Do you know that the annual revenue generated by collegiate athletics is anywhere from $30 million to $40 million for participating universities?
This is not a sum of money at all. Oh, no wonder, many educational institutions place emphasis on sports and athletic competition. Despite this, it’s unfortunate that the players don’t get rewarded for their sweat.
This occurs despite the fact that these players bust their backs year after year in order to compete, yet they are unable to reap the rewards of their labor.
This cannot be right. Regardless of the fact that some people could claim that certain college athletes earn scholarships to play, while others get free education, it is undeniable that what these players offer to the universities is far more valuable than what the colleges provide them in return.
Let’s look at a few of the many reasons why it’s imperative that collegiate athletes get paid for their hard labor.
Why Should College Athletes Be Paid?
The following are a few of the best reasons why college athletes should be paid.
1. Athletics Can Be A Source Of Income For Students.
Students who are active in school athletics typically do not have time for extracurricular activities or jobs. They value their leisure time beyond all other pursuits. This is due to the fact that they will spend the majority of their time out in the field practicing.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) stipulates that students should only spend a maximum of 20 hours per week participating in on-field activities, but this is rarely the case.
A significant number of students have stated that they spend, on average, roughly 28 hours in the field every single week. Many people spend significantly more than that.
The amount of time that students spend really working in the field is comparable to or even exceeds the amount of time that many others spend on part-time jobs. Because of this, the pupils will not have the opportunity to collaborate with their peers.
Even though they do occasionally get tuition waivers and some stipends to cover regular student expenses, they never get any cash to pay for incidentals such as clothes, recreation, or food.
Even though they do occasionally get tuition waivers and some stipends to cover standard college expenses. Doesn’t this make a case for compensating college athletes in some way? Of course, it does.
2. If College Athletes Are Paid, Their Overall Health Would Improve.
It is impossible for a student to successfully balance the demands of schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and a part-time job, which is another argument in favor of paying college athletes. If a student is successful in doing this, he or she will wind up leading a stressful life, which is bad for his or her health.
When collegiate athletes are compensated for their services, they won’t have to seek jobs elsewhere in order to meet their day-to-day financial obligations. They won’t have to worry about how they’re going to put food on the table or pay the rent, so they can give their full attention to their studies and their athletic pursuits.
It is particularly troubling that the photographs of certain walk-on athletes are utilized by the NCAA to generate money, but the players involved are never rewarded for their participation in this practice. This gives the pupils the impression that they are being taken advantage of, which increases their level of stress.
3. Paying College Athletes Provides Relief For Their Families
Because they are prohibited from engaging in any activities that could result in financial gain, student-athletes are forced to rely on the financial support of their families.
These students are not permitted to generate cash through the sale of any personal memorabilia or autographed products of any kind. This means that they are unable to generate any form of money at all. The pupils and their families will feel a significant amount of relief if they are paid for their work.
4. It Gives Athletes Another Reason To Play, Even Better
As was mentioned earlier, providing college athletes with tuition exemptions or scholarships may not be enough to recognize the value of the contribution that college athletes make to their individual colleges. This indicates that the pupils require a different kind of incentive in order to succeed. They will likely play more frequently and with greater proficiency, if they are compensated.
This serves as another motivation for them to pursue careers in professional sports. As of the right moment, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) states that fewer than two percent of college athletes go on to become professional players.
By providing collegiate athletes with a stipend or something analogous to a work-study program, a significant number of those athletes would have the incentive to continue playing at the professional level.
They are able to put the money toward the payment of additional costs that are not covered by their scholarships. It is more likely that students who are aware that they will not continue participating in athletics after graduation will not offer their best effort.
5. Paying College Athletes Would End Corruption
This is likely the most crucial justification for why college athletes should receive compensation. Are you aware that there are clothing representatives, agents, shoe executives, coaches, and other professionals who plot and pay recruits to join particular colleges?
If not, you should know that this is the case. Those who are participating in this practice have kept it hidden from the general public for many years despite the fact that it has been going on for many years.
It is unethical and must be avoided at all costs to continue what amounts to bribery when high school students are paid to attend specific schools. Paying college athletes is the most effective method for accomplishing this goal. High school pupils who are aware that they will be compensated for their time spent at universities are more likely to allow themselves to be influenced.
- The Payment Of College Athletes Would Entice Players Who Are Able To Remain In The Program For Longer Periods Of Time.
Students enroll in schools with the goal of earning a degree. This is the most important thing for them. On the other hand, students who intend to make a career out of athletics can view their time at college as merely a stop along the way to their ultimate goal of competing at a professional level in their chosen sport.
If they were compensated for their time spent in college, the vast majority of them would be willing to remain enrolled for an extended period of time in order to complete their degrees. If this doesn’t happen, some people might give up along the way.
7. If Athletics Are Paid, Tuition Fees Would Be Reduced.
This could be hard to wrap your head around, but it’s the truth. It’s possible that some people believe paying college athletes would result in an increase in overall tuition costs.
That is not the situation at all. When collegiate athletes receive financial compensation, there will be a greater level of competition between schools to select the most talented athletes.
These educational institutions would be compelled to upgrade their infrastructure in order to attract more students.
Not only that, they will be required to establish tuition rates that are affordable to students in order to boost enrollment.
8. The Percentage Of Students Who Graduate From College Would Go Up.
There are a lot of talented players that choose not to continue their education and instead go straight into the professional league to begin earning money to support their families.
This is especially true for pupils who come from financially disadvantaged families. If these students were given financial support, it would increase the likelihood that they would complete their degrees.
Summary
It is not necessary to place too much emphasis on the advantages of compensating collegiate players. The majority of these children pour their entire selves into participating in extracurricular sports, but they come away with nothing to show for it.
Because of this, a lot of people think that the NCAA has the ideal strategy for getting cheap labor, which consists of getting more out of students while not paying them.
Sadly, they expect the pupils to perform well academically just as well as they expect them to perform well in athletics and other extracurricular activities.
This can never be achievable unless the students are compensated, so that they are not concerned about meeting the costs of their day-to-day living.
