Analysis: Should College Athletes Be Paid

Should college athletes be paid? People believe that college athletes should be compensated for their time they give up. Many people believe that college athletes should be paid a small amount of money for the luxuries they desire for many reasons. A few of the reasons athletes should be compensated are that they do not have time to get a job if they wanted to, they are the ones who bring in all the revenue to the colleges, and it would create a sense of financial awareness for others. Universities would not be as popular if it were not for college athletes. These sport programs bring a good supply of financial help to universities. Usually the athletes are the star of the show and have no income to back it up. Without the student athletes, …show more content…
Players should be compensated for putting their lives at risk, and intentionally injuring themselves for their teams. “Is it fair that coach Nick Saban of the University of Alabama recently signed a $55.2 million contract, but Tyrone Prothro, the Crimson Tide wide receiver celebrated for making “The Catch” in 2005, fractured both bones in his lower leg in his next game? Saban is wealthy and Protho is in debt and out of football” (Karaim 14). It is hard to understand how this player should suffer from insufficient funds after playing a big role on the football team. The opposite side has their own opinion about the situation. “Student-athletes are amateurs who choose to participate in intercollegiate athletics as part of their educational experience, thus maintaining a distinction between student-athletes who participate in the collegiate model and professional athletes who might be students as well. Participation in collegiate sports is not a student-athlete’s job. His or her ability to compete is contingent upon continued enrollment and academic eligibility. Because these athletes are not employees, it follows that they should not be unionized.”(Karaim 15). Some believe that the player should have insurance anyway that would help cover the expense of their medical injury. The opposite side believes that since the players are amateurs, they should not be compensated for their time spent …show more content…
They put long hours into not only game days and practices, but also into promoting the school and building the program to recruit other players. There have been many instances in which players have been severely injured in practices or games, which causes them to be out for the season. Once these players are injured they not only can no longer play the sport they love, but they also can not do other activities in their lives. When college players get injured, it also leads to high medical bills. Without college players getting paid, how are they expected to play for their medical bills and other extra expense? College players bring in a great amount of revenue for the universities. Without these important athletes, then the colleges would not receive all the money that comes from all the activities that they are affiliated with. If it were not for all the college athletes then the universities would not receive as much money, or get as near as much recognition and be as well known to others. College athletes and sports draw thousands of fans to their fields, stadiums, and gyms each year. This gives the school ua platform to not only recruit other athletes to join their program, but also to recruit more students to attend their school. If college athletes would receive wages for their sacrifice to their schools, it would be beneficial to the athletes but also to the