Charlie Muller 707
NCAA rules prohibit any college level playing athlete to be paid in any way. The topic of whether or not college athletes should be paid has created quite a debate. College athletes should be paid because they work very hard.
One reason that college athletes should be paid is that college athletes bring in a lot of money for their schools, but they never get any of the money. For example, in the video, “Should College Athletes get Paid?” from FOX News Carolina, it was reported that Alabama State made $45 million in profit in one year from their football team. D.J Fluker, a tackle for Alabama State, led his team to a national title. He didn’t get any money when, at the same time he was facing poverty. Secondly, college athletes bring in money for their schools with merchandise like jerseys and ticket sales and school functions. This evidence is also from the video from FOX Carolina. The team is the only one doing the work but the colleges get paid, all the school does is give the athletes a stadium. The reason many people come to the games is to see the players, not the college. The reason they buy the merchandise is to show that they like the player, not the school but the player. The fact that these athletes bring in so much money for their schools and don’t get any is unjustifiable.
Another reason that college athletes should be paid is that they go to practice for hours a week and don’t have time to get a job. For example, In the video, “Should College Athletes get Paid?” from FOX Carolina, It said, kids with academic scholarships have time to get a part time job, but kids who have athletic scholarships don’t have time to work and support themselves because they train and practice so often between classes a job just isn’t practical. Another example, In the article, “Why College Athletes Should be Paid” by Tyson Hartnett for Huffington Post, It said, “For a little extra money to see a movie or go out to dinner once a week, my freshman roommate worked a job at the university, earning about $7/hour. He would work his butt off all day, with two or sometimes three basketball training sessions, plus classes and homework, and go to that job for a few hours late at night. However, once the season started up, he couldn't work that job anymore and the job wasn't going to pay you just because you were playing basketball on a road trip.” This shows that college athletes are constantly working, whether its homework, basketball training, and If there ever was time, they could work a late-night part-time job that barely paid anything. They deserve to be paid because they don't have enough money for their daily needs.
Some people may think that college athletes should not be paid because an athletic scholarship is enough. But in reality, a scholarship isn’t actually $100,000 in the athlete’s pocket. For example, The article “Why College Athletes Should be Paid” by Tyson Hartnett for Huffington Post, It said, “A $25,000 scholarship may seem like a lot of money, but it really only covers the basics.” This shows that an athletic scholarship isn’t enough to support some of these hard working athletes. They don't have enough money for everyday necessities, such as laundry money and money to buy a dinner when the cafeteria is closed late at night after their 2 hour long practice. These assumptions are inaccurate, and an athletic scholarship is not enough for a player to live on.
Collegiate level athletes deserve to be compensated for all of their time consuming and excruciating work they do. The NCAA should change these rules to try and distribute more money to all schools from the money that they’re making off of advertisements and TV. That way all colleges can afford to give stipends to these devoted players who are never rewarded for their time and effort they put into their sports, this is one small step that could eventually lead to greater stipends. College athletes should be paid because these athletes are very engaged and resolute with what they do.
