Do College Athletes Deserve to be Paid? In the past few decades, there has been plenty of controversy about whether or not college athletes deserve monetary compensation. Both sides of the argument have statistically based facts. On one side, many believe the student-athletes deserve some type of compensation for their efforts and helping to bring in revenue for their college. While others argue that the free education and incentives that the student-athletes receive are enough compensation as is. In recent times many would argue that National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletics are just as popular as professional athletes. According to the NCAA, in the annual March Madness basketball tournament this year, over 22 million people …show more content…
Many think that it would be almost impossible and completely unreasonable to pay each and every college athlete, considering that there is a total of 20 sports combined between men and women in Division I alone. Much of the revenue brought in by the sports would be dispersed to the athletes, leaving little toward recruitment, gear, maintenance to facilities, equipment, trainers, and coaches. Even if it was possible to pay every college athlete, how would the NCAA distribute the money? Would certain athletes receive more than other because of their likeness and popularity? Should an athlete receive higher pay because their sport generated more revenue for the university? Due to the array of variables that the NCAA has to consider, an attempt to accomplish the goal of paying athletes would only create additional conflict. The incentives athletes receive is believed to be enough. For example, talented and successful athletes will have the chance to create a name for themselves. In a way, the fame and likeness eventually correlates to money for these athletes. Once the athletes leave the college, they have the opportunity to play professionally, whether it be in the United States or overseas. A great example of this would be former Clemson quarterback, Deshaun Watson, who led his school to a National Championship last year where they defeated Alabama. Watson did not receive any payment or compensation for this feat, but instead he was rewarded with a multi-million dollar contract when he signed with the Houston Texans and has an opportunity to make even more money if he rises to stardom. None of which would have been possible without playing football in college. Another important reason why college athletes should not be financially compensated is that if they are to receive some type of salary, their passion and motives for