Why College Football Should Be Paid

College football should think about the rules of the NCAA another way. The NFL makes football players wait three years after graduating high school before entering the draft (Bayless). With such a tight hold on players from the NCAA, means no income for players in that time frame. Outside of room, board, and tuition players should be able to receive payment of some sort. Scholarships looks really great to the outside eye, but scholarships in the market today isn’t worth the same as it was in past decades. Players coming out of high school should be an open market not held to limitations. If the school cannot or will not spend the money to get the athletes, then allow the school’s boosters to pick up the bill. Division 1 football players should be compensated because of the amount of money they bring into the program cannot be received, amount of time that is put into the sport cannot be given back, and the way they benefit the school in so many ways is astonishing.
Boosters are the backbone of schools and will do anything to see their team succeed.
They are millionaires that have the money and are willing to spend it to get the best player (Bayless). The NCAA should allow them to bid on the whoever, whatever they want they want to. So if it is a brand new car or 100,000 dollars then so be it. The players that make millions for their respective schools and billions for the NCAA should not be restricted to a scholarship (Bayless). Colleges have around 25 scholarships to give out (Bayless). If the boosters buy out 10 of those players, then that leaves 10 scholarships to be spread out through the other 30 players without any scholarships. So this can benefit the walk ons that did not receive anything before, now can get money from the school. People may say that it is unfair for one player to be paid and another not, but is it fair that a boss gets paid more than their assistant. It is the American way, people are paid for their worth everybody is not
equal.
The money the athletes bring into their programs is astonishing. Allow the boosters to pay the players in some shape or form. Whether it is money, cars, clothes anything that gets him to the school. Might think well then powerhouse schools with all the boosters will get every athlete. Most athletes will not change their mind because they are offered similar or close to the same. Money will not always alter a player’s mindset on their dream school. Players will go to the school that fits them best regardless of what they are offered. Big time schools are the ones with big time recruits anyway. Teams like Alabama will still get the big time players anyway, just like they do now. This might actually help the smaller schools steal some recruits from the top schools, so they can build their own powerhouse (Bayless). This will help balance out the schools playing field a little. It would still be up to the coaches to coach, and the players to play. Winning programs receive the benefits of getting top recruits. That will continue with compensation.
The football program brings the schools money. The money reaches throughout all different parts of the athletic program. This is what pays for the programs expenses and luxuries. The amount of revenue of money that is flowing through the program pays for the coaches, recruiting, travel, and other expenses (Bayless). In 2013 the University of Alabama football team brought in about $90 million (Dosh). Out of that amount only $3.6 million dollars went to the players with scholarships in all sports (Dosh). The head coach of this team made $3 million more than the players on every sports team receives (Dosh). Then $8.5 million is spent on the assistant coaches and support staff of just the football team (Dosh). In total Alabama spends about $41 million on expenses, so that leaves about $48 million to spend elsewhere. Like other sports or renovations that is done by the school or other extracurricular activities done on the campus. So the wealth spreads throughout the school, but not to the people that help bring it in.
Part of the money is sent to the non revenue sports like golf and swimming (Mangrum). Without college football those sports could be diminished because if they are not bringing in income, there is no use of the program. So the football team picks up the bill for ten plus sports (Landry). These sports lean on the football program to bring in enough income to carry them. It doesn’t just stop there, football program also pays for scholarships for not only football but also the other sports(Landry). Not for football programs, scholarship money would plummet and applicants would flock to other universities in seek of a better “campus life” (Mangrum). So the school as whole would suffer without a football program. Less people applying, less athletes, less prestige. So these scholarships are given to the athletes of non revenue sports, but earned on the field by the athletes of the football program (Mangrum). The football players get the equivalent “payment” as the other athletes when those sports don’t bring in revenue but instead bills. Bills that couldn’t be paid without the football program because the school couldn’t or wouldn’t pay (Landry).
These athletes do receive some compensation technically when it comes to scholarships. It has been that way since 1950 (Dorfman). As the school grows the scholarships grows because when tuition rises, then the scholarships has to cover that. Tuition at these schools range from 50,000 dollars to 30,000 dollars a year (Dorfman). When all is added in after four years that is in the upper thousands. Also has to cover room and board, and a few meals a day (Dorfman). The athlete has a free chance for an education, free place to sleep or socialize, free food, and free place to grow as a person. These expenses is not just given out every day. They have to earn it on the field in return. If they are not up to par then they will not receive all those great things anymore. When they signed the papers, they were signing up for what comes with it (Dorfman). Long days and nights is part of the division one football players life. A little sacrifice for a big future. Then one day they can go to the NFL and make the money they wanted for so long. The long days and nights will all come to show. They get their dream to the league along with an education that can said to be free.
So not only do these athletes bring in a crazy amount of money into the school but the amount of time that they have to sacrifice out of their lives is just a crazy. When you enroll and get your name on the roster, say goodbye to your normal breaks and free time. After the regular season in the fall and partially into the winter comes a “Christmas break” but most of these teams are still playing, so instead of getting their weeks off like their friends they are still working. For the teams that are not in the postseason will begin their winter workouts for the next season (Felder). Then the winter comes to a close and all teams are done, now start to spring workouts. Yes the athletes are given a break by NCAA rules. The Athletes are still required to complete workouts and practices each week (Lutzenkirchen). Now the all time favorite “summer break”. This break is non existent to football players from high school on up. At the Division 1 level this depends on your school and when your classes end (Lutzenkirchen). Some schools summer classes start later than others so it’s a seven day to a 2 week vacation before they are back to football duties (Lutzenkirchen). That is the longest break they will have the whole year. For the few players that receive a scholarship they are required at least 6 hours of classes during the summer to receive the check (Lutzenkirchen). Other students are enjoying a break while football players are practicing and in class.