Athletes Being Paid

L
College Athletes Being Paid
Sep 18, 2013 1916 words 8 pages
Should College Athletes Be Paid?
For over a century, college sports have been among the most popular and loved sports in the American media, with the biggest event being March Madness. This event alone generates almost a billion dollars for the NCAA every year. They are well rewarded for the advertising and publicity that they generate around college sports. The athletes however, are not. Most athletes in major NCAA Division 1 schools have full scholarships, which guarantee them a free education, but no other benefits. Although there are some regulations around the number of hours a college athlete is allowed to spend on or off the field practicing and working out, the amount
The amount of hours they put in with practice, study hall and games rob them of the free time a college student should have. College is generally more about the education a student should receive but is also about all the people someone can meet as well as what college is all about which is making friends and having fun. A college athlete does not have too much time to spend with any friends when he has around fifteen hours a week of school and another 20-25 hours of sports related activity. After 35-40 hours of sport related activities taking up a college athlete’s time, there is not much free time that an athlete can spend on the other experiences which college has to offer. Having so many hours allocated for education and sports related activities, an athlete cannot have any time to get a part time job and make some money for spending money instead of having their parent’s still supporting them. Although, most of the top college athletes from the top teams do receive full scholarships where they don’t have to pay for tuition or room and board. Spending money is not included in a scholarship which means an athlete’s parents have to support them even after high school. Being only a student would enable a lot of free hours extra where a student can get a part time job and pay for their tuition as well as spending
Education is one of the least important factors on talented athlete's lives. What is the point of trying if the pro ranks are the only incentives these athletes have in mind? Most top college athletes are enrolled for one or two years and then turn professional. There is no benefit for them to go all four years and receive the education that is needed in the now globally competitive workplace. If college athletes, were paid, then there would be premium put on earning a degree, and if pro sports do not work out, these college athletes are then capable of being successful participants in the now growing economic workplace. If college athletes were paid, they would not be robbed of any college experiences and many of them would stay the full four years and receive a degree which will help them in the future after they retire from the sport. It would also be fair that they are paid compensation for working as hard as professional athletes as well as the money and exposure they give college sports which is very similar to the money that professional leagues