In this week's class, we had a presentation over whether or not college athletes should be paid. In my opinion, the athletes should not be paid for something they are choosing to do in the first place. Playing a sport is their choice and it's their fault they don't have time for a part time job. I realize that the athletes bring in a lot of revenue for the university and the athletic department but the university also does a lot for student athletes. A majority of college athletes get college scholarships and living stipends among other perks of simply getting to be on the team. They don't need any extra compensation.
I’m not trying to be cruel about it, but I just don’t think that students should get extra compensation for something they already get so much for. Students get financial aid from the school that is basically the same as a check. Many of them also get other forms of compensation such as free housing and meal plans. College Athletes also get the opportunity to network themselves through sports to potential professional sports teams. That is something that will help those athletes with their future endeavors.
Another way to look at it is if the athletes are going to get paid for playing sports then students in organizations on campus should get paid for their time and dedication that they put in. Athletes put in time at practice and the student orgs put in office hours each week. Both athletes and students in organizations have to put in a lot of extra time after classes so it would only be fair to pay them both, not just the athletes.
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I agree with your arguments about athletes not being paid. Although you said that athletes bring in revenue, that is really only in some of the high profile revenue sports. Often, the revenue that is made does not surpass the expenses of those revenue sports--except at a handful of institutions. And yes, the athletes work hard, but as you said, probably not any harder than students in other organizations or activities. Given the current economic woes of most universities, I doubt that very many could afford to pay student athletes without further sacrificing academics.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your argument, I do not feel as if they should be getting paid. Until a player reaches the pro level they should be playing for the love of the game. Not the pay check. Great college players do bring in a lot of money for a college but I am a firm believer that they should be playing because they want to not because they are great and deserve cash. I also believe that the pros are getting paid way to much now a days. It feels as if after you get past the college level most players are now playing for themselves and the paycheck instead of the love for the game. Which i believe is wrong.
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