Should college athletes be paid? The topic of whether or not to pay college athletes is
re-hashed regularly. There are many advocates in favor of and many against the idea of paying
athletes who play sports for their college or university. At most colleges and universities
athletics are a key source of income. The National College Athletic Association, NCAA, says
“Student Participation in intercollegiate athletics is an avocation, and student athletes should
be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises” (Romeo). Many
argue that student athletes should not be paid because they receive a scholarship. People feel
that the promise of their education being paid for is enough for college athletes. On the other
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Yet the athletes are not rewarded with any pecuniary value.
They work for their schools and are providing a service to the college that seems to go
unnoticed. For example, a typical division I college football players train approximately 43 hours
per week. For contest, a typical American work week is only 40 hours (Forbes). Athletes also do
not have time to study for courses they take. Colleges are using these athletes to boot their
individual reputations and brings in revenue while not paying all the athletes for their work. So
pretty much universities are just using athletes to earn their school a lot of money.
Another argument that supports paying college athletes, is that the full-ride
scholarships given to the best athletes do not actually cover all their expenses. Many athletes
still can’t afford to have their friends and family come to the stadium and watch the games.
Also one time in NCAA history someone try to pay the athlete but it violated NCAA rules. The
example is about former college player Reggie Bush, the running back for the University of
Southern California from 2003-2005. Bush was paid by boosters to attend USC, which
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NCAA
says all student athletes are students first and athletes second, however, it seems that more
popular athletes leave early for the pros because they want to earn money. They have enough
talent to earn big money in professional sports. In past few years College Basketball freshman
stars have been leaving early for NBA, National Basketball Association. They complete one year
of college and go to the professional leagues early, as they want money and need it as soon as
possible. The importance of their education is lost when they leave rather then stay for few
more years.
While it may seem odd and unjust to pay college athletes, the reality is that payment of
such athletes is a necessity not only to keep competition at a same level in college athletics, but
also to encourage students to graduate and get their college degrees. NCAA officially