College Athletes Should Be Paid

"Over the last decade, the debate of whether or not college athletes should be paid has intensified, and many athletes, as well as coaches, have begun to advocate for the cause." (TIMES) Tyler Harnett, a writer at the Huffington Post, took his standpoint on the topic in the article "Why College Athletes Should be Paid," which clearly states his claim, college athletes should be paid. Personally, I disagree with Harnett's viewpoint and I don't believe college athletes should be paid due to education, funding, and overall fairness. To summarize Harnett's article, he starts by talking about his opponents and their viewpoints on the situation, "They are already getting a scholarship, don't be greedy." Harnett defends this by saying, "On average,

Going to school can vary in price, whether they pay instate tuition or go to a private college, the average cost ranges about "$65,000." Harnett is arguing to allow college athletes to get paid while also getting their college paid for. So, consider a student-athlete getting paid $100,000 a year, "A student-athlete paid a salary," of $100,000 a year "would owe $23,800 in federal income tax and $6,700 in state taxes," which comes to "a total of $30,500." In some cases, "cities that levy an employee payroll tax, the salaried student's taxes go up about $2,400 per year. Income taxes then are $32,900. And, as an employee, the player would have to pay at least $2,000 in other taxes, such as Social Security, for a total of $34,900. This leaves the college player with $65,100." However, "Since college bills come to $65,000," that plus, taxes equal a grand total of $99,900, meaning "the player has $100 left." (TIMES) So even if an athlete were to get paid it would still leave them "dead broke." "Students are not professional athletes who are paid salaries. They are receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay tuition, fees, room and board, and other allowable expenses." (TIMES) In most cases premier athletes only come for one year, until they can leave and possibly make millions, I think most college students would be alright with being broke for a year if they knew they had that type of fortune in their