Should College Athletes be Paid? Every season, the nation is captivated by the complex world of college athletics. Many teenagers, myself included, love to watch college football and March Madness with friends and family. Aside from college athletics, many people also watch the NBA (National Basketball Association) & NFL (National Football League), and these professional athletes make millions of dollars every single year. This raises the question: do college athletes deserve to be paid? To the untrained eye, college athletes receive an education, coaches make a living, and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) keeps the well oiled machine running. The NCAA is simply an association of institutions and members which provide pathways of opportunity …show more content…
After dissecting the dilemma of payment for college athletes, one may discover that oftentimes the only incentive college athletes receive is a full athletic scholarship to the college/university, as opposed to a salary. There must be a reason as to why the college athletes do not receive a salary even though they generate billions of dollars for the NCAA. There are numerous sources illustrating pros and cons regarding whether or not college athletes deserve to be paid. Some argue that athletes should be paid because they are forced to endure unhealthy environments and unfair treatment, struggle through the “plantation system”, want support for themselves, etc. Opposers of this argument state that athletes should not be paid because of financial irresponsibility, education equaling money, university offering more than education, loss of passion for the game, etc. Throughout this paper, the reasons to pay, not to pay, and other details will be discussed so one can formulate an opinion on the