Research: Should College Athletes Be Paid

Should college athletes be paid actual cash for their contribution to the sport they participate in? Now I know a lot of people would argue that, “athletes do get paid, in scholarships”, but what about the big time D1 athletes that have their jersey’s being sold and being put on magazine covers? I mean some of these athletes we hear about daily are being publicized like celebrities. In Division 1 sports the big time conferences and schools have big time athletes that bring the universities they are playing for tons of money with their effort and time spend contributing to the athletic program they are partaking in. It’s hard enough to have a job as just a student, but being a student athlete there really is no time for extra money, which makes it very hard to live. I think this is where and why some programs pay players under the table, but being an athlete is a full time job and some kids have to support a family. I think if the NCAA could pay the athletes a bare minimum amount of money it would make that much of a difference.
The National Basketball Association pays its players in part of the money they make yearly from ticket sales and whatever else the individual teams do to generate revenue. The promise of a free education just isn’t enough for athletes if the NCAA is this money making machine. If the NCAA does not want to pay its athletes that bring them in the money then I think that the NCAA should not put restrictions on the athletes to enter the professional world, in this case college football players entering the National Football Association. College players should be entitled to monetary compensation and the right to enter the draft and become professional