College Athletes: Should They Get Paid? The controversial debate on whether or not collegiate athletes should be able to profit from their name, image, and likeness has been going on for as long as the brain can think. Each year, year-round, college athletics generate tens of thousands of dollars for their respective institutions, only for athletes to see none of that money. It is believed by many that the scholarships athletes receive is enough to compensate, along with the presented argument that allowing college athletes to make money makes college athletics political and takes away from integrity of the business. To oppose, not all sports give athletic scholarships, and even when they do, it still isn’t enough to compensate for an athletes’ …show more content…
Statistics from a Statista article show that between things such as TV deals, sponsorships, and ticket sales, universities collectively brought in $18.9 billion. (Richter). For athletes to see none that money is a big deal, as without the athletes putting in the time and effort each day, there would be no athletics. Without the athletes performing at a high level, or even just an entertainment level, no tickets get sold, no sponsorships are offered, and no deals are made. It directly comes full circle to being about the amount of work athletes put in. Also, when it comes to the salary of coaches in football, one of the most profitable sports, according to “USA Today,” a conducted study showed that “found that the average total pay for FBS head coaches in 2020-21 is $2.7 million, a 1.1% increase from last year’s average. Those figures include the pay reductions that some coaches are taking this year.” (Schad). Startling numbers to say the least regarding the amount of money college athletics brings in, as well as the salaries of head coaches, only for college athletes to receive nothing. Not only is it unfair for colleges to not pay athletes for the money they undeniably raise, but it is also unfair for them to prohibit the ability for them to make money off themselves; with the integration of letting college athletes profit from NIL, it inevitably creates a balance in terms of college athletics raising money, and college athletes being