Pros And Cons Of Should College Athletes Be Paid

Should College Athletes be Paid
Nigel Hayes who was a former college basketball player and activist for student athletes being paid sparked conversation about college athletes being paid when he held up a sign reading “broke college student” and a Venmo username on the sign. Any money that he received was donated to the Boys and Girls Club. He technically did not break any rule because he used his friend’s Venmo account instead of his. Nigel’s actions led to a fierce debate on a topic that has already been debated for years. Athletes using Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals to profit is a controversial topic that presents pros and cons, and some argue that the pros outweigh the cons. The question of “should college athletes be paid or not”

Their leadership skills and exceptional academic accomplishments, however, are usually disregarded or undervalued because sometimes they are viewed as assets to the university for their athletic abilities opposed to their academic abilities. The term “student-athlete” implies that college athletes should prioritize their education in addition to athletics. In practice, a lot of athletes are forced to put their sports commitments above their academic commitments, which could potentially defeat the whole point of the term “student-athlete.” This could occur in an environment where students are seen and treated more as athletes than students could stem from athletes being encouraged to prioritize their sport above academics. An outcome of putting too much emphasis on athletic performance and development than educational or personal development, this could deprive student athletes of the benefits of attending college and receiving a college education and contradict the original meaning of “student-athlete". An example of this can be seen in Meredith Kalinowski’s story. Kalinowski attended Stanford for four years and played for their Women’s Lacrosse team. “I

College athletes should not be paid and already receive enough compensation. College athletes can receive scholarships that pay for their tuition, fees, and other costs of college, these scholarships enable student athletes to pursue a college education without having to worry about paying for it. These scholarships can be seen as a form of compensation. “Student-athletes benefit much more by being eligible for scholarships and stipends rather than taxable, yearly incomes” (Bertolas 6). The author states that college athletes benefit far more with scholarships and stipends than a salary anyway. College athletes often receive scholarships which can hold very much monetary value that isn’t in the form of money that is ready to be spent. These scholarships can cover the full cost of room and board, tuition, and other educational fees and all of that can be a very substantial amount of money. These scholarships are almost like long term compensation because they allow the student to receive a high level of education without having to worry about a future financial burden like debt from paying for college. Not only do some of these athletes have their school paid for, they also receive access to world-class training facilities, nutrition, and healthcare through their athletic programs. All of these included services