Analysis: Should College Athletes Be Paid

Today a spotlight is placed on the world of college athletics and all colleges seem to be known based upon their level of competition in sports nowadays. All the focus is put on both male and female student athletes in sports ranging from basketball, football, baseball, hockey, soccer, softball, and so on. Everyday televisions are constantly streaming advertisements, game times, and the live games themselves around the clock for not only professional athletics, but also college athletics. College athletes are just as well known by sports fans as many of the professional athletes in their particular sport, and this is due to the publicity they receive. Then this raises a controversial question. Should college athletes be paid? College athletes

Many student athletes are able to compete at a collegiate level due to the scholarships they are offered. Scholarships are a way for colleges to entice and recruit athletes to come to their school and participate in the sports programs. Scholarships offer the recruits a way to pay for their education in full, and it takes away the hassle of working at a job and paying their way through college. As a result of scholarships are able to offer many student athletes a desirable way to graduate without the burden of student loans, which can take years and years to pay back. Scholarships provide a way for students to be able to go to a highly regarded college and pay for it by participating in something they love doing, such as playing sports. For example, “NCAA Division I athletes receive expert coaching, on- campus housing, frequent meals, class books, non-uniform clothing, free medical consultation, free access to state-of-the-art training centers, and free professional development”(Burton 1) . Scholarships enable those who otherwise might not have been able to attend college due to the financial burden a chance to get an education and compete at high level. The athletes are not paid with a payment of monetary value; but instead they are paid with a full

“They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports…Collegiate sports is not a career or profession. It is the student’s vehicle to a higher education” (Mitchell 1). There would be a greater emphasis on the sports instead of the education. Playing sports in college is not a career; it is a hobby that enables student athletes to get an education for free. The education received in college is for them to apply to their life and to help them have a successful future. It is needed for college athletes who will not be able to make it as a professional athlete in their sport; they need their education to fall back on to be able to create a life and a career for themselves. And even if the athlete was able to make it to the professionals, they cannot just play sports for the rest of their life, it will eventually come to an end. Some careers last longer than others, but if they applied themselves and really focused on their education then they will have a new tool that provides their income. Participating in college athletics can be looked at as an unpaid internship in a way, it is there to prepare the athlete and to pave the way for a better job later in life (Jackson 4). Alan Marzilli author of Amateur Athletics stated in his book, “College athletics is not supposed to be about money, it is