Should College Athletes Be Paid A Salary?

What college athlete would not want to be paid to play the sport that he or she loves? The real question is, though, should college athletes be paid for their roles in a college’s athletics? They are many points to each side of this recent controversial topic, which is why this has been made into such a hot debate in the past couple of years. As of right now, these athletes are not getting paid, but many of them truly believe that they should. Others believe that they already are being paid through certain types of scholarships and don’t deserve anything more than that. With that being said, there are two sides of this topic that have quality points.

In America sports wherever there is people, there will also be sports. Sports have played a major role in American history. To some people sports is all they have. It is just the way that things are. The issue in sports now is that the NCAA exploit the sports world and the very backbone of the corporation is the poorest. It is an issue that has been around for quite some time now. The issue is that the sports world face is the fact that college athletes are not paid, although they perform in a multibillion dollar industry. The NCAA basically has a monopoly on college athletics, and generate about one billion dollars a year. College sports are extremely demanding both in and out of season, and these athletes put their future on the line. The NCAA should be legally obligated to compensate athletes, based solely on the fact that the money made, is from their performance.

Some people agree with his opinion on when they get to enter into the pro league. Athletes should be able to choose how they feel, and if they want to get strait to the league or go to college. If they choose to go to college they should have the right to choose how long they go and when they go to the league. That said, if they choose to do that they should be paid depending on if they actually go to on to the NFL, and pay back what they were paid.

There is no doubt some of the highest salaries in America belong to professional athletes. Whether it’s LeBron James’s $19.3 million dollar salary with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Matt Ryan’s $42 million dollar deal with the Atlanta Falcons, professional athlete’s salaries prove just how valuable the players are to whatever organization they are a part of. (Forbes.com) In 2014 the average professional football franchise was valued at $1.4 billion and the average professional basketball franchise was valued at $1.1 billion so it’s no wonder why athletes can be paid such high sums of money.(Forbes.com) Besides professional sports American’s love college athletics, college football in particular. Drawing in an average of 44,997 fans per game

When will loving a sport be enough to play? When will athletes feel like their work is being recognized? When will athletes quit demanding more: more chances, more freedom, and now, more money? When will student-athletes truly become “student-athletes”, without putting athletics before academics? Do student-athletes deserve to be paid a salary, in addition to their scholarships? How would a salary effect the way collegiate sports are being played now? Paying a college athlete a salary goes far beyond simply writing a check to the student. Paying a college athlete would consist of determining the rate of pay for all athletes and all sports, the changes it would bring to the athlete’s life, and even the overall academic commitment of these athletes.

College sports is a business that brings in a lot of money to schools and athletic programs. Division I college athletes, particularly football and basketball players, get many perks for contributing to the team’s season and devoting so much time to the sport. What is not often thought about is the money that football and basketball brings in and what the athletes get in return for bringing this money to the university. Many athletes are taken advantage of because the schools use the money for their own benefit, do not take into consideration the athletes busy schedule and not having time for a job, their living and medical expenses, and how important they are to bringing in money for the school.

Being a college athlete myself, the one question that tends to be asked by most of the

Throughout the years, the United States has been struggling on whether or not college athlete students should be paid. According to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), association that regulates college sports, it is against the law to pay athlete students. Even though they are a lot of lawsuits and complains the law remains the same. Student athletes should not be paid because: it would not be profitable for the universities, athletes should go to college for an educational purpose rather than for a business purpose, and paying them would change the essentials of college sports.

The world we live in, our every action is driven by some economics motivation. Every task we perform now has some kind of monetary value attached to it. While some may argue that has made us materialistic, others believe it’s just a way of acknowledging each other’s hard work. A similar trend is seen in sports; athletes and coaches are paid, highly to acknowledge them and show appreciation. However, when it comes to college sports, everyone’s views change and only the coaches are the ones being compensated. Today, I would like to argue against these double standards because, the effort college athletes put towards their sport and the commercialization of college level sports, justifies the notion of monetary compensation for college athletes.

Another year has come and gone in which thousands of fans have been able to enjoy a variety of sports at the collegiate level. Many spectators of collegiate sports would affirm that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) provides as much entertainment as professional sports; a fact that is prove to by the organization’s annual revenue, which nets more than $6 billion yearly (Fitzel, 3). Interestingly enough, National Basketball Association (NBA) generates less then college football and basketball (the value, 7). There is one key difference between the NBA and the NCAA. NBA players are paid on a commission basis for the revenue they help bring in. On the other hand, NCAA athletes are denied any monetary compensation. NCAA athletes are promised a free education if they dedicate themselves completely to their sports (Schneider, 2). This essay seeks to explore the reasons and consequences of not paying these college athletes, as well as the ethics of doing so. It will explore both points of view to answer the question “should college athletes be paid to play?” This issue is relevant to student athletes, Division One Universities, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. For this analysis it is important to note the definition of a student athlete. A student athlete is described as a full time student who participates in a sport at the school he or she attends. Additionally, Division One Universities are institutions that offer up to a doctorate degree for

All Division 1 athletes put their heart and soul into the sport that they work so hard for day after day, week after week, month after month. For many years, athletes’ passion and hard work for the game that they play has gotten them an opportunity to attend a university where they are able to showcase their talent and ability at one of the highest amateur levels of athletics. When one makes it to the Division 1 level, playing sports is more or less a business. The job that one has as a student athlete is to play sports and make a profit for the college he or she attends. In the past years, there has been one controversial question that lingers in the minds of athletes, sports analysts and fans across the nation. Should Division 1 athletes be paid to participate? Division 1 student athletes should not receive payment or a salary for competing in college athletics.

Universities establish their reputation in their accreditation, the success rate of their students, and believe it or not, their athletic achievements. Upon applying to colleges, an applicant will almost always base their interest in the institution on its educational value, location, student feedback, and sports. Many of these universities grant extremely generous scholarships to student athletes, offering them a practically free education. While some agree with this method of accommodation, others argue that these athletes are being taken advantage of. They contest the college’s intentions by claiming that it is simply profiting from the labor of its football and basketball teams. The current question at hand is whether or not colleges and universities should pay their student athletes. However, I believe that doing so would devalue the university’s education by insinuating that athletics are greater than or come before academics. This would also be an unfair advantage, given the countless other students that get academic scholarships and take part in collegiate clubs but receive no additional monetary help. There are also the students of the arts who participate in numerous performances and events that are equivalent to the work put forth by sports players. Therefore, in its simplest of terms, paying student athletes would just be inequitable.

Over the past few decades, more and more people have been following college sports. In the United States, about 47 percent of people follow college sports (Statistics and facts on College Sports, par. 1). College Universities generate a great amount of revenue, and it is only far that the players get their fair share. College athletes should be paid because the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is 11 billion dollar industry, they don't have time for a job, and have to focus on school.

            If college students are spending their time playing these sports and not working, they should be getting paid for it. Not only are these students forfeiting their time to study, talk to friends, and even relax after classes, but they are missing an opportunity to have jobs. “Players’ relationships to the school they play for should be spelled out in an individualized pay-for-service contract rather than an NCAA-standardized letter of intent that impinges on basic freedoms” (Marx, 475). The NCAA requires that students are enrolled full time and play football to gain the scholarship offered. There is an argument by Hartenstine on this subject that “Some 15 percent played professional football as a first career, but 15 percent were corporate executives, 13

“According to Jeffrey Dorfman, only a few collegiate sports actually bring in money. College football, as well as men’s and women’s basketball, are the money makers as far as collegiate athletics is concerned. Most other programs are actually cash strapped,” (Patterson). In 2010, only twelve out of the 120 FBS Division-1 schools broke even or made a profit, (Bokshan). This all makes it way too difficult to even begin thinking about paying student athletes. It proposes so many different questions. Since only football and basketball generates profit, should those players be the only ones paid? Now, that wouldn’t be fair to all of the other student athletes. Also, where would the money come from? As mentioned before, only a fraction of programs actually generate profit. So does that mean it should be the responsibility of the school to pay these athletes? If that is the case, universities will lose money out of their general funds. This would result in taking away money from academic scholarships to the students who do not play sports, classroom resources, professors’ salaries, and more. “Other questions include how much should students-athletes be paid, how often, will it work in a similar way that professional contracts work, etc? All these questions reveal how difficult it would be to change the college athletic system to compensate college