Over the past few years in the NCAA, the topic of paying collegiate athletes has become a very controversial issue. The main question being asked is: how should the NCAA reward players for participating in colligate athletics? Should the athletes get paid to play, or is a full ride to school rewarding enough? This topic really interests me because I love college sports. I am not a huge professional sports fan, however college sports interest me because I believe the fans are more passionate and the game itself is filled with history and pageantry. This research exigence reflects my values because I do not think collegiate athletes should get paid to play. Playing college athletics is a privilege, not a right. I would do anything to participate in collegiate athletics if I could, and I am sure others would feel the same. While I do not think they should get paid, I do believe they should get rewarded in some way for all of their hard work and time. I do not have any personal experience actually playing sports in college, but that does not make me love the game any less. I actually did play football in high school, and I was very close to playing college football, but I suffered a terrible knee injury that ended my career. I am qualified to give my opinion on this topic because I know a lot about the NCAA and the rules regarding the NCAA and receiving benefits. 

In the article, "Students are Not Professional Athletes", Horace Mitchell claims that student athletes play for a college education and they should not play for money. College athletics is not a profession or career, it is simply a tool for a free higher education. It also claims that most of the schools barely break even with revenue so paying players would make the school lose thousands of dollars. Major interest at stake in this is the value of an education. One cannot depend on sports throughout all of life, so to have received a good education is a gift. The author of this article, Horace Mitchell, is the president of California State University, where his goal is to enhance the quality of the student experience. He wants what is best for his students and wants to see them all become well educated adults. In his opinion, this is a right that should not be exclusive to just athletes.    

Another article, "The Myth of Parity," written by ESPN Senior writer, Scoop Jackson, claims that there is no equal fair system that could implicate paying colligate athletes. Someone is going to be left unsatisfied no matter what. Also, College Athletics is a business. They set out to make money for their school, not their players. The players go to school for free for a higher education in exchange for playing a sport and having the chance of going pro. Major values in this article are the art of education and the unnecessity of paying college athletes. The players are in school to learn and become the best possible people they can be. They are not there to get paid for playing a game. Scoop Jackson is a big time sports writer for ESPN who knows a lot about sports and the topic about playing college athletes, so his opinion on this issue is backed with extensive knowledge. 

Another article, "Student Athletes Should Not Get Paid," by Josh Cooper, claims that student athletes are students, not professionals. They should not get paid to play. They are in college to learn about their profession. If their profession happens to be professional sports, then they learn about the game through attending their classes, not by playing. Also, most schools would not have the money to pay student athletes. So much money is being put into new facilities, scholarships and paying coaches and athletic directors that if they did pay student athletes, the schools would end up in debt. Once again, the main value in this article is the value of an education. Without an education, one would not get very far in the world. College is meant to prepare students for real life, working, and enhancing their knowledge. Josh Cooper, the writer of this article, is a broadcasting and journalism major who has done loads of research on this topic over the past years. He even relates his own life to the issues of paying collegiate athletes. This makes this article a very credible source.     

This research exigence is arguable because many people believe student athletes deserve to get paid for all of their hard work and dedication. On the other hand, many people disagree and believe student athletes are students first and should not get paid. All three articles agree that education is the primary reason why students attend college, not sports. Sports are just the stepping stones for the students in the education process. Also, they all agree on the fact that only the big schools that receive a lot of funding can afford to pay their athletes. The smaller schools and lower revenue schools would be forced to close their sports programs and lose thousands of dollars. These three different perspectives have influenced my personal opinion by opening my mind to even more reasons as to why student athletes should not get paid for their efforts.   

