Top 10 Reasons College Athletes Should Be Paid

Top 10 Reasons College Athletes Should Be Paid
Top 10 Reasons College Athletes Should Be Paid

Top 10 Reasons College Athletes Should Be Paid

When the NCAA was founded by President Roosevelt in 1905, the institution was committed to the idea of not providing a salary or stipend to the student-athletes who took part in its organization. It is based on the idea of amateurism, and this was a notable idea at the time.

But, over a century later, the NCAA is no longer recognizable compared to what the organization used to be. The NCAA has modernized to take full advantage of the new kinds of sports fans and especially the new kinds of media. Today

, sports and athletics in the NCAA draw in around $11 billion every year for the organization. Its coaches and administrators make staggering amounts of money. From high salaries to performance bonuses, it seems that the NCAA is a very profitable business considering it is a non-profit organization.

Yet, despite all of this cash floating around, the players who make the organization work do not see any of this money. In fact, they are barred by NCAA regulations from capitalizing on their status as great athletes at all. The organization argues that student athletes are provided with full scholarships and a free education. While this was previously a great incentive to work towards a career as a college athlete, the billions of dollars that are poured into the industry every year seem to be disappearing into black holes including ever-increasing coaches’ salaries and brand new stadiums.

Now, collegiate sports teams are fighting back against the NCAA standards. Whether in the press room or in the court room, the NCAA cannot seem to come up with a valid argument other than, “This is our tradition.”

In the 21st century, the NCAA tradition no longest exists. Here are the top ten reasons why student athletes should be paid for their hard work and talent.

10College Athletes Spend an Average of 43.3 Hours Per Week Dedicated to Their Sport

College athletes should be paid because they’re working a full-time job

9College Athletes Struggle to Make Ends Meet

College athletes should get paid because right now, they’re too broke to even pay attention.

8Paying Students Would Only Make the Sport More Competitive

Paying student athletes will raise the level of performance.

7The Money Earned from Athletics is not Automatically Reinvested in Education and Research

Dean Mortimer! How dare you use student funds to fuel your Ginger-Gambling Habit.

If it were the case that the success of a school’s sports teams directly affected the amount of education and research funding that the school received, it would be more difficult to argue that the players should receive a cut. After all, they would be contributing to a school that was helping pursue their educational and professional goals.

Unfortunately, most of the vast revenues taken in by college athletics programs every year do not go directly to the classrooms of the university. If they did, Texas and Alabama would have more academic opportunity than any school in America. Instead, the profits of athletics are shared between administrators, coaches and athletic directors.

Sometimes, money is actually taken from the school to fund sports. The University of Tennessee took $18 million out of its scholarship and fellowship funds and decided to invest it in the athletic department instead. At the time, the school was looking for new coaches and that kind of capital would have attracted prominent names. The school also announced that it did not intend to replace these funds itself and instead was hoping that private gifts and donations would make up for the loss.

Of course, some of the biggest athletics programs do give back to their schools. Alabama contributes a portion of its football proceeds to funding non-athletic scholarships as well as school development. However, this reinvestment does not reflect the net worth of the football team alone which is suggested to be over $100 million.

6Colleges Recruit Top Talent in Academics and in Sports Because of the Status and Fame of Their Sports Teams

Student athletes should be paid because if you can fill a stadium with fans you can fill a University with paying students and star professors.

5The College Sports Apparel Market Capitalizes Specifically on the Players

Famous, fabulous star players really help jersey sales.

4Top Coaches are Rewarded More Than Fairly

Coaches of high performing teams get paid why shouldn’t their players?

3A Salary Would Help Student Athletes Learn How to Manage Their Money

Student athletes should get paid and trained how to manage that dough!

2Payment Would Help Athlete’s Leave School With More Than Just a Degree

College athletes should be given the opportunity for more than just a diploma

1The NCAA is an $11 Billion Dollar Industry

College athletics are big bucks. It’s time to share the pie.