Recently, there have been many disagreements over the proposal of normal salaries for college athletes competing in major college athletics. These “major colleges” would be those schools that are part of the power conferences as well as those that are competitive in one or more sports. Some are under the impression that the students should be additionally paid, while others believe that providing them with an education is payment enough. The sad reality is that scholarships do not cover all of the expenses that a student athlete will incur, and many student athletes, especially those playing basketball and football, do not generally come from wealthy families that can afford to pay these expenses. Student athletes, in addition to being provided …show more content…
In 2005, Duke University was the 25th ranked university in athletic revenue. With a revenue of $67,820,335 and a total expense of $66,088,264, the university netted $1,732,071 (ESPN). This example comes from the middle of the pack when it comes to major college athletics, and they are netting near two million dollars per year. In the year 2005, Duke had 21 sports teams, which means that each program after all of its expenses was contributing approximately $82,479.57 back to the school. This money is placed back into the programs to try and help them make even more money next year. But why not distribute this money back to their athletes to help them live easier and better lives? The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the answer to this conundrum. The NCAA claims that collegiate athletes must maintain their amateurism while competing in college. There are countless rules and regulations that prevent student athletes being able to earn money while in college. These rules make it seem as though they would rather see the athletes struggle, rather than give up some of their profits to help the