Analysis: Should College Athletes Get Paid

“Never confuse the size of your paycheck with the size of your talent” a quote said by Marlon Brando. A paycheck does not determine the raw talent, discipline level, dedication, character, integrity, or personality of any one person. Although many may agree that college athletes should not receive compensation, I argue that college athletes should get paid because of the amount of money these athletes generate, the time they dedicate to their sport and education, and a heap of different reasons. Being a college athlete or an athlete of any sort at any level is no easy task.

In today’s era, college athletes receive no compensation for their extremely high levels of play. These athletes have been playing their respective sports for many,

Athletes tend to leave college early to go pro to earn money to make a living. Athletes that are not on scholarship are in the toughest of positions. These are players that have to pay for college, but have no time to make money for their college. In other words, they pay the college to make money for the college. Most athletes cannot play a college level sport and try to maintain a job. If they do have a job, it is most likely a part-time job that allows for very few hours, which results directly into low income. People fail to realize that “being an athlete at the university level is a full time job” (Hartnett). Many believe that these athletes should be paid solely because being a college athlete is a full-time job. The typical college athlete wakes up early enough to get in a conditioning or strength workout before class. The student then attends class until three or four in the afternoon. Then they have practice; after practice they are to go to a mandatory study hall. The “average Division One college athlete spends over 40 hours a week on their game” (Jacobs). After all of this, they are exhausted, but they still go home to study a little more and wrap up some unfinished studying or homework. These athletes miss class and school days very often due to away games. This means having to spend time trying to catch up on the material that was presented in class and the work that needed to be done. This can be very challenging at times, because the professor may or may not review or reteach the material for the athlete(s). These athletes can miss days at a time, which makes it extremely difficult to catch up, but makes those study halls very valuable. If they have to attend the study hall and more than likely get extra help, they have no time to work a job. “These athletes spend over 40 hours a week on their play, and if a student has ten hours of