Should College Athletes Be Paid

College is an opportunity to continue one’s education after high school. The main focus during college is to get a degree and to get a job so one can support oneself and one’s family. Even though college athletes play their sport in college, their priority should be their education. College athletes should not be paid further than their scholarship.

If college athletes were paid, it would not be fair to the students who do not play sports and who work very hard to succeed. For example, if the athletes are paid, so should the students going to school to be lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, etc. The students who are going to school to have careers like that are going to help people with their future careers. No one should be paid to go to

For example, they are provided with academic support, weights, and nutrition (Lawson). The athletes need the academic support, weights, and nutrition to be good athletes. Without those things an athlete may not be as good and not be as recognized as they are when they are good. In addition, they get to keep their Pell Grant (Lawson). The Pell Grant is $5,000 that college students get each year if their family does not make a lot of money. Students who are not athletes have to use that money for tuition or books. The athletes, who get free college tuition, get to keep that $5,000 a year to do whatever they want. Furthermore, they get paid to stay on campus during breaks to practice (Magness). They get paid so they can get food over break, even though they get free food. That is just a waste of money that they can spend on something else. Also, “But even removing this educational asset from the equation, NCAA Division I athletes still receive expert coaching (that could lead to a professional career as an athlete or as a coach), on-campus housing, frequent meals (if not elaborate training tables), non-uniform clothing, free medical consultation, free access to state-of-the-art training facilities and free professional development (media/public relations, life skills, networking, etc.)” (Burton). They get all of this free stuff that non-athlete students do not get. If the athletes were paid, they would be compensated beyond this long list of the things they get with their scholarship. College athletes are being compensated by many things. Why should they be paid