Student Athletes Paid

College sports are a phenomenon that keeps viewers coming back for more. Stated in an article on Money Nation the NCAA makes an estimated $1 billion per year and this number is still growing. What really is insane is that all that money is made off of college athletes, who don’t get a penny from that total number. The debate on whether or not college athletes should be paid has been around for decades and probably will still be here for years to come. Paying college athletes would make the teams unfair, change how hard players will work to get better, affect the amateurism of college sports, and lastly influence the athlete's willingness to participate in college sports.

College sports also known as the greatest source of entertainment known to man this era. There are several types of sports ranging from non- physical to the most physical contact sports. Each sport takes sacrifice and dedication to be able to perform at your best knows matter what level. The NCAA is a million dollar business that lets student athletes show their athletic ability and skill toward other individuals. That is the main reason for the creation of collegiate sports, but not to downside the meaning of entertainment. Controversy of paying these athletes is a big deal at the moment. There have been many scandals of athletes receiving direct pay under the table that is not included in their financial aid or scholarship. Paying the

We often forget that playing a sport is not the only way to earn a scholarship. Many students are accepted for exceptional grades, involvement in the band, clubs, or being well rounded. Most of these students just have to study to keep their scholarship, while the athletes have to work hard and be a student. In a competitive market, “workers” are paid according to the value of the output they produce (Heath). It does not seem right that the college journalist can sell their piece to a paper for extra cash, or the local band can play for a few dollars at the bar Saturday night, or the biology major that takes an internship at the school lab can be profitable yet college athletes cannot. Under the NCAA they are not allowed to make any money of their skill. Any college student should be able to endorse products (Wilbon). This is why the idea of going to school for free should not be an argument against paying athletes, because that is not the case and they have earned it.

Whether or not student-athletes should be paid has been a hotly debated topic since the 1900s. College athletes spend just as much time, if not more time, practicing and devoting time and energy to sports as they do academics. For this, many athletes are rewarded with scholarship money. However, many people believe it is not enough. Should we pay student-athletes a slice of the wealth or is a full-ride scholarship enough? (Business Insider). What if the athlete gets injured? Where does the money come out of to support each athlete’s salary? The huge amount of money being generated from college sports has led some people to think that the athletes are entitled to some of that revenue. While, some think that student-athletes should be paid, others disagree for various reasons.

College athletics are becoming more like the professional leagues except for one big issue, money. Student athletes bring in a vast amount of revenue for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) not to mention recognition and notoriety regarding the athlete’s university. However, the debate continues as to whether student athletes should or should not receive payment for playing college sports.

A topic that is very controversial for everyone is, should student-athletes in college be compensated? There numerous evidence that supports in favor and many against the proposition of paying student- athletes who play sports for their university. As a college athlete, students are putting their bodies on the line each game they play. There’s possibility of suffering a traumatic brain injury or being paralyze after physical contact. These athletes are sacrificing their bodies and physical health at an opportunity to play a game which they love, and hopefully play it in the professional level. While that’s taking place, college football and basketball are big business that keep expanding. College sports bring in a large amount of revenues. The result is that many of them fail to graduate. Paying college athletes would not ruin amateur sport because even though most college athletes do get scholarship and should focus on their education it doesn’t help them if most of the time they are not attending classes to be in practice or games. College sports do make a high-income and athletes deserve a portion of the revenue they bring their programs.

Student athletes in college are held to a higher standard than normal students since they are juggling a lot more in their lives. Student athletes have to set aside a lot of time for practice while still maintaining good grades and a social life. Some people believe that because of this demanding schedule that student athletes should be paid. Where on the other hand many believe that they shouldn’t since they choose to be on a sports team, this is a topic that is debated upon by many. One solution could be to lower the tuition for student athletes since they are offering their talents to the school. As long as the students stay on the team they will get some money off their college tuition every year.

Tyson Hartnett says, “Contrary to what all the opponents believe, being an athlete is a full-time job. On a typical day, a player will wake up before classes, get a lift or conditioning session in, go to class until 3 or 4 p.m., go to practice, go to mandatory study hall, and then finish homework or study for a test.For a little extra money to see a movie or go out to dinner once a week, my freshman roommate worked a job at the university, earning about $7/hour. He would work his butt off all day, with two or sometimes three basketball training sessions, plus classes and homework, and go to that job for a few hours late at night. He would come back exhausted, but he needed whatever money they would pay him. However, once the season started up, he couldn 't work that job anymore.” Student athletes should be paid due to school and playing a sport taking up all of their time. This is basically the same principle as having a job and going to school. Playing a sport and going to school is equal to working and going to school.

College athletes should not be paid. “ They argue that the main purpose of going to college is to get a education, not to make money” (“Should college”...1). College is not a job, it is a place to learn. Also many college athletes receive scholarships to attend that school. “The value of the scholarships athletes receive during four years of college can be well over $250,000” (Weiss et al.1). Therefore, athletes

Over the years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has had controversy on whether or not student athletes should receive money for the sport they play. For sports fans, this issue can turn into a heated debate. In some circumstances, certain people believe that student athletes already have enough privileges. To the latter group of individuals, student athletes do not get enough and should get money for the sport they play. As a matter of fact, most college athletes will probably tell you that they should be. Student athletes should be paid for their sport.

Also, by getting paid in scholarships, college athletes do not have to pay federal or state income taxes. John R. Thelin from Time Money talks about an athlete getting a $100,000 salary instead of a scholarship and explains

Student athletes commonly go to school for one reason: their love for the sport they participate in. These student athletes get scholarships from large Division 1 schools, which means things such as schooling, board, and food will be paid for by the school so the student athletes do not have to pay for these benefits themselves (Patterson). If college athletes are to be paid, it will cause unfair compensation between players who are valued or played more than others. When student athletes are rewarded with a scholarship, they have nothing school related that they would need to pay for. This can lead them to blow all of their income on unnecessary or dangerous things such as drugs and alcohol which could get them removed from the team they

            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

Sixteen thousand two hundred and twenty-four dollars is the average cost to attend Jacksonville State University per year. That comes out to three hundred and twelve dollars per week an athlete is being compensated by the university for the athlete’s contribution to the university. Considering three hundred and twelve dollars per week amounts to take home pay. Therefore, the student athletes would have worked 52 weeks for forty hours per week at a job paying approximately eleven dollars per hour, for most college athletes that is a fair compensation. However, what if the student athlete comes from a family that is unable to provide them with any financial aid help with things as basic as personal hygiene or transportation home on the holidays?

It is often not talked about how professional athletes struggle after they call it quits on their career due to their lack of knowledge. A lot of players end up bankrupt, poor, or live a mediocre lifestyle after previously making hundreds of thousandths of dollar. They were unable to pursue a job after their career because they had no degree, no source of any intellect because they were only concerned about their athletic ability and decided to leave school after one to two years to pursue a career that could potentially ruin them for the rest of their life. NCAA should look into this matter one day and the committee should come together to establish a new rule that forces collegiate student athletes to graduate and earn their degree so they can have a life after their professional career. This new rule could potentially ensure that retired athletes could have a future after sports and could start protecting themselves from serious injuries at an earlier age. If you look at a few current and newly retired players you can easily tell how well or poor they are going to do in their lives after sports.