Kate Swanson
Should College Athletes Be Paid
All over the United States students play sports at the college that they attend. Some students go into college focusing on that one sport and spend so much time on it, which raises the question “Should college athletes be paid?” On one side, people will say that being a college athlete is more of a job rather than an activity, especially Division 1 sports like football or basketball. People will say that because these committed athletes are spending most of their college experience focused on the sport, and ultimately, improving the reputation and standing of their school, that they should get paid as all of the school’s employees do.
Not only is it a lot of time and effort, but these athletes will put their bodies on the line for the love of the game. On the other side, people argue that students go to college to get a degree, and not to work at a job. Some students already receive “athletic scholarships” which ultimately provides an education to students for free, if they play a sport. Some schools will argue that having to pay athletes is not in the budget. Also that if college athletes are paid to play, that they will not play for the love of the sport, but rather the money that is involved.
People who think that college athletes should be paid often argue the same main argument, and that is that playing a sport in college is like having a job. Athletes can have a difficult time balancing their schedules, between games, trainings, and classes. College athletes can spend more than 40 hours training a week. Because this sucks up most of their time in college, putting more pressure on them, people believe that they should paid for playing. Not only do these athletes put so much time into their sports, but they also put their bodies on the line every single game and practice. In 2013 in the NCAA tournament, Kevin Ware suffered a severe and disturbingly graphic broken tibia while attempting to block a three shot, eventually missing an entire season to aid in his recovery. Players risk a lot all for the love of the game. Many people will argue that colleges have so much money for their sports programs, and they believe that this money should go to the athletes that come to play. Although there are these reasons for college athletes to be paid there is an upside to keeping things the way they are by not paying college athletes.
Despite the argument that college athletes should be paid due to their commitment to the team, some people believe that college athletes should not be paid for playing their sport. Athletes, along with everyone who attends college, go to learn and earn a degree. Playing a sport is just an activity that goes along with the experience, Hence the phrase “Student-Athlete”. Even though the playing sports can be a big commitment, students are not professional athletes and their sport is not their job. There should be a line between amateurs who decide to play in college and professional athletes. According to U.S News, “Collegiate sports is not a career or profession. It is the student’s’ vehicle to a higher education degree.” Furthermore, College Athletes already get scholarships which help pay for most of their college career, so there is no need for them to receive money for playing. People argue that sports programs have so much money and that it should go to the students. The problem is that the biggest schools would have the most generous budget, schools like LSU, University of Texas, the University of Oregon and the University of Alabama. As of 2015, The University of Oregon had 196 million dollars for their athletic program. If students were to be paid for playing, the best players would be attending these schools, making the game unfair and lopsided.
If money is the issue for these athletes, the NCAA may have a compromise. There is word that the NCAA may increase financial aid to help out those student athletes. This makes it easier for families to pay without having to have every athlete receive a salary. The increase in the financial aid will help students through their college journey. At the end of the day they all are student athletes, and not just athletes. It is for this reason the rules should remain the same that Student Athletes should not make money for playing their sport and should just play for the love of the game.
Kate Swanson 