Analysis: Should College Athletes Be Paid

Should College Athletes Be Paid? The final seconds of the college football championship seem to take an eternity to tick away, but Alex isn’t ready for it to be over. Exhilarating games, excruciating loses, and invigorating wins have become the normal for Alabama’s new freshman prodigy Quarterback. He calls for the final snap and quickly kneels the ball; he is officially a national champion! Newscasters and fans manhandle each other trying to get to Alex first. He can barely hear the words the newscasters say as screaming fans scurry around him. He finally makes out what the newscaster says, and is shocked at what he hears, “What do you think about some of the players bleating like sheep, saying that they deserve to be paid for playing in …show more content…
College athletes receive the finest coaching, best athletic training available, and state of the art facilities. The athletes can also receive scholarships, which pay for most if not all of their schooling. Colleges pay for tuition, housing, meals, supplies and other fees. College data states, “the average cost for a 4 year private college is $46,272 per year.” Along with scholarships, eligible athletes are able to receive Pell Grant money. Pell Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are based on the income of family and financial need. They are able to receive up to $1,850 per semester, $5,550 a year. When an athlete is already getting their school paid for that is a fantastic amount to have sitting in their pockets. Some may argue that it is not enough money to meet their needs, but how would one create a system of …show more content…
If one did decide to pay college athletes, how would they create a fair system of payment? Athletes like Johnny Manziel already complain about how they are not paid, how would they react to how they are paid, and why they are paid that much. One question to ask is do they pay based on position, performance, or both like the NFL does. The fact of the matter is that they are trying to look at college athletics like a business, which it is not. Paying people is what businesses do not college athletic programs, and there are no labor laws being broken. No one forces them to play and not receive pay, it is their decision to come to the school and grow in every way possible. One thing people don’t understand is what the athletes do when they sign. When and athletes signs with the college, he agrees to not be paid at this point in their career. When they signed they understood that their “payment” was tuition, room, books, and following NCAA rules. Playing in college sports is like taking an unpaid internship; it prepares you for a better job in the future. It’s a trade off, an education and a time to prove that you are ready for the big leagues is a pretty fair trade. One thing that people do not realize is how much money the college athletic programs really

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Should College Athletes Be Paid Analysis