Whether the star of the little league team or the kid picking flowers in the outfield, it’s a rite of passage for American children to test the waters of sports. The obsession with sports doesn’t end in grades school, but instead continues even after teams become more selective at a collegiate level. As little league athletes transition to weekend fans, the popularity of sports in universities has continued to increase and coaches have started making millions of dollars based on the revenue generated by the players on the field. Coaches are over privileged and excessively paid for their players’ performance in numerous college sports while the athletes are strictly sanctioned by the NCAA.
This issue has lead to complications between the athletes, head coaches, and the administration of the university itself. Paying college athletes will allow for less legal infractions, enable the athletes to earn a steady income, and balance the pay between the university, administrators, and the athletes.
Giving these athletes fair payment will give them the opportunity to earn a stable income during their college years. On top of practices, player meetings, interviews, and actual games, these players have no way of balancing these activities and having the ability for even a part time job. Even though these athletes are receiving money for tuition, travel expenses, and books, they aren’t receiving money for the necessities of everyday life. Payment for their role in the sport would be beneficial for the athletes as it would eliminate the stress of financial instability.
Paying college athletes will also reduce the amount of illegal actions taking place such as stealing, earning money from side organizations, or violating the extensive list of NCAA rules. Players often times feel pressured by other athletes that are committing these crimes to earn a basic living themselves. The volume of these crimes will dramatically decline if all players are accommodated with a given amount of money.
Another reason paying athletes will be greatly beneficial is that a many of these athletes come from unstable backgrounds in which their families cannot afford to pay for essential living expenses. If the university is only paying for their scholarship and textbooks, these players are unable to fully excel in their life outside of being on the court or field. In addition, the NCAA must take in regard that not all of the athletes playing in college are considered star athletes. These athletes are the ones that are not compensated with all the extra economic benefits the so called stars are receiving.
People do not take into account the fact that major universities are misappropriating funds because of a few star players selling the tickets for every game. On countless occasions, these funds are going to the university itself, or the coaches and staff. All of these athletes are being used for their merchandise, their name, and their substantial impact they make on the university. While the university is making the money, the athletes are dealing with trying to make a dependable income, while enjoying their college career. Seeing their coaches and administrators being paid and excessive amount could also cause extreme tension between athletes and coaches. These situations create instability for the sports program and an overall negative environment for players and staff members.
Many people will argue that there are disadvantages that arise when deciding how the payment will work between the sports offered in college. People argue that if payment is given college sports like basketball and football, you must also pay athletes participating in sports including water polo, bowling, and equestrian. Others may argue that college overall should be about education and earning your degree, not about attempting to be the star athlete on the field and make money doing so. These accommodations are enough for a student athlete to receive while attending the university for their college career. While many universities have the ability to pay these athletes, some small-scale colleges simply don’t have the money to pay them.
Paying college athletes will reduce the amount of legal infractions, allows for the athletes to earn a steady income during their college years, and balance the pay between the university, the administrators, and the athletes. The primary reason payment should be given to these athletes is that without the revenue, reputation, and actions made by these players, the university wouldn’t be able to have all of its traditions. If colleges and universities establish a system where paying athletes is developed, it is more likely that future athletes will set their goals to become more successful during their college years. Altogether it is not fair that the head coach and staff are flourishing with millions of dollars and the players aren’t making a penny.
