On January 11th 2016, Alabama football coach, Nick Saban, won his 4th national championship for Alabama. The University of Alabama is projected to make well over $100 million dollars, solely from the success of the football team this season. Commonly referred to as Nick Satan and the Nicktator due to his charming personality, Saban is scheduled to make more than $7 million dollars just this year. Derrick Henry, the Heisman winning running back who carried the ball over 400 times this year will be paid nothing, even though he is the one risking his life every Saturday. This injustice is what plagues the NCAA, and collegiate athletes all over the country. Due to the amount of revenue they generate, the health risks they take, and the general
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Every time that a college football player steps on the field, he is risking his life. In the more extreme cases, we see paralysis and even death on the field. However the real detriment to the players, are the hundreds of concussions, both reported and hidden, suffered over the course of a season. Football has more catastrophic head injuries than any other sport, and the culture behind it does not help. Instead of coming off the field and receiving necessary medical attention, players are encouraged to stay on the field and tough it out. It is during this time where players are the most susceptible to being critically injured. (Tyler) The millionaire coaches criticize players for being “soft” or “weak” if they ever choose to sit out for a game due to health. The players are also further incentivized to play through pain, because they are trying to raise their NFL draft stock. Because they are not paid in college, they are forced to overexert themselves and risk their well-being for a chance to make it to the biggest stage of them all, the …show more content…
For instance some say that paying the athletes would take away from the budget for research, professors, and educational facilities. This is true, however if schools really cared about improving their academic programs more than their football team, they would not waste $7 million a year on a head coach, or $500 thousand on a strength and conditioning coach. Another inadequate argument is that the athletes are compensated fairly with tuition, housing, and supplies from the university. This statement is wildly innacurate; take for example athletes from The Ohio State University who’s athletic department generated over $145 million dollars in revenue for the school in 2014. $145 million is colossal when compared to the scholarships given out to support the athletes. It is only fair that the people who make the sports possible, the athletes, have a share in the millions they earn.
Every time that a college football player steps on the field, he is risking his life. In the more extreme cases, we see paralysis and even death on the field. However the real detriment to the players, are the hundreds of concussions, both reported and hidden, suffered over the course of a season. Football has more catastrophic head injuries than any other sport, and the culture behind it does not help. Instead of coming off the field and receiving necessary medical attention, players are encouraged to stay on the field and tough it out. It is during this time where players are the most susceptible to being critically injured. (Tyler) The millionaire coaches criticize players for being “soft” or “weak” if they ever choose to sit out for a game due to health. The players are also further incentivized to play through pain, because they are trying to raise their NFL draft stock. Because they are not paid in college, they are forced to overexert themselves and risk their well-being for a chance to make it to the biggest stage of them all, the …show more content…
For instance some say that paying the athletes would take away from the budget for research, professors, and educational facilities. This is true, however if schools really cared about improving their academic programs more than their football team, they would not waste $7 million a year on a head coach, or $500 thousand on a strength and conditioning coach. Another inadequate argument is that the athletes are compensated fairly with tuition, housing, and supplies from the university. This statement is wildly innacurate; take for example athletes from The Ohio State University who’s athletic department generated over $145 million dollars in revenue for the school in 2014. $145 million is colossal when compared to the scholarships given out to support the athletes. It is only fair that the people who make the sports possible, the athletes, have a share in the millions they earn.