Most people look at college sports as exciting and glamorous, however what they do not think about is the fact that the student athletes have to put in a ton of hours practicing and getting in shape for sporting events while still being a full-time student like the rest of their classmates. Student athletes have the same workload as other students but they have to juggle that with conditioning, practices and games. They do not receive any money for all their hard work and some do not even receive a scholarship. Since the NCAA was founded, student athletes have technically never been paid and there has been a lot of debate over whether this should change or not. College athletics have evolved over the years to be much more competitive and athletes therefore need to spend more time training, which takes time away from homework and studying for exams. Even though student athletes spend more time training than studying and are the stars of the show who bring in a lot of revenue for the college, they should not be paid to play because the most important part about college should be an education.  In addition, there may not be enough money in the budget to pay all players and many of the athletes are already receiving pay in the form of a scholarship.

Many student athletes are poor and do not have enough money to make it through college with the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board, plus other living expenses. Some athletes are at the poverty level and can barely cover the cost of tuition, never mind covering all the other costs that they encounter while at college. This lack of money sometimes causes them to skip a meal or not be able to buy books for class. According to the National College Players Association, “the NCAA admits that a full scholarship does not cover the basic necessities for a student athlete. The NCAA refuses to change its rules to allow schools to provide scholarships that equal costs” (72). A potential solution to this lack of money could be to pay the student athletes with a salary. Many of the athletes think about their future and all the money they could make if they went pro. Many players believe they could make it pro because they train just like professional athletes and some of them even leave college early in order to earn a paycheck. From the high number of high school athletes, very few play at the collegiate level and from there, even less play at the professional level. That means out of all the athletes wanting to play professionally and make a lot of money, only a fraction of them actually make it. The reality of playing in the pros and earning a substantial salary to pay off any debt and help keep their family financially stable is therefore limited to a small number of players. However, colleges could help these students and their families become more financially sound if college athletes were paid a salary. 

College athletes and professional athletes both practice and play basically the same number of hours so why not give them the same benefits. College athletes have the same workload as professional athletes but have school on top of their sport. Typically, student athletes put enough hours into their sport every week for a full-time job.  Some collegiate sports even generate more money than the respective professional league. College athletes are essentially professionals without pay and unfortunately, “education took a backseat to profits a long time ago” (CNN).  Even though these big programs are making so much money, most of it is going to top of the line coaches and facilities instead of the athletes. Better sports programs bring in higher quality students so the players “are core members of their university’s marketing team, as well as the labor force behind a lucrative secondary industry in hosting organized sporting events” (Edelman 2). With so much on their plate, one would expect student athletes to receive some compensation. Especially since now, they are able to generate more money after the NCAA v. Board of Regents case. That case fought the NCAA’s right to limit the number of collegiate sports games that can be televised. After being taken to the Supreme Court, it was concluded that “the controls exercised by the NCAA over the televising of college football games violated § 1 of the Sherman Act, and accordingly granted injunctive relief” (NCAA). Now, more college sports games are allowed to be televised which creates more revenue for colleges. Thus, the schools have more money to pay the players with. Paying student athletes in the form of a salary could solve all these problems, but it could also make things much more complicated for the NCAA or the athletic departments, if it even works.

As a student in college, the main priority should be school and making good grades. Whether they realize it or not, “it is the education they get that matters. Athletes often have their pick of the litter when it comes where they want to go and play. Just because they aren’t receiving money for what they do doesn’t mean they are aren’t being paid” (Walch).  The phrase “student-athlete” is in that order because they should be students first and athletes second. Nowadays athletes must practice more because the competition is getting better so they need to keep up with them. Unfortunately, because of this, many college athletes view themselves as more athletes than students except “at schools that award no athletic scholarships, such as those in the Ivy League or the NCAA's Division III, athletes are students first” (Sack). If more schools were to put an emphasis on getting good grades, the athletes might prioritize education over their sport and in turn will receive better grades. Players at these types of schools get better grades because they focus on their schoolwork and after that is done they can play. These students do not feel as inclined to put sports so much ahead of school work because they are not awarded any athletic scholarships so they do not need to worry about losing their scholarship or getting kicked off the team for not training as much as the other players. The athletes feel the need to spend so much time dedicated to their sport because their scholarship is mainly based on their athletic performance instead of their performance in the classroom. 

Even if college athletes were to receive a salary, the decision would have to be made regarding where this money would come from. Some may say the NCAA could pay them because they make so much money. The NCAA generates billions of dollars from March Madness alone and lots of money from the other sporting events as well. However, “the current financial status of most, if not all, athletic departments prohibits any additional financial outlays such as payment; Payment to student-athletes would require the NCAA to lose its current nonprofit status and Title IX bylaws would require payment to all athletes making total payments unachievable” (Schneider). So, then the only other way to pay the players is through the university’s athletic department budget. According to Title IX, all student athletes would have to be paid the same amount, regardless of gender or sport. Even though the only sports that really generate a revenue are football and men’s basketball, all athletes must be paid equally, if they get paid. Athletic departments will end up losing money no matter what if they pay their athletes with a salary because they have to give everyone an equal salary which all undergo state taxes.

Hypothetically if college athletes were to receive a salary in place of a scholarship, it would totally change the realm of collegiate athletics. In a perfect world, the students would receive a salary greater than the cost of attending that university so that they could pay off the tuition, fees and living expenses and still have some spending money. Though more appealing at first glance, “what’s clear is that paying salaries for college players is a taxing situation. Each case will vary by state” (Thelin). Some states have much greater taxes than others, meaning the athletes who play in those states will take home less money after taxes. Although the universities would be paying the student athletes more money in the form of a salary, after taxes the players will end up with less money to pay off the cost of tuition and fees, possibly leaving them with almost no extra money to cover books, room and board, and additional living expenses. In addition, the colleges themselves will have to pay payroll taxes on these salaries, thereby further increasing the cost to the university.

Although all universities will lose money by paying salaries to athletes, some will always have more money than others to spend on salaries due to endowments, generous benefactors, and higher tuitions. This allows them to have a larger budget if in the future college athletes are paid with a salary. Athletes will have the same recruiting process but will have one more thing to consider when choosing a school; how much they can get paid. This will give schools with more money a step ahead of schools with less money. Also, the schools with the most money will most likely be the teams that are consistently powerhouses. So, those schools will continue to be very good and be playoff contenders. Whereas schools that do not have as much money but provide a better education will not attract as many star athletes because they will be more drawn to the money. On the flip side, scholarships help to level the playing field and schools that currently award athletic scholarships to players are already giving them a form of payment for their work. 

Some could argue that college athletes are already receiving pay. Many student athletes get a scholarship to the university to play there and help pay for the cost to attend. These players are typically the athletes recruited from high school or others who prove their worth during the season. That scholarship is what helps student athletes to pay the bill and stay in school. Those who are against paying student athletes may fear that giving them a salary instead of a scholarship will change the NCAA and their favorite collegiate sport that has been a part of their life for a long time. Conservatives would not want anything about the NCAA to change because it is running smoothly as it is so why try and change it. One of the things they have to worry about is the chance that paying the athletes will make them lose their motivation. Every athletes’ dream is to make it pro and earn a large salary. It has been noted however that some professional athletes lose their work ethic after seeing their income and realizing they have made it as far as they can.  So, if college athletes are earning a salary, fans will just have to hope that their teams stay motivated by their love of the game and want to continue to work hard to be the best player they can be. In the scenario that athletes start getting paid, there would be no more amateurism and it may have an effect on the educational mission of the university (Hamrick). College athletes are amateurs so for them to receive a scholarship is enough pay. The way these “amateurs” are viewed may have to be reconsidered because in the past “it can be said that the coaches and participants are primarily motivated by love of the sport with no expectation of substantial market rewards” (Gilleran). If they were to make a salary, it is possible for them to be motivated by the money and want to play so they can make more, instead of playing because they are passionate about the sport. When a player has a strong passion for a sport, their improvements will be displayed on the field if they are truly putting in the time. Paying athletes risks the chance of them losing the incentive they have off the field to improve their game.

For over one hundred years now, the NCAA has been paying college athletes in the form of a scholarship and it has proven to be successful; however, it could be working even better. One possible way to please everyone in the realm of college sports is to pay the athletes in the form of a scholarship that has all expenses paid. The scholarship would vary depending on how much it costs to attend the university and it would be paid by the university’s athletic department. On the topic of being paid to play, one college basketball player said “I don’t think you should stretch it out to hundreds of thousands of dollars for players because a lot of times guys don’t know how to handle themselves with money” (Napier). This is a fair compromise because it ensures that the players will be financially covered and able to play at the college without having to worry about tuition or any fees. This will also take away the desire to leave college early and go pro in order to make money to help their family out financially. It will also increase the likelihood that the athletes will stay to finish their degree in case their professional dreams do not work out. It is also fair because the student athletes are not earning any money, all the money they are receiving is going to pay for them to attend the university. This is smart because it does not give the players excess money to blow on something pointless or make bad decisions with because they are so anxious to spend this income they may not be used to having. Not much changes other than the amount they are receiving in scholarship money so they can still focus on education as much as they currently do, which is the most important part about going to college. In an attempt to please everyone, increasing the scholarship for student athletes to cover the full cost of the university but not giving the players any money to pocket will satisfy both sides of the argument.

One of the topics most widely debated in the world of college sports for some time now is the question of whether or not college athletes should be paid. Compensation for all the hard work that student athletes put in should be necessary according to one party. The other party believes that in college, education comes first and seeing that they are still amateurs, they should not be compensated any more than they already are with a scholarship. Both sides are strongly opinionated towards their beliefs and do not agree with the other side. One simple way to fix this and make a change so that both sides gain something is to compromise and meet in the middle by offering a scholarship to all the student athletes that entirely covers the cost of college. For the players, it is almost as if nothing changed because they still are not making money and will continue playing because they love the game and want to improve. However, when it comes to the money, they do not have to worry about being in debt or having enough money to provide for their family because they do not have to pay to go to school. This allows them to use the money they save on food or anything else they need. They will also be able to finish school and get a degree in case they do not go professional, which will be most of them. Even though college athletes train like the pros and generate as much money, they still are compensated for but need to remember that they are there for the education. Also, the fact that universities most likely do not have the funds to pay so many people and still have enough money left over after taxes to do something useful like pay coaches or improve their facilities. Agreeing on this compromise will keep the NCAA out of any payments, allowing them to remain a non-profit organization. Ultimately, paying student athletes could change the world of college sports in who knows what way but with this compromise, the fear of college sports changing vanishes while keeping everyone happy.   
