Analysis: Should College Athletes Be Paid

Should College Athletes Be Paid? Athletes put their bodies on the line to play a sport they love and to possibly make it to the professional leagues. Athletic facilities are the major money makers for all universities. Colleges bring in billions of dollars in revenue annually, yet athletes do not get paid. Some fans believe athletes should not get paid due to their sports level being “amateurish.” This is far from the truth. There is much more behind With college basketball and football originating in the 1800’s, the game has had much time to adapt. Over the years, the sports have become more and more popular, gaining a bigger crowd of fans, and merchandise representing all the teams being sold left and right. There is one thing that has

Having no income from playing sports could cause many problems for athletes. One of the major problems is injury. If an athlete gets injured, they are left with a hospital bill which they cannot afford. It would be worse if an athlete received a career-ending injury. This type of injury would lead to an athlete losing their position on the team. They would then have their scholarship pulled and would be stuck with an outrageous hospital bill and no way to pay for college, most likely leading to them dropping out. If athletes received a paycheck, they would have money to fall back on in case of an emergency. Aside from injuries, athletes have no time to work. These students have tedious days, juggling practice, weight lifting, playing games, class, attending study meeting, and finding time to sleep. With no employment, these athletes have no source of income, leaving them little to no money to do anything. A benefit of having a salary for college athletes would be that this payment would help them build a sense of financial awareness. Most athletes are financially irresponsible. A study proved that 60% of National Basketball Association players are broke within five years of retirement. Another reason college athletes should be paid is because of all the attention and money they bring to the university. Many people admire the athletes who play for college sports teams. These athletes are

The schools are selling merchandise with the athletes' numbers and tickets for the games, making money in exuberant quantities. As Andy Schwarz says, "we all should have the right to earn what we are worth." The student athletes most likely agree as well. Even Jadeveon Clowney, a linebacker for the Houston Texans, says he would have stayed in college one more year if he was paid as an athlete. He had to drop out of college to get a job and take care of his family. If college athletes were paid, he could have handled the whole situation