Summary: Why College Athletes Should Be Paid

Griffin, Geoff,  Should College Athletes Be Paid? Greenhaven Press. Farmington Hills, MI:    2008. Charles H. Hammer, Walter Byers. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Exploiting College Athletes.

College athletes are the face of the NCAA, without them it would be nothing. Even though they are the ones who keep it running, they are given no money. It is a corrupt system that takes advantage of its athletes. The athletes bring in millions of dollars to their schools, scholarships do not cover the full cost of attending school, they are forced to go to college before the pros, and the athletes work more on their sport each week, than the average american works on their job, yet they receive none of the revenue.

Have you ever thought to realize that collegiate athletes are actually employees of the NCAA? On average, a Division I college football player works about 43.3 hours a week either on studies, in class, or during football, which is 3.3 hours more than the average working American. It is no question that collegiate student athletes have a difficult task to handle between playing a sport and keeping their grades up for eligibility. The definition of an employee is “An individual who works part-time or full-time under a contract of employment” (BusinessDictionary.com). Collegiate athletes are hired, or “given scholarships”, by schools to work and play for them to bring in money, so shouldn’t they be considered an employee? Employees earn wages for their work and student-athletes should too.

The authors begin the article discussing the creation of the NCAA and how they came to the creation of their amateurism laws, providing a background to as to why college athletes are not allowed to receive any form of monetary payment. Johnson and Acquaviva then present five arguments as to why college athletes should not be compensated. These arguments are that athletes are being paid with their education, new issues would arise with fair pay if college athletes were compensated, college athletes are receiving more than just an education, paying college athletes would eliminate competition, and that college athletes already know what to expect when they sign to play for a university. The authors then provide counter arguments that help to prove that college athletes should be paid for their play. These are that the cost of living is not covered in college scholarships, college athletes don’t understand that they will be set aside if they are injured or benched, and college athletes do not receive more than an education due to their full schedules. The authors then explain some of the plans that could help to fairly compensate college athletes, such as allowing them to receive endorsement deals. Finally, Johnson and

Colleges give athletes the opportunity to play sports at the highest level possible while making a constant progress towards a degree. According to the statistics, these colleges earn a huge amount of money from letting these athletes perform. As an example the NCAA and CBS/Turner sports had a $10.8 million deal for televising march madness during 2011-2014. The enormous amount of money received by the NCAA have turned into the controversy if athletes should be rewarded with money, or with a full-time scholarship during a period of 4 years. My proposal is to not pay college players, because even though they spend a ton of time working hard to perform well, and they miss college classes; an average college player in division I receive a full-time

“In 2013, the average amount of money awarded to NCAA Division 1 athletes was $13,821 for men and $14,660 for women.”(Fantasy Football: College Scholarship Myths Busted). That is thousands of dollars that college athletes don't have to worry about coming up with, that other students without athletic scholarships must earn elsewhere. Despite this, some people think they should get paid more. Further more, the purpose of colleges is to educate, not to entertain. College athletes should not be paid, because if they were that would be the focus of their college experience instead of gaining an education.

Brill, John. "Should College Athletes Be Paid?" The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism. N.p., 09 May 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2017. IN this article, John Brill talks how the college athlete should be paid, more than just having a free education. He then goes on to say that the colleges are earning more money and revenue than the NBA. Concluding, he believes that the athletes should be able to earn something for their talents.

On average annually schools make all the way up to over 50 million dollars across every sport in profit. All these schools are making a great deal of money off these star athletes and they are only going to have a bunch a books in return. On the other hand, how could this affect the other programs in the school? This is where the discourse begins on whether we should pay the college athletes or, is a scholarship more than content for the student.

This is a valid claim because, despite what some people say, education should be prioritized for these college athletes. And with the hectic schedules for practice and actual games, their study might be affected. Also, there is an issue on equal pay among players in different divisions. For example, would a school under Division I have to pay the same as other athletes who are under lower divisions? However, these student athletes are already missing school for sports. It doesn’t seem right to withhold payment to players who earned it just because it may seem to overtake learning even though their schedule is too demanding that it already has. Another reason why some don’t favor paying these athletes is because it pays players in a different way. “Critics argue that college athletes might not be paid with money, but instead paid with exposure. Many of these players would go on to play for major leagues, such as the NFL, and would make millions of dollars. The main reason for this involves their exposure and play time in college. Along with exposure, they are also given a major amount of grants and scholarships for their education.”(Pros and Cons of Paying College Athletes 8) While valid, this is not a fair point. In the NBA, they have a rule stating players must be at least one year out of high school to play in the professionally. It didn’t take long for the players to find a way around that rule. This was to play in the EuroLeague. Europe's premier basketball league not only gives them great exposure but great pay as well. If the NCAA won’t pay their players, someone else will and that’s called bad

Many kids dream of being collegiate athletes, one must wonder if all the work is worth the risk. Student athletes all around the world are having fun doing what they love and receiving a free education in exchange for their God-given talent, but at the same time they’re all at the same risk to be injured and forced to pay for their medical expenses on their own. Not only would they be forced to pay for their medical expense but there is a great chance at the same time they’re paying their medical bills that they would lose their scholarship and all that they have worked for their whole entire life. UCLA running back describe his collegiate life as “Congested and tiring”. Collegiate athletes should be compensated! Everyone all love to watch

Why do students go to college after high school? Do they go for all the wild parties that will take place during the semester? Do they go to better their education in order to get a good job once earning their degree? Do they go for sports? A lot of students do go to college to play sports. Many are living their dream by playing at a collegiate level. And many will go on to play at a professional level which they will get paid for doing. But many athletes believe that they should get paid for playing. Many college athletes state that the only reason that their university makes money on athletics is because the players attract the fans. They feel like since they are putting in the work that they should be getting paid for doing so. I have a hard time understanding why they are wanting paid when a lot of the athletes are on a full ride or have most of their tuition paid for by an athletic scholarship. Some scholarships are worth more than what someone would make by working. This is why college athletes should not get paid for playing sports.

What would make a college athlete eligible to receive payment for playing any sport? Would they have to play a sport that brings in plenty of revenue to the school? I conducted a survey asking several people around campus the same question, “Do you think college athletes should be paid for their performances?” Some of the interviewees said yes, because network and advertisements profit from them, the threatening conditions their bodies endure, and the amount of time and energy it takes to be a student-athlete. Some interviewees said no, because it is not their career and the athlete chose to play the sport, most athletes are already being compensated for their performances, and a lot of athletes receive an enormous amount in refund, so

College athletes are students, not professional athletes who are paid salaries and encourage to pursue a career in sports. College athletes are already receiving access to a college education through their respected sport and earning scholarships to pay tuition, fees, books, room and board, and other allowable expenses that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) would allow a college to give to their athletes. People should start viewing college sports as a student's vehicle to a higher education and not a career or profession. Normal students would have to pay thousands of dollars every year to just attend a university. Meanwhile, college athlete does not pay a dime. Moreover, there is no foundation in which a system of payment

Joe Johnson attends the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). He is a straight A student and dedicated football player who earned a scholarship because of those virtues. Last year, he averaged 171 passing yards, 42 touchdowns, and helped his team win the championship game. If asked, his teachers and coach will have nothing but great things to say. After practice, Joe goes home to a two bedroom apartment where he lives with his single mother and two younger brothers. Hungry from practice, he sits down to eat the meals that his mother so lovingly prepares for her children but struggles to make because of the lack of income. College athletes like Joe should be compensated because legally college players cannot make money from their

allowed to make a mere $1,200 to $2,500, an academic year, at a part time job