Student-athletes are students who are also athletes. These students have to balance playing time, grades, and practices while being students first. Student athlete is a term that means someone who is an athlete at their college or university that is also enrolled in classes on campus. Student-athletes get major advantages because of their sports abilities. Student-Athletes make sports possible for all students to enjoy. Student-athletes should be paid because their hard work and dedication pay off to continue the opportunities at colleges nationwide, but should not get paid as much as other professional athletes.
Student-athletes do not get paid with scholarship money either. Student-athletes get their tuition and room and board paid for, but they also have to pay for things such as food, water bottles, clothes, laundry, gas, and other miscellaneous expenses. Student-athletes work so hard yet they get nothing in return even though the NCAA is a billion-dollar organization. Student-athletes should be able to get some of that money for themselves for all of the time and effort that they put into their sport.
The NCAA makes over $913 million according to www.usatoday.com. Student-athletes who play sports like football and basketball make up most of that revenue while all other sports combined equal less than 1 percent (which equals out to about 7.5 million). Student-athletes are not allowed to use their status or likeness to make money even though they are what brings in the revenue.
People have said that student-athletes get paid with scholarship money, but they don’t because scholarship money goes toward tuition and room and board which leaves little to no money for food. Student-athletes work extremely hard during practice, conditioning, film study ,and games, yet they do it all for free while the NCAA is making more than $913 million every year.
Student-athletes are prohibited to receive any money, even if it is for something like looking at their website or buying an item with their number on it. Student-athletes have no time left to get part-time jobs while being enrolled in college because they spend so much time practicing and playing that they have nothing else to do. Also some athletes don’t dress for games because the coach wants more playing minutes for other players against weaker teams. Student-athletes are not being paid fairly so they should be compensated.
The NCAA made 4 billion dollars last year from television broadcasting rights of college football games across various networks including Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) among many others. Furthermore, ESPN pays the NCAA over seven hundred million dollars every season for the rights to broadcast the men’s basketball championship (NCAA March Madness). Student-athletes and their families deserve some of this revenue because they make it possible for colleges and corporations to make such a high amount of money. Student-athletes generate billions of dollars each year for University sports programs, while earning nothing from this revenue” (7). Student-athletes don’t even get paid when they win championships.
There has been cases where student-athletes donated all their winning gear like football helmets and jersey’s after winning national championships. According to NCAA President Mark Emmert, the association “does not prohibit [players] from receiving income from sources such as endorsements or playing professionally. If a professional player was in college he would be suspended if it was found out that he accepted money for something like signing autographs. Student-athletes should not be treated like criminals when they are willing to compete at their best because playing in college is a privilege and it isn’t fair to punish student-athletes for trying to better themselves. Student-athletes spend an average of forty hours per week between practice, film, weightlifting, and traveling (4).
Student-athletes should receive some sort of compensation because they currently don’t even get paid when they win championships. Many players also give back by donating all the gear they won. Student-athletes who work hard deserve compensation especially if coaches are already making millions off of them. Student-Athletes need to be compensated because there has been cases where Student-Athletes donated all their winning gear like football helmets and jersey’s. Student-athletes are not getting paid enough because they only receive college scholarship money, which is not actually paid.
They play for the experience, glory, pride, and love of their sport; however, these reasons do not justify why colleges should be able to generate billions of dollars annually off the student-athletes who make it possible for these sports programs to even exist (6). Student-Athletes need to be compensated because many players give back by donating all the gear they won. Student-Athletes work harder than coaches who always end up making millions off them so Student-Athletes deserve some sort of compensation especially if it’s just giving them a scholarship.
Student-athletes do not get paid for their work but fans are allowed to make money off of them. Student-athletes should be allowed to make money if they want to because they put blood, sweat, and tears into something that can potentially make someone else rich. Student-athletes take the same classes as regular students, go through the same struggles as regular students, and do it all on a higher scale where everything has more pressure behind it.
Student-athletes are also not able to enjoy activities that normal students are able to take part in due to practices or having away games at other universities that might be across the country from the college. On average student-athletes spend around forty hours a week practicing or playing their sport(s). They don’t have a choice in the matter. Student-athletes do not receive any money from the colleges they attend even though college sports generate billions of dollars a year for universities and television networks that broadcast those games to the public.
These student-athletes are exploited because they have no say in making rules or changes about their own sport(s). Student-athletes don’t get paid even though university teams sell jerseys with their names on them as well as team shirts with their numbers on them, advertisements based on them, and fan gear representing their team. Student-athletes work very hard and put hours and hours of effort into practicing during the season to make their respective sports better. They deserve to be paid for putting all this time and energy into something which makes other people money.
Student-athletes are being underpaid for their services because they do not receive any of the compensation that comes with having a successful program. Student-athletes are given tuition to attend college, but many of them leave school before graduation due to trying to make it into professional sports leagues, or because their scholarships don’t cover all the costs of attending college. Student-Athletes should be paid because they are generating more money for universities than they are receiving back from their universities in the form of scholarship money and/or free tuition.
