Analysis: Why College Athletes Should Not Be Paid

College athletes make money for their schools and in way get paid for it. Football and basketball players generate more than 6 million dollars every year/season (Birkenes 1). By money [a]generated by sporting events and the cost of admission to the games. The games being broadcasted themselves. Even the money made from advertising and merchandise sold by the schools. Student athletes in college do not need to be paid because it makes college players believe that they deserve special privileges. Paying college athletes will also just create pandemonium about what they feel they deserve or should receive for their physical abilities. In other words, it brings up more problems than it solves by giving players money or stipends to live off of.

“In 2008, a former friend of Mayo revealed on ESPN's Outside the Lines that Mayo had received improper gifts before and during his time at USC” (Brautigan 2) . Players feel that their invincible in some cases and that being paid is not that big of a deal but it's against the rules and bigger than players may think. Mayo wasn't able to play and was suspended for a few weeks. Athletes coming out of highschool heavily recruited are some of the main culprits. Having almost every major college in the country offer them full ride scholarships(money) enables them to believe they're invincible. And try to be very surreptitious about wanting these extra incentives. Illegal benefits are a topic that should concern every student-athlete, as it constitutes a serious violation of NCAA rules. If a college athlete [e]accept illegal benefits, you may lose their eligibility, your scholarship, and rights to compete in intercollegiate athletics. Most student-athletes think of illegal benefits in terms of accepting gifts or money. While certainly that is one form of an illegal extra benefit, you also cannot: • Receive more than the allotted number of complimentary admissions; • Sell complimentary admissions at any price; or • Receive material benefits that are not available to the general student body. This means that they should not accept special discounts on purchases or services, or even accept special payment arrangements on any purchases. Be very careful of “free” or “special” benefits that someone wishes to give you. If you are in doubt about such benefits, check with their coach (“NCAA Regulations” 48). Players and Coaches are both aware of these rules that are set in place, so that there is a fine line between a college athlete and a paid professional. Yet they still choose to be sneaky and try to