They may be lucky enough to have school, housing, and dining paid for but that is uncommon. What is common is athletes having to spend money on things they don’t have a choice for. “Renting or buying suits for mandatory banquets and fundraisers is expensive, especially when the athlete has no choice in whether or not they can attend”. (ListLand.com) Another obvious cost is food, which athletes need a lot of considering the amount of calories they burn. People opposed to athletes being paid may use the excuse that athletes are on scholarships, but a study showed that an average 2% of division 1 athletes are on a scholarship. From personal calculations it was found that the average cost for a division 1 school is about $28,000 and that is the in-state cost. “Only about 2 percent of high school athletes win sports scholarships every year at NCAA colleges and universities. Yes, the odds are that dismal. For those who do snag one, the average scholarship is less than $11,000” (cbsnews.com). Another interesting fact is that some of the most popular sports like basketball, football, gymnastics, and volleyball simply offer a full ride scholarship where the entirety of the tuition is paid for, or no money at all. The scholarship excuse for not paying athletes clearly isn’t as valid as it seems when it’s looked …show more content…
“The NCAA made $912.8 million last year, 84 percent of which came from one, three-week event: The Division I men's basketball tournament” (indystar.com). Without the athletes (especially basketball) the money literally isn’t there. Another good contribution to that money is the merchandise sold to fans which is another thing that isn’t possible without the athlete. When someone’s name is on something that is being sold they should receive some of that. With the type of money that the NCAA is making, they certainly wouldn’t be opposed to making more. Paying athletes would increase the competition which would obviously increase revenue. A way to give players motivation to be better would be giving them maybe 5% of what their jersey’s and other merchandise make. Players would be worth how well they play which would give athletes the competitive edge to want to be