Analysis: Why Division 1 Football Athletes Should Be Paid

Division I college football is a very popular sport, with many stars all across the nation. Some of these stars are essentially well known celebrities, yet they make the same amount of money as a newborn. This is what Division 1 football players deal with during their times at school. This issue has become a well-known argument, with many attempts by different groups in support of the players receiving a salary. However, the NCAA has been strongly against the idea of paying the players. Division 1 football athletes bring revenue to their schools and commit much of their time to their sport, so they should be paid for their work.
Under NCAA rules, Division I college football players cannot be paid. However, this rule goes beyond the players
To show just how much money college football brings in, in 2010, the SEC, a conference in Division I college football, became the first to make over a billion dollars in athletics. The Big Ten brought in $905 million dollars that same year (Branch). These astonishing numbers show just how much money a single conference can bring in during one season. It is not just conferences and teams that make money off the players, it is also the NCAA. “The NCAA itself takes in nearly $800 million a year” (Nocera). However, the NCAA is very hypocritical, as it uses the players to make money without paying them any of this. For $29.99, the NCAA offers DVDs of more than 200 famous games (Branch). This proves again the NCAA’s hypocrisy, that they think the players do not deserve money for playing, yet they will make money from selling DVDs of games. Another example of the NCAA using players to earn money is on their official shop website. By typing “Manziel” into a search box, a number 2 Texas A&M jersey with no name pops up (Gregory). It is a rule that schools cannot sell a player's jersey with their name on it, but by typing in the name that would be on the back of the jersey, it pops right up. This is another act of hypocrisy by the NCAA, by selling players jerseys without the players themselves earning any money. Not only does
“The average compensation for the 108 football coaches in Division I is $1.75 million. That is up 75 percent since 2007” (Connolly). This number has most certainly increased in the past few seasons. The salaries of the highest paid coaches in the nation, however, are even more outrageous. Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama, will earn a guaranteed $55.2 million during his eight year contract (Connolly). Also, Ohio State University’s Urban Meyer signed a six year, $24 million contract (Nocera). These two contracts highlight the insane amount of money that the top college football coaches earn. This is all while the players that they coach earn zero dollars. However, it is not just head football coaches that make ample amounts of money. Division I assistant coaches earn a respectable amount as well. “Salaries for assistant coaches have commonly exceeded $200,000, with top assistants in the SEC averaging $700,000” (Branch). It is ludicrous that all of this money is spent on coaches, who would not have a job without the players. The main cause for the high coaching salaries is that the players cannot earn any of this money. Colleges and their athletic departments are non-profit, so the money they make must be spent. Because of the inability to pay the players, schools spend a vast amount of their profit from football on the coaches and other athletic staff (Connolly). This cash could be better