Should Student Athletes Get Paid

Every year across the United States, thousands of high school athletes sign the National Collegiate Athletic Association 's Form 08-3a, otherwise, the student-athlete form that waives their right to receive payment for the use of their name and likeness. Just like college students, student athletes work hard and devote their time to their classes. However, not only do student athletes have to keep their grades up to stay eligible to play, they also spend additional training and practicing to win games for the university. Form 08-3a defines student-athletes as the amateur, which cannot make money from playing their respective sport. While the schools and coaches make millions in endorsements deals and are the highest-paid state employee in most …show more content…
This is what the NCAA calls, amateurism. Not only does this make it unfair for the athlete, it violates their right of free speech as well. For example, once an athlete signs with a school, the athlete must stay at that school for four years. If the player wants to play for another college and transfers, they are forced to sit out a year, yet coaches can break their contract at any time and coach another school immediately. Players do not need to be paid millions of dollars, but some combination is due. In the film, Sports for Sale, players on the SMU (Southern Methodist University) football team shared that some nights, they would go to bed starving because they did not have extra money to go out and buy something to eat. The NCAA states that taking money out of consideration makes it easier for the athletes to focus on their academics. Even though the NCAA says that they are just student athletes, the NCAA schedules games and tournament games requiring athletes to miss multiple days at a time out of the classroom (Zimbalist). The NCAA is using and treating athletes as modern slaves that do not have the right to speak out on issues or to protest. Not only is the NCAA not living up to paying the athletes, they are not making sure that the athletes get the degree that they are so called, “promised.” So what is a college degree …show more content…
This statement is very powerful if, it was solely talking about academics. Johnson and Acquaviva make a point between all the practices, film sessions, traveling, and playing the big game, these college athletes really cannot feel like students. They look to a study by Adler and Adler and concluded, “Big-time basketball and being seriously engaged in academics were not compatible (Johnson).” Coaches will make sure that student athletes are taking classes that will not interfere with practice or even, schedule easier classes to keep that player eligible. With these points being made, it seems to the NCAA and coaches that athlete comes before the