Imagine playing Division I basketball for Kentucky, which is a program that requires a lot of time and dedication. There is no opportunity to get a job, but there is no worry to pay for tuition since an offer for scholarship was given. As an athlete for an elite school, is it fair to get paid to play at the collegiate level? As of today, a big controversy has been whether the NCAA should begin to pay college athletes for their participation in sports. Many opinions and viewpoints have been stated by both sides of the argument, but the decision is still unclear. In order for the NCAA to stay competitive, student athletes should not get paid to play. Some believe paying college athletes for being involved in a sport is fair and deserve pay for …show more content…
By not paying athletes, they must work hard for a future in pro sports and show they deserve to move on to the next level. If the NCAA decides to pay the players, why would they continue to try as hard if they are already being rewarded? Weatherhead agrees with this by saying “we have gained a lot more life skills having had to work for everything, by not having anything handed to us. And isn’t that what college is all about” (Dohrmann paragraph 45). Another reason why college athletes should not get paid to play is because in some circumstances, colleges would start getting rid of less popular programs to insure they have enough money to give to the athletes making” all of the money, which is unfair to those who are good at other sports. Dohrmann emphasizes this point by saying “a CEO would look at the balance sheet and eliminate some, if not all, of the unprofitable products” (paragraph 19). The NCAA should not take away another person’s love and talent just because it is considered unpopular. The athletes do not get to choose what sport they are gifted in, so why punish them for it? The industry of college sports should not pay college athletes because it would get rid of the high-level competition and fairness for all