Paid Athletes
PaiD Athletes
Try to picture this scenario: You are one of the best performers of your skill amongst your age group. You, along with those who perform with you, generate so much profit that together you pay for all the employees, employers, and everything else associated with the company you work for. However, you are not paid any sum of money whatsoever. Many college athletes face similar dilemmas. The National Collegiate Athletic Association governs all student athletes and has established strict rules ensuring that these students see no form of profit from the service they provide. Although these young athletes are the face of their University, they are unable to reap any of the rewards associated with their skill. Yes, scholarships are provided, however they rarely pay for an athlete’s entire college career and even if they do, it simply allows the athlete to play for free. Student athletes should be paid because it will decrease their inclination to seek illegal compensation, there is more than enough money to pay them, and because graduation rates among student athletes are so incredibly low.
One of the biggest mistakes made by successful college athletes is accepting money illegally (Porto 1-2). Sometimes the frustration of producing so much money for an organization and not being able to see a dime of it is overwhelming, and the athlete uses other, illegal means to receive payment. Under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rule, college athletes are by no means allowed to receive payments for their abilities as athletes (Porto 3). However, some athletes do so anyway (Porto 3). “In a 1989 survey of professional football players, 31 percent of the respondents admitted to having accepted illegal payments during their college careers and 48 percent of the respondents said that they knew of other athletes who took such payments during college” (Porto 3). But much of this illegal payment can be attributed to the lack of playing or “job”
Try to picture this scenario: You are one of the best performers of your skill amongst your age group. You, along with those who perform with you, generate so much profit that together you pay for all the employees, employers, and everything else associated with the company you work for. However, you are not paid any sum of money whatsoever. Many college athletes face similar dilemmas. The National Collegiate Athletic Association governs all student athletes and has established strict rules ensuring that these students see no form of profit from the service they provide. Although these young athletes are the face of their University, they are unable to reap any of the rewards associated with their skill. Yes, scholarships are provided, however they rarely pay for an athlete’s entire college career and even if they do, it simply allows the athlete to play for free. Student athletes should be paid because it will decrease their inclination to seek illegal compensation, there is more than enough money to pay them, and because graduation rates among student athletes are so incredibly low.
One of the biggest mistakes made by successful college athletes is accepting money illegally (Porto 1-2). Sometimes the frustration of producing so much money for an organization and not being able to see a dime of it is overwhelming, and the athlete uses other, illegal means to receive payment. Under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rule, college athletes are by no means allowed to receive payments for their abilities as athletes (Porto 3). However, some athletes do so anyway (Porto 3). “In a 1989 survey of professional football players, 31 percent of the respondents admitted to having accepted illegal payments during their college careers and 48 percent of the respondents said that they knew of other athletes who took such payments during college” (Porto 3). But much of this illegal payment can be attributed to the lack of playing or “job”
Cited: Eitzen, Stanley D. Opposing Viewpoints: Sports and Athletes. Ed. James D Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 11 April 2010. Foster, Forrest. “When Eligibility is Over: Too Often Black Student-Athletes are Left Unprepared for Life After College Sports.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education 26.8 (2009): 23. General OneFile. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 8 April 2010. Haden, Christopher W. “Foul! The Exploitation of the Student-Athlete: Student-Athletes Deserve Compensation for Their Play in the College Athletic Arena.” Journal of Law & Education 30.4 (2001): 673-81. General OneFile. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 8 April 2010. Meshfejian, Krikor. “Pay to Play: Should College Athletes Be Paid?” At Issue: Should College Athletes Be Paid? Ed. Geoff Griffin. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 11 April 2010. Peterson, Kristina. “After Injuries, College Athletes Are Often Left to Pay the Bills.” The New York Times 16 July 2009: A1. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 9 April 2010. Porto, Brian L. “Paid College Athletes Won’t Be Tempted to Accept Illegal Payment or Gamble.” At Issue: Should College Athletes Be Paid? Ed. Geoff Griffin. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 9 April 2010. Whitlock, Jason. “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid.” Opposing Viewpoints: Sports and Athletes. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. University of Delaware Library. 9 April 2010.