a completely credible

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