Should College Athletes Be Paid Essay

Many believe that college athletes should not be paid. The main debate against compensating college athletes is that they are at the university for educational purposes and playing sports is a benefit. The NCAA states, “Student-athletes are students first and athletes second. They are not university employees who are paid for their labor” (McCauley 10). Universities get all the financial benefits of the money earned from sports played from things such as team jerseys, sports passes and tickets, etc. Many argue that it is only fair to give a portion of the profit to the players that earned the money. It is very important when arguing for or against paying college athletes to not take into fairness, but to hold

College athletics today are enormous compared to the size that it was many years ago, especially in the region that I live in which is SEC country, should student athletes that have contributed to this growth be compensated for their contributions or not. With many big television deals and high ticket pricing this has been a topic that has become a constant in the minds of many. This topic is beginning to gather legs and making a move to the forefront of the NCAA to have to face with the recent decision by Northwestern to vote on unionization. This research will provide many aspects that will show ideas that may have or may not have been thought of as far as what athlete receive today as well as what

The question about payment to college athletes is consistently raised in discussions because the decision is extremely controversial. It is important to mention that there are both pros and cons on this matter. Payment to college athletes can be perceived as a positive opportunity or negative drawback of involvement in professional sports that distracts them from learning. Young people should be able to develop their individuality, socialize and learn instead of being focused on the job before getting a diploma. In fact, the vast share of research sustains the idea. A payment to young athletes for their sports achievement should be perceived as an issue because they are not yet responsible for spending wisely, they get distracted from academics and could start living a frivolous life that would deteriorate not only their professionalism but also damage the future.

Since the inception of high profile intercollegiate athletics, there has been a debate regarding the place of athletics within the structure of higher education. Within the last few decades, this debate has intensified as intercollegiate athletics has transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry that shifted the way athletic departments operate. College athletic departments have been able to generate millions of dollars in revenue through corporate partnerships, television contracts, alumni and donor support, and ticket sales (Toma, 2003). Specifically, this athletic revenue is primarily generated by football and basketball programs. College athletics has entered the “show business phase as football and basketball have evolved into commercial entertainment products (Duderstadt, p.69).” As the commercialization of collegiate athletics continue grow, the concept of student-athlete amateurism has become increasingly strained as there has been a push for providing student-athletes, specifically in football and basketball, additional compensation for their play.

College athletes are financially exploited by the NCAA and universities by not being properly rewarded for their services. In the area of college athletics, exploitation should be defined as, “an individual gaining something by taking an unfair advantage of another individual” (Miller). Exploitation in college athletics is especially problematic because student-athletes are not being justly compensated for their services to their school nor are they receiving a true education. Players are compensated for playing with much less than what they are worth because of strict NCAA rules that are in place to protect athletes “from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises” (NCAA). The NCAA protects it’s athletes through its core value of amateurism, which refers to the fact the athletes, “do not receive remuneration for their athletic services” (Miller). The organization is hiding behind their claim of player amateurism to escape the demand for player payment. Although it is a non-profit organization, the NCAA, “has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry where many of the schools’ annual revenues reach above $260 million” (Miller). Universities and athletic departments, “have gained huge gate receipts, television revenues, national visibility, donors to university programs, and more as a result of the performances of gifted basketball and football players” (Rheenen). When there is a surplus, none of it goes to increasing scholarships, it is used to pay for

sIt is a fact that student athletes are very talented who work very hard for their sport and to represent their college. But, let’s not forget that academic students also work very hard and are also dedicated and committed to meet their required work to succeed in college. Therefore, it can be suggested that intellectual students aspiring to become professionals in their academic field should be paid for their work and effort also. College is an institution of higher learning first and participating in sports is voluntary. A student athlete is not being forced to go to college or to accept a scholarship. The percentage of student athletes that do not become professional athletes is very high. Therefore, making their education a priority during their college tenure. Even though their expectations are greater compared to other students. They are under extreme pressure to earn their degree and to be able to perform at a high level in their sport. Some general guidelines the NCAA has set to prevent any type of compensation are; contracts with professional teams, salary for participating in athletics, prize money above actual and necessary expenses, play with professional team, benefits from an agent or prospective agent, agreement to be represented by an agent, and delay initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports

Today, sports are no longer fun and games, sports are a business, and college sports are no different. Many division college sports produce a huge amount of universities’ income. The school receives money from ticket sales, television contracts and games, and sport-related merchandise, along with many other sports related revenue builders. The athletes on the other hand, receive their scholarship and little more. While the idea of receiving a free college education is something few would complain about; when the issue is most student athletes are struggling with outside payments from college. Scholarship money is for the athlete’s school not pockets, therefore athletes have hard times wanting to continue college moneyless. Universities are

Today there is much controversy over the subject of compensating college athletes. Some believe that providing a payment would further complicate the issue, but others say that it would end all of the problems. College athletes should receive some form of compensation for participation in collegiate sports due to the hardships they endure, a failure of scholarships to cover all expenses , the exploitation of college athletes by the colleges and universities they play for, a disparity between coaches’ and players’ compensation, and the hypocrisy of National Collegiate Athletic Association’s rules.

The author concludes that it does not seem practical to pay collegiate athletes. There are too many barriers to keep programs from doing this. Athletic departments do not generate the needed funds to do so, and as a result trying to pay athletes could lead to the termination of programs. Paying student athletes could also result in losing the charm currently associated with college sports, by turning it into somewhat of a business.

Many perceptions of college sports, mainly center around division one football and basketball schools and championship teams that bring in big money. Even though college athletics are the heartbeat of most universities, If the student athlete starts being paid, the whole viewpoint kids will have on college sports will change forever. Though sports terms are essential to schools, College athletes will look at college as a job and not what is supposed to be, which is a place for learning and development. Paying the student athlete, a salary will be counterproductive, it will cause a countless problem for the university and

College athletics have always been popular across the United States. In recent years it seems to have escalated tenfold. Football and basketball being at the top of everyone’s interest. Collegiate sports have brought in a large sum of revenue to their Universities, in addition to increasing the overall popularity of the college. For example, in an article from Forbes website, “that the University of Alabama’s Athletic Program had the highest revenue of any other University in 2014 at $81,993,762” (Jessop). Even though the college made a large sum of money, no college athletes were legally rewarded for their work. According to NCAA rules you must obey their rules

Athletes’ role on the field, generates revenue for universities from merchandise, ticket sales, and advertising. They generate revenue, considering the fact that students, alumni, and family purchase tickets to witness players secure wins for UT. An athlete’s role in the production of profit, has begged the question: Should student-athletes get paid? While it is true that students who value their education believe that athletes are already compensated enough through scholarships, I believe, based on how much work athletes devote to their athletic and academic demands, the risk of an injury that athletes encounter, and the revenue athletes acquire for universities, that student-athletes

In recent years, there has been increased dialogue concerning the topic of compensating college athletes above athletic scholarships. Scholars, the media, and fans have debated this issues of whether intercollegiate athletes should receive remuneration for participation in sports beyond their education-related compensation of tuition, room, and board. Compensation for student athletes, particularly Division I football and basketball poses a greater concern about the moral and ethical conduct of those in leadership. In particular, commercialization of intercollegiate sports where the main focus is to generate revenue in the backs of the student-athletes whom the NCAA and member institutions decline to acknowledge them as worthy employees

The commercialization of college athletics has created a strain on universities to move beyond simply providing an education in exchange for participation in sports. Proponents of paying athletes fail to understand college is about education. Creating or changing the current system which relies on playing for pride, would create vulnerabilities in how schools recruit, offer scholarships, and create institutions of learning. Students have complained schools have been making money off the hard work of the students. This argument is contrary to the responsibilities which the NCAA has to all college athletes. Creating a pay for play system, the spirit of college sports is lost. Add to the complications that are

In, recent years, there has been much controversy over whether college athletes should be paid. The argument has primarily consisted of whether college athletes deserve special monetary treatment over the other students at universities. Some athletes are starting to feel exploited because the universities are using the players in their advertising campaigns. These students aren’t receiving any financial compensation for their images being used in the media. These athletes are bringing in millions of dollars to their schools in sponsorships, but what are they getting in return? College athletes should have their full tuition, meals, and housing paid for, but the school should not be responsible for giving these student athletes money for playing. The school should not be responsible for paying the athletes because college athletes are financially irresponsible, college athletic programs cannot afford to pay athletes, playing sports is a privilege, and it would remove athletes’ competitive nature and passion for the game.