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Branden Hatcher

Professor Tubbs

ENGL 1301

12 November 2019

Why College Athletes Should Be Paid ?

The best part of college is watching all the different types of college sports and athletes

compete. Not only are College sports entertaining but it also plays a big role in funding and

bringing revenue into the school. So the real problem is, since the sports are bringing in money

why can't the schools pay the athletes. The athletes are the main reason for the school's success

based on how good they are at the sport. That's why it's very important to take good care of the

student athletes so they can play at their top level .My opinion is that college athletes should be

paid because student debt is high, NCAA are profiting heavily and not sharing any money, and

It’s the athletes bringing all the money for the schools.

College athletes are the pride and joy of their campus. They are the ones who are praised

as they walk down the sidewalk, their very footsteps are cherished by fellow classmates. Sounds

almost like a pro-athlete, maybe it is about time that they are compensated like one. There are

those who get scholarships and do not have to pay a cent of college; however, when those

players get a scholarship more money is added to the bills of students who weren’t smart or

athletic enough to get one. This is adding to the ever growing problem, student debt. According

to The NAtional Center for Education Statistics, 47% of students at public institutions had to

take out student loans, whole a whopping 73% at private institutions. If the NCAA was to start
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paying their student athletes they could start to combat this debt. If schools were to work with

them, they could lower their scholarship amounts, being easily made back up in payment, and

that extra $10,230 a year could be spread to other students of the university. The amount of

student debt in the United States reached an all time high of $1.57 TRILLION back in December

of 2018, and is continually growing. Paying student athletes with correlation through the NCAA

won’t erase that much debt overnight, but there is an average of $2.9 billion going to student

athletes alone every single year. Not only will the salary of student athletes help our economy

and their college campus, but making money will also allow those who rely on that scholarship

to give back to their families who have sacrificed everything to get them there.

College and professional athletes are not very different from each other. The amount of

time and effort put into the being at the level these athletes are at is not an easy role to play. It's

very strenuous not only their body but on their emotional and mental stability. Those who

support the compensation to college athletes can all agree that the “young players practice more

than forty hours a week and risk their safety and health”.This is not something that just anyone

can do. These young athletes dedicate their whole lives to the game they play. There is a lot that

is the line everyday to not even get a small compensation compared to all the money the athletes

bring in bring in.

A problem with not just compensating these athletes with a salary is that they are given

what are called “non-cash gifts”, meaning “recruiters may use travel expenses, cars, and concert

tickets..as ways of attracting a recruit or retaining a star”. This act has lead to several lawsuits.
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The risk of an athlete not even being able to play because of getting caught accepting

compensations that are not allowed is very common. These athletes are basically working full

time jobs and not getting paid a single cent for the time they are giving and the risks they take

everyday. Just getting their education isn't enough. Being a student athlete is harder than the

average student would ever understand. There is no time between sports and school to get a job

to provide for oneself. Compensation should be required for student athletes.

I truly think college athletes will be paid eventually due to a whole new system in the

NCAA and other organizations along with it. By starting new regulations enforcing rules that can

qualify college athletes on gaining financial stability due to their performance at the school the

athletes gets their education. “America's college athletic departments brought in a combined

$18.1 billion of revenue in 2017”, they have enough money to pay players from all schools. That

just shows how selfish these organizations can be. I think it can change right away if the proper

people take action and it can help athletes from around the nation. Also, the NCAA should even

give athletes benefits like health or insurance because these athletes put their bodies out to

perform. When they can’t perform at the fullest there body starts to tear down over time. I’m

most cases injuries will happen so they should be able to take care of athletes who can’t perform

any more after a serious injury. Because these students really need to be cared for and supported.

That's why they should be able to accumulate a salary for playing for the NCAA and it doesn’t

even have to be a lot. But enough where it’s even for both sides and everyone looks out for each

other at the end of the day.

Overall, California tried opposing the bill so that the athletes can be paid. But it was

found to be unfair since it was one state out of the other state’s. So that concluded that all states
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had to follow these regulations. The athletes do get benefited after playing college level if they

are good enough to reach the professional level. Then they would start making massive amounts

of money through their names and contracts with professional teams that have come to terms

with the athletes. There has been multiple incidents relating to student athletes like when EA

sports released a game for NCAA football using the players real names. Came to question why

NCAA started using their names the way the players looked identical. The NCAA was sued by

the players because they were not getting paid and the NCAA had to suspend the game

production. They haven’t paid the players still because of the rules that were implemented.

In conclusion college athletes should be able to be paid based on the student debt, NCAA

profiting heavily, and after the life of the athletes. It’s tough to say that college athletes don’t

have it easy because they sacrifice their time everyday to be able to perform and to someday

graduate and play at a professional level. It's also very important to take care of students and

student athletes so everyone can have an opportunity in life. It is a big problem that is going

around our educational system and it can cause further problems down the road. Also it can help

the motives so when they want to further their career they don't have to worry about paying

anything to the school because the way NCAA compensates is by a full scholarship.
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Work Cited

"College Tuition and Student Loans." ​Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection,​ Gale, 2019.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,
https://link-gale-com.aclibproxy.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/PC3010999071/OVIC?u=txshracd29
04&sid=OVIC&xid=fea67830. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

"Compensation for College Athletes." ​Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection​, Gale, 2019.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,
https://link-gale-com.aclibproxy.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/IVYNOB621544042/OVIC?u=txshrac
d2904&sid=OVIC&xid=ab8d187e. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

"Pay for play; College sports." ​The Economist,​ 28 Sept. 2019, p. 26(US). ​Gale General OneFile​,
https://link-gale-com.aclibproxy.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A600826683/ITOF?u=txshracd2904
&sid=ITOF&xid=602ba748. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.