 College athletes are already receiving pay in the form of a scholarship but for all the hard work and long hours they have to put in for their sport and education, they deserve more than a scholarship that covers most costs. 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. 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. 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. 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, so they deserve a full scholarship that covers all costs because thinking about how they are going to pay off their debt is one more thing they have to worry about on top of their overwhelming academics and athletics. A full scholarship would be the best option because there may not even be enough money in the budget to pay all players with a salary and many of the athletes are already receiving pay in the form of a partial 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” (72). A potential solution to this lack of money could be to provide the student athletes with a scholarship that actually covers all costs so their money can go to necessities instead of tuition. 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. Due to certain economic limitations, student athletes are forced to prioritize either academics or athletics to eventually be able to make money. However, 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 limited to a small number of players. Colleges could help these students and their families become more financially sound if college athletes were paid in the form of a full scholarship and did not have to worry about any outstanding debt. In addition to being students at the same time, professional athletes differ from college athletes because of their salary.

College athletes and professional athletes both practice and play basically the same number of hours, so why not provide them with similar benefits? Typically, student and professional athletes put enough hours into their sport every week for a full-time job, but college athletes have school on top of their sport.  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 (Edelman 1). 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 more compensation. Especially since now colleges 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. Student athletes should be paid in the form of a full scholarship because of all the work they put in and the substantial amount of revenue they generate for their college. 

As a student in college, the main priority should be school and making good grades, not getting a tremendous salary like the pros. 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). Student athletes are not being paid in the form of a salary but instead are paid with an education. Giving them a scholarship will allow them to be able to maintain their education. 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, athletes might prioritize education over their sport and in turn 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 their sport. 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. It is also possible they do not feel as inclined to practice as much simply because they are not as competitive as the stronger conferences. 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 academic performance. If athletes received a scholarship based on their academic performance instead, it might increase their desire to study more. 

However 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 (Sack). However, “the current financial status of most, if not all, athletic departments prohibit 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). The NCAA is still a non-profit organization even though it generates billions of dollars because all that money goes to scholarships for student athletes, or to pay for their transportation, or their injury insurance. Also, the NCAA’s mission is to ensure student success in the classroom, not to make a profit and they want to remain that way (NCAA Budget). 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 (Gilleran). 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 at all. 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. On the other hand, a scholarship would not place an undue burden on the university’s athletic department and still allow the NCAA to remain non-profit.

In addition to the question of where the money for a salary would come from, after taxes it would benefit the players so minimally and not leave them with much extra so it would barely even be worth it. 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 (Thelin). In addition, the colleges themselves will have to pay payroll taxes on these salaries, thereby further increasing the cost to the university. Scholarships are a better option because they are not taxed and will not cost as much for the athletic departments.

Despite 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 an added bonus for players that schools with less money cannot provide. Also, the schools with a lot of money will most likely be the teams that are consistently powerhouses because they can afford the best players. 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 than the education. 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. One of the things they have to worry about is the chance that paying the athletes will make them lose their motivation after seeing their income and realizing they have made it as far as they can. Every athletes’ dream since they were young is to make it pro and earn a large salary. 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). 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 also 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. The payment of a full scholarship will not change the sport or the players’ motivations like a salary could.

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). A full scholarship is a smart option 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. The only thing changing is 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 pocket money will satisfy both sides of the argument.

Student athletes should be compensated with a full scholarship for all their hard work but not an excessive amount to make them want to prioritize their sport over their studies. 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 student athletes essentially train like the pros and generate as much money, they need to remember that they are at college for the education. Also, the fact that athletics departments most likely do not have the funds to pay so many athletes with a salary 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 so they can continue providing scholarships and ensure the players work to their full potential in the classroom. 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. One of the topics most widely debated in the world of college sports for some time now has been 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. Providing student athletes with a full scholarship will finally satisfy the beliefs of both sides. Student athletes would greatly benefit by receiving a full scholarship because it would encourage them to finish college, enabling them to secure a good paying job, while eliminating the burden of large student loans.
