Professional athletes are some of the most paid individuals, earning millions in salaries and endorsements yearly. Surprisingly, the story is the opposite for student athletes since college athletics is considered an amateur sport. Well, did you know that these amateur sports bring in up to $40 million to universities yearly? The NCAA earns over $11 billion yearly for colleges, and the administrators and coaches earn mouth-watering bonuses.
So, is it right that, with all the cash floating around, students who break their backs don’t get any compensation? The debate over whether college athletes should earn salaries has existed for years. It has become a case for numerous written works given to learners. Students can even use PapersOwl to find favorite sport essay examples and order assignments written by professional writers to save time and stress. Regardless, here are 8 reasons why college athletes should be paid for their talent and hard work.
1. Student athletes bring in money
Colleges earn massively from sporting activities. In the United States, universities collectively generate billions of dollars from ticket sales, deals, sponsorships, and TV deals. In 2019, NCCA generated $18.9 billion in revenues. Not only this, but basketball and football coaches earn millions of dollars yearly as a salary. Considering the massive revenue these players generate,
it seems only fair to pay them for their energy, commitment, and time. One can even argue that the system is exploiting them since there is no reward for their labor.
2. No time for a part-time job
Many students in the US shuffle between education and part-time jobs, especially if there is no one to support them through college. These jobs cover the cost of textbooks, rent, and food. Although most college sports stars are admitted on scholarships, the financing only covers basic tuition. As a result, there is little money to support themselves. Sadly, college athletics, as a fulltime job, takes a significant amount of time.
Various statistics suggest athletes spend at least 40 hours weekly training and playing games. Without this, they cannot keep their scholarships or remain on the sports teams. There are even various sample essays on why college athletes should be paid, and students that want to discuss this contentious subject can save time by searching a pool of samples of already published essays.
3. A Greater Stake for Students Will Make Games More Competitive
What is the greatest motivation to do something? Simple, offer a reward. While it is true that athletes enjoy tuition waivers and scholarships, it is not enough motivation to play. Financial compensation will reduce the stress athletes feel about their situation. Not only this, but it will motivate them to work harder, and they can now focus on more games without any anxiety about how to raise funds.
4. Paying College Athletes Would End Corruption
Naturally, college athletes provide free media exposure for schools. It also increases their ranking and popularity. To keep their numbers up, some shoe executives, coaches, professionals, and apparel representatives conspire and pay recruits to join colleges. Although it is not a new practice, it is just one ugly side of college athletics that the public is oblivious to.
The act of paying high school students to join specific colleges is a criminal offense. However, in the absence of fair compensation, these high schoolers end up manipulated. One of the best ways to avoid this is to pay college athletes. This way, recruits know they will get paid regardless of the university they choose.
5. Paying college sports stars would help to begin creating a sense of financial awareness
In 2009, the ESPN documentary Broke provided insight into the financial woes of professional athletes. According to the documentary, around 60% of NBA and 75% of former NFL players go broke within 5 years of retirement. The victims blamed bad investments, lavish spending habits, unethical financial advisors, etc. However, the most significant culprit was a lack of financial awareness.
Because colleges don’t pay amateur players, they don’t have any exposure to money and money management until they are professionals. As a result, there is no foundation of financial literacy. But if schools were to begin paying them early as undergraduates, they could have enough exposure to money management to help them in any career they choose.
6. Top Coaches are Rewarded More Than Fairly
NCAA coaches earn about $100,000 yearly, more than most professors who teach thousands of students. Of course, $100,000 seems reasonable for someone who brings millions of dollars to the school. Interestingly, some head football coaches earn millions of dollars in a year. In 2013, an Alabama coach reportedly earned $5.5 million in salary and received a new contract for $7 million each year. If colleges believe it is fair to invest $7 million in someone who acts behind the scene, why is compensating the players who do all the hard work an issue?
7. College Sports Money Is Not Used for Students’ Benefit
It’s sad that the huge returns athletes draw into their schools are not used for education or research investments. Instead of putting the money back into the team or university facilities, they end up in huge salaries between the coaches and administration. Interestingly, this is not considered corruption since there is no law against it.
8. Students Are Not Cheap Labor
With the current outlook, student athletes appear as cheap labor coaches, administrations, and executives used to fatten their accounts. Until now, all excuses for not paying students have been proven wrong, and the major reason for the unwillingness to pay them is that they get a scholarship. But if we are being honest, we all know a scholarship is not enough to compensate them for their sweat, injuries, exhaustion, and hard work.
Ending
Many college athletes put their heart and soul into these activities that come at great physical and mental costs. At the end of the day, they draw money to the school and come out without any reward. If this is not cheap labor, then what is? Even if these students won’t earn as much as professionals, it is enough to appreciate their contribution and ensure they don’t have to worry about where their next money is coming from.
