pay to play!
caven hunt
intro
College athletics have gained alot of popularity among Americans over the past few decades. This has resulted into increased amounts of money the ncaa has made and the all the colleges that particpates. which has added fuel to the fire for the debate of whether college athletes should be compensated beyond their athletic scholarships. This paper will attempt to answer the question as to why college athletes should get paid
they bring in most of the schools money
The NCAA has revenue that rivals many of the country’s biggest public companies.it brings in more money than the NHL and NBA, but its a non profit organization . each year the NCAA takes in almost $11 billion in revenue across college sports. The biggest earners are football, basketball and baseball, but besides their scholarships college athletes don't see any of that money directly
It will help them learn financial responsibility
Many players come from working class households (like myself) and experience the shock of jumping up several income brackets when they sign their first NFL contract. Getting paid in college would help teach these players responsibility before they get a big NFL/NBA contract. Even though the numbers are not the same, anything players can learn about money in college can go a long way towards saving more of it when they get to the pros.
It will make suspensions more severe
When players make a mistake in college and gets suspended for a game or less, that's not much of a penalty. Many suspensions are carried out during non-conference games early in the season, when games really don't mean much. Any punishment only hurts the program and the players who are more dedicated to their craft. If players were paid, there would be more direct consequences to any selfish behavior.
It will keep more athletes enrolled in school
Paying players to play in college, might actually keep a few more of them in school. Sometimes the decision to leave school is purely economical as many players are lured to the potential money that can be made at the next level. Getting paid to play in college can make it easier to stay in school when a player’s draft stock can be improved, experience at the collegiate level enhanced and education on and off the field furthered. It might lead some players to stick around and work on a degree, their skills or maturity
it will help college athletes adapt to college economically
Many top sports recruits come from the inner city, country or anice quiet small environment and going off to college is a completely new experience. Most of the young people at major universities in the United States come from families that have incomes that are well above the national average. Players are asked to come to institutions where they are not social equals and yet they are expected to feel good about the situation and themselves, so paying them will help them on and off the field.
college athletes put their bodies on the line for their universities
Football is a physically demanding sport that requires players to keep their bodies in tip top shape. It is not simply a class where a “C” can be earned for just getting by. The demands on the body are quite extensive and there really is very little time to keep up with studies or take on a part-time job for extra money. Students who work in labs at night or the bookstore during the day get paid for doing work that makes more money for their school. On the other hand, college football players sacrifice their bodies almost daily and put themselves in danger for each and every game, all without pay.
football is a job on that level, not just a pick up game. athletes spend about 43.5 hours a week on football
Asking players to go to school and play football is a tall task when many have coasted through classes in high school. Assuming we treat them like student athletes, it seems like football can be treated as a part-time job at the bare minimum. Getting paid to play college ball might actually make it easier to look at school as more of an opportunity worth taking. Many athletes could actually take classes for money management, investing and business instead of going through the motions of formal undergraduate studies.
Paying students will only make the sport more competitive
The NCAA often states that paying college athletes would destroy the competitiveness of the sport. However, this makes little to no sense. The NFL pays its players based on their worth and their performance. The tiered payments offered to professional players only motivate them to work harder to maintain their rankings. This hard work also leads to salary increases in the form of media events and sponsorship deals.saying that paying athletes will decrease the amount of competitiveness is really not smart.
conclusion
The growth in college athletics has resulted into alot of money for colleges and NCAA and also attractive payment packages for coaches. College athletes deserve a share of the money that they help to generate.