Should College Athletes Be Paid Like Professionals? Research Paper

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Paying college athletes has been an ongoing debate for a very long time. Everyone seems to have an opinion regarding the debate and they all have different opinions. The reality is that soon athletes might start being paid, but until then the debate rages on. The regulations imposed by the NCAA are deemed unfavoring for the promotion of the sport and the money collected from ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and endorsements only benefit the association and the colleges. The students are left to suffer struggling to make ends meet if they do not come from well to do backgrounds. The association earns billions of dollars annually for regulating college athletics (Debate Club p.1). The NCAA argues that the athletes are paid in terms of free education, but most of the athletes do not complete college, which means they do not graduate, and the education is irrelevant. The argument that the athletes are first students does not hold any water because the number of classes the athletes miss. A normal student would not be allowed to miss over six weeks of class work, but student athletes are permitted to miss out in as many classes in order to participate in college tournaments. Division I departments have been noted to bring in more money than any other department within a college. This clearly demonstrates the value the athletes add to the college. Academic counselors are charged with selecting courses for the student athletes that are easy and require lees time in class. This is done to ensure the athlete can spend as much time concentrating on the field and not on studies. Therefore, the argument presented by the NCAA regarding the athletes being students first does not hold any water. The NCAA should develop a payment schedule that would encourage athletes to complete college instead of the current regulation.

Why student athletes should be paid

The NCAA pays for the scholarships for most of the student athletes, but the money is paid directly to the college. The student athlete is not given a single cent, which can limit their progress. The student is forced to survive on the food offered in college, and if they miss a meal, they will go hungry. Athletes should be offered some pocket money that the student athlete can use for their personal use with no questions asked. There are extras that most students have to include in order to complete their courses or classwork, and the students will be working in order to afford the extras. For the student athlete, they are not allowed to work, and they do not have enough time to concentrate on anything else apart from school and sport. This limitation means most of the athletes have to figure out other means in order to make ends meet, which might lead to punishment by the NCAA. Student athletes do not learn the value of money while in college, which leads to financial mismanagement when they go professional (Johnson and Acquaviva p.46). If the students are paid, they would learn early the value of managing the little funds they have and improve their responsibility. Learning the value of money while in college would go a long way to helping them save more when they join the big leagues. The restrictions imposed by the NCAA mean that most students are forced to yearn for the day they join professional leagues. Once they make it, the athletes misuse their funds by making purchases for things they do not need, and they end up squandering their money. We are arguing that the players should be paid a lot just enough to force them make tough choices regarding what is important. Paying them just enough will force them to learn how to manage money and teach them the responsibility of having a job.

The health care bills that some athletes will suffer later on in life are articulated to the time they were playing in college. The free-education offered to the student would not compensate for the injuries suffered. The injuries suffered from contact sports have left some students with nothing apart from medical bills and a lifetime of pain. People would not support a sport if they knew that there is a likelihood of the player suffering lifelong injuries yet they are not being paid. The only difference between college and professional sports is that the money earned only goes to a select few. Coaches, conference directors, athletic directors, and sports executives are the ones who benefit the most from the funds earned (Sanderson and Siegfried p.118).

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The failure to pay student athletes result sin corruption and circumventing the rules.

The funds earned by the colleges from the NCAA is not used on educational missions, but instead it is used on salary increases for administrators, coaches, and mega stadiums (Steve Siebold p.1). The failure to use the money for education purposes demonstrates the value given to education by the institutions. The NCAA would argue that it has not control over how the money is spent, but if it determines the amount a student athlete receives in terms of scholarship it can also dictate how the money is spent. The NCAA is only concerned with increasing its revenues and broadcasting deals, and the student comes second. Without the student athlete where would the NCAA be and would it still be earning the money earned? That is the question that NCAA should answer next time it brings the argument that student athletes should not be paid. Paying student athletes would ensure that they get a piece of the pie, and they benefit for the amount of hours they put in on the field. Spending over forty hour a week on practice or the field is equivalent to a working person.

The compensation paid to student athletes could be kept in a trust fund only accessible upon completion of college. This would encourage most students to complete college, and they would also be motivated to perform better in class. The dropout rate for most college athletes is enormous, and most of them leave because they cannot survive and play at the same time. The sacrifice the students make affects their future life in case they suffer an injury or cannot play anymore. The NCAA should be looking at how the association can promote and reduce college drop out by the athletes. In the past, college coaches were not paid, but currently they earn money, and the highest paid makes over $7 million annually. The regulation was amended for the coaches, and this was done to encourage coaches to work harder. Imagine if the same was done for the student athletes. Student athletes will do the bare minimum for class, and they are only passing time before they move on to the next thing.

The NCAA is an employer for the student athletes, or it acts like one. An employee is defined as a person who works for another person or entity, and they receive compensation in exchange. The student athletes receive compensation in terms of scholarship for playing for the college. The students risk their health and academic performance in order to offer their services to the employer (college). The questions that one would ask regarding if one is an employee are similar for the student athletes. The student athlete is dependent on the college, the college has the right to punish or discipline the student, the student actions are controlled and dictated by the college, and the work the student does is essential for the college's survival. The college might discipline the student athlete, but the NCAA is charged with making the regulations and dictating the terms of the scholarship. This shows that the NCAA is the employer of the student athlete, and it should start paying the students better.

Why student athletes should not be paid

Paying college athletes would be a discrimination against the other students. Other students who perform better in their respective fields and they are not paid, why then should student athletes be paid? A majority of student athletes join colleges on scholarships. The scholarships are mostly for sports, which means that they are being paid already (Johnson p.80). Without the scholarships, most of the students would not manage to pursue academic and athletic goals. The scholarship offers the student the opportunity to gain a college education and still grow athletically. Therefore, the student should be grateful for the opportunity offered by the college. The scholarships awarded to the student athletes are very different from the ones offered to other students. The students are provided with everything unlike their counterparts with the same full scholarships. Playing for a college team is similar to an internship position. The student athlete receives valuable information regarding the sport and a coach who understand where their career is headed guides them. The students should then be grateful and put in more effort towards performing better both in class and on the field.

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