Should College Athletes Get Paid?

Should college athletes get paid? It is a question that as been asked for decades. Although it is a violation of NCAA rules to pay college athletes, many colleges have still done so. In the past, colleges have bribed athletes during the recruiting process, offering them cash to come play for their school. Jersey's, cards, collectibles, bobbleheads and a variety of other items are sold in merchandise stories around the nation. Professional athletes get paid millions of dollars to wear certain brands, logos, and to have other people to wear their jerseys, so why can't college athletes receive payment for doing the same thing? If a college wants an athlete bad enough, they should be able to pay an athlete in return for a commitment. The NCAA
makes billions of dollars each year, selling college jerseys of their star players. However, it is illegal to print the last name of a college athlete on the back of their actual jersey. Student athletes work unimaginably hard, spending countless hours in the weight room and preparing for game day on the field. They put their own body at risk to entertain sports fans, and working to put their team in the best possible position to win. Athletes often miss out on some of the more traditional college experiences, as they must dedicate a great deal of time each and every day in pursuit of athletic success. Without a doubt, college athletes deserve to get paid for what they do, especially in light of the fact that the NCAA sells merchandise and makes significant profits based on what these athletes do. The athletes put their own bodies at risk, and they spend countless hours preparing for 12-14 games a year, leaving them no other avenue to make money. In the NFL, athletes receive a percentage of the proceeds of merchandise that is sold, college athletes however receive zero payment. The NFL practically owns a day of the week, being that the majority of households in the United States watch football every Sunday, and many of these football fans find college football just as enjoyable as the NFL. If you were a college athlete, would you want to receive millions of dollars each year?(Rhetorical Question) Everybody would certainly be ecstatic about receiving millions of dollars for playing a game they love. One reason the NCAA cannot pay players is because they claim they do not have enough money to do so. While they generate nearly 1 billion dollars each year, only a portion of this money would be used to pay the players. Not to mention, only about 5 players from Division 1 college have the privilege of having their jerseys sold. Because of this, not even a quarter of the athletes would receive payment. About 1% of the NCAA’s revenue is generated through sales and services. If they gave a portion of the 1% to college athletes, an enormous amount of money would still be retained by them in order to keep their outstanding program running. Student athletes are also not being rewarded monetarily for their skills when winning a championship. If they are the best in the business, they should be compensated for being so. Top colleges fight amongst each other for the top recruits. In doing so, colleges should be able to guarantee their student athletes some agreed upon salary to come play for their school. In the NFL athletes generally sign with the team offering to pay the highest salary. College athletes should be allowed a similar option, choosing to attend and play for the college offering the most money. If the NCAA were to allow such rules, they would generate more revenue and attract athletes from around the globe. Every practice, every rep, every game, every down, every second(Repetition), athletes put their body at risk of injury. It is scary knowing that your career could end in one play. According to the NCAA’s football data injuries website, “The overall injury rate in NCAA football is 8.1 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures (games and practices combined). There were more than 41,000 injuries and 25 million athlete exposures from 2004 to 2009. Not to mention 7.4% of injuries are concussions, 4.3% is head, neck, and face, 16.9% upper limb, 11.9% torso and pelvis, 50.4% lower limb, and 9.1% other.” Players are at risk for injury every time they set foot on the field. It has been proven that football is one of the most physical and violents sports, leading to chronic injury later on in life. If these student athletes are being put in a situation where they will very likely be hurt, the least the NCAA can do is to provide them with some compensation, so they will be in a position to pay for the future medical care they will need. Unfortunately, athletic injuries can be career ending. According to Jim Thomas, in the game of football, “A total of 26 deaths, most occurring since 2000, are attributed to "second impact syndrome." The neurological effects of concussions in college athletes also can result in learning disabilities and severe memory impairments. There is a lower, but significant, incidence of concussions in soccer as well.” Citation? Not only are athletes at risk of injury, but they are at risk of potential death. Although you can die from almost any potential harm, you would not want to die on national television. In many sports players viciously attempt to launch their body at other players for the sport and entertainment. Athletes deserve payment to compensate them for the risks taken by them for our entertainment. The longer an athlete pursues an athletic career, the more the body deteriorates, and the more likely you will suffer injury and end up in the hospital and with large medical bills. The money you once had seems to deteriorate like your body. College athletes are brought to prestigious (Snob Appeal) colleges to participate in a specialized sports because they are the best at what they do.
In taking on this commitment, student athletes must dedicate their time to pursue excellence in their sport. Because of this great time commitment, they do not have any time to take on a job or other ways of making money. Student athletes are not given any money, and do not have the time to earn much needed cash on their own. The NCAA should seriously consider compensating their athletes, at least providing them with enough money to cover their basic learning expenses. Many of the athletes are attending college on a full ride scholarship, meaning that the college pays for tuition, on campus living expenses, and books. However, athletes are not given money to pay for other important items they need, including food and toiletries. Lastly, athletes cannot enjoy the true college experience. They are so focused on and scheduled with their sport that they rarely have time to fully focus on academics, or to socialize with others. According to Business Insider, “Collegiate student-athletes may spend more than 40 hours a week practicing, leaving little time to keep up with academic commitments.” College athletes commit to the sports they play, however, their teams are not allowing their students time to study let alone go out with friends. It is said by 100% of people that academics come before sports, however it appears teams see
it otherwise. Ironically, if the student athlete does not meet the academic requirements, you will be suspended from play. It is clear that if teams want to minimize suspensions, they must give their athletes more academic time. Because athletes lives are filled with countless hours of practice, they are sleep deprived, unable to socialize, and most importantly unable to study. Because colleges are robbing athletes from basic necessities and a college education, they should most definitely provide athletes with money. College athletes deserve to get paid by the NCAA.
The he athletes receive 0% of any of the merchandise being sold by the NCAA, they are put at risk of injury every time they set foot on the field and in the weight room, and they are left no other avenue to make money to support themselves. Not to mention, athletes are not receiving a proper education in that they are too focused on their sport to fully engage themselves in the academic side of college. Spending more than 40 hours a week preparing for meets, games, and tournaments does not leave sufficient time for studies. When a student athlete’s sport is not in session, they still do not receive time off. They jump right into the daily grind of conditioning, weight training and film, and still have little time for studies. It is clear that collegiate athletes deserve to be paid for what they do, in that they are practically the same as professional athletes. Without a doubt, college athletes throughout the nation deserve, and will eventually receive, the compensation they so greatly
deserve.