The question of whether or not college athletes should be paid has been asked for a long time now. Unlike professional players, college athletes do not receive a large payment for their talents. They receive no money when their name and their performance is aired on television. Therefore, many athletes believe they should deserve to be paid.
However, I think they are overlooking how much they are already being paid. They are “paid” by receiving thousands of dollars in scholarships. More often than not, their college housing is free. And sometimes schools pay for the athlete’s books and other needed items. Usually college athletes do not have to pay a penny out of their own money to attend college by playing sports, and end up with little to no student loans.
College athletes are also being “paid” with attention and opportunities. They receive first-choice in which school they wish to attend. Professional sport recruiters can open doors to new experiences for them. Their name, face, and talent are broadcasted on campus, in the state, and often across the country.
Plus, the question of who pays the college athletes must be called into attention. Most likely, it would be up to the school itself to pay them. Maybe larger institutions could afford to do so, but what about smaller schools? And what if larger schools can afford to pay their athletes more than a smaller school could? Would that be fair? Schools should not have to cut funding for other aspects so that athletes can be paid even more than they already are.
Maybe I am biased because I am not a college athlete. College athletes do work hard and dedicate a lot of time to their sport, but in the end it is their conscious choice. They need to be reminded how much they are already being paid and how much their college education is being funded, through little to no expense of their own.
Jill Augustine
Senior Viewpoints Editor