Analysis On Why Student Athletes Should Be Paid

Free tuition, room and board, fees, any other expenses allowed by the NCAA, and benefits or incentives that student-athletes receive to entice them to play. The controversy whether athletes should be paid for their talents and dedication towards their school have increased in popularity over the past few years. Some people believe college athletes should be paid because they spend many hours per week dedicated towards their sport. However, highly recruited athletes already collect free clothes, electronics, and other perks for signing or visiting a school. If the NCAA decided to pay these athletes, the competitiveness of these sports would fluctuate. Student-Athletes inherit zero debt, which changes their thinking after graduation when they …show more content…
If the NCAA started paying these athletes, the students would be too closely compared to true professionals, while actually they are students at a university. Most college sports team are not profitable enough to pay their athletes, let alone operate the cost of their institution. Some colleges do not have enough benefits to make every single athlete happy, and if they start paying athletes as well, the powerhouse colleges will become so much more powerful and destroy the lower colleges because they can not receive the best available players. Professional players mainly choose which team they will play on based on whichever franchise will sign them the biggest contract. “Students are not professional athletes who are paid salaries and incentives for a career in sports. They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay tuition, fees, room and board, and other allowable expenses” (Mitchell 1). Student-athletes are receiving a free tuition as their payment for their dedicated time for their school. They do not need extra money for participating in these sports because they already receive enough benefits, and participating is their choice for these sports. However, if student-athletes lived the life of a professional athlete by receiving money for their sport, they would be able to know whether or not they are financially stable to leave college earlier. They would be able to live the life they will have after college, and know where they will stand financially before they leave and decide whether or not they should leave earlier. Although, athletes should not be paid because they are receiving free tuition and other fees for their given time sport. It is their own choice to participate in these sports, if they need