Should Amateur Athletes Be Paid?
Should Amateur Athletes Be Paid?
The involvement of agents and boosters in collegiate level sports has become a major topic amongst headlines in news recently. If you were to pick any athletic program at random it is most likely that they have committed some sort of a violation. Many people argue that college athletes should not be paid because they receive scholarships that pay for their meals, housing, tuition, books, and so on. At some universities, these scholarships equal up to $200,000 over a four year period. Although it would seem as though these scholarships pay for most of an athletes college expenses, they really do not. Many athletes need help in order to pay for other things such as: food, transportation, clothes, and other daily needs. The bigwigs making the rules for the NCAA are well off individuals who have most likely never lived on a budget. Being a collegiate athlete is a full time job along side with completing their schoolwork, which does not leave very much time for the athlete to have an external form of income leaving them on a tight budget. Collegiate athletes should be able to receive extra benefits and compensation when necessary if it is regulated by the NCAA and not done under the table. Since the NCAA began, all athletes have been recognized as amateurs therefore are unable to receive any form of benefits or compensation for their lost wages. All the while the coaches are being paid millions of dollars and their athletic programs bring in large amounts of money. The NCAA is one of the most hypocritical institutions around. Oklahoma State, in the 2007-2008 football season, was 10th in the nation with revenue being brought in at $88,554,438 (ESPN.com). This amount is brought in solely from the football program and not including the other athletic programs that Oklahoma State offers. With most of that revenue going towards paying for their equipment, traveling expenses, and paying the staff, but the athletes receive none of this
The involvement of agents and boosters in collegiate level sports has become a major topic amongst headlines in news recently. If you were to pick any athletic program at random it is most likely that they have committed some sort of a violation. Many people argue that college athletes should not be paid because they receive scholarships that pay for their meals, housing, tuition, books, and so on. At some universities, these scholarships equal up to $200,000 over a four year period. Although it would seem as though these scholarships pay for most of an athletes college expenses, they really do not. Many athletes need help in order to pay for other things such as: food, transportation, clothes, and other daily needs. The bigwigs making the rules for the NCAA are well off individuals who have most likely never lived on a budget. Being a collegiate athlete is a full time job along side with completing their schoolwork, which does not leave very much time for the athlete to have an external form of income leaving them on a tight budget. Collegiate athletes should be able to receive extra benefits and compensation when necessary if it is regulated by the NCAA and not done under the table. Since the NCAA began, all athletes have been recognized as amateurs therefore are unable to receive any form of benefits or compensation for their lost wages. All the while the coaches are being paid millions of dollars and their athletic programs bring in large amounts of money. The NCAA is one of the most hypocritical institutions around. Oklahoma State, in the 2007-2008 football season, was 10th in the nation with revenue being brought in at $88,554,438 (ESPN.com). This amount is brought in solely from the football program and not including the other athletic programs that Oklahoma State offers. With most of that revenue going towards paying for their equipment, traveling expenses, and paying the staff, but the athletes receive none of this
Cited: Jeffrey, Royce. “Why every student should know college sports scandals.” The Retriever Weekly. 9 November 2010. Web. 19 February 2011. Kristof & WuDunn. “Shopping With a Social Conscience: Consumer Attitudes Toward Sweatshop Labor.” The Global Sweatshop Issue. 2000. Plaschke, Bill. “Should College Athletes Get Paid Beyong Scholarship?” Chicagonow. 3 December 2010. Web. 19 February 2011. Wulf, Steve. “Collegiate Athletes Being Paid.” Home Page. 16 April. 2008. Web. 19 February 2011.