The debate on whether collegiate athletes deserve monetary compensation for their gameplay has been a long time controversy.
Should college athletes get paid to play sports? Paying student athletes would defeat the purpose of getting scholarships. Athletes get offers from different universities and earn money. Scholarships are important because they are a great opportunity for players that need financial help and want to continue playing. Universities are willing to give money to great college players because they are giving the student an opportunity to improve their skills and continue their journey.
According to an article called “Why Shouldn’t We Pay Student-Athletes?” by Gene Demby and Maria Paz Gutierrez, The NCAA organization is earning a lot of money because sports teams are hosting America’s popular sporting event called March Madness every year. A lot of people who attend the games are giving money to the schools and coaches are getting paid a huge amount as well. The NCAA is getting a lot of money to pay for student scholarships in order for them go to a school that they can’t afford.
The NCAA official website discusses that scholarships are one of the most important benefits for student-athletes. It says, “More than 150,000 student-athletes receive $2.4 billion in athletic scholarships each year from NCAA member colleges and universities.” Student-athletes use that scholarship money to pay the schools, tuitions, school supplies and other services that they need to be able to attend that university. Sports scholarships make a huge purpose for college athletes because they provide a lot of help for the student and their families. That’s why I think student-athletes should not get paid.
The top two college sports that earn the most money is football and basketball. The reasons why college athletes do not get paid is because people go to the games every year and they pay a lot of money to watch great athletes. The schools are getting a lot of money because of how big these events are. Those who are outstanding college athletes would most likely get paid a full ride scholarship but there are other athletes that only get paid partial scholarship. They are not getting paid to become a professional athlete in college, they only participate in college sports because it is a privilege. Not every single athlete gets the opportunity to play at the next level after high school.
The NCAA is an organization that doesn’t give away money to athletes for participating on the team. Student-athletes already have many benefits for playing college sports such as enrolling in classes, eating meals, living on campus, traveling with the team and networking. Since the NCAA will most likely not change a decision to start paying athletes, student-athletes are best to simply play their sport for the love of the game.