Over the last few decades it has become one of the most booming industries in the United States. Today college sports are watched more often than professional sports, driving ridiculous amounts of revenue into the hands of the university. On multiple fronts universities are finding ways to profit from their athletes which is creating controversy. College athletes are preforming at the same level if not higher than professional athletes the only difference is that professional athletes are getting paid a share of the profits they are creating where as college students are not. But truthfully the ability to preform on the platform the NCAA lays out is payment enough. Its superficial to analyze this when looking only at the difference in salaries when one group receives one and the other does not. It is when looking at the value each is receiving instead of strictly salary it becomes clear that college athletes are already being paid. The value colleges provide for their athletes is more than any salary or monetary compensation they could give. When preforming on the college and NCAA stage, athletes are giving the opportunity to capitalize on future professional salaries, label deals, sports related jobs, and celebrity like status on college campuses. 

Colleges are giving student athletes are given fair compensation for what the students are giving back to the university. The  universities primarily profit from ticket sales on various games, with some of the most profitable being playoff games. But only the better half of D1 programs seeing any large revenue for their university because they are usually the more elite and desired teams . According to Huffington Post sports analyst Maxwell Strachan “Duke’s athletic program, for example, pulled in revenue of nearly $80 million during a recent fiscal year.” (1) Compared to the value the university gives to the student by allowing them to perform on a prestigious NCAA platform, eighty million dollars a year is a drop in the bucket. Although the universities are only profiting about a hundred million from their athletic teams, certain events have an astronomical profitability rate. Economist Tim Parker who is also a author for Investopedia states that “Last year the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) raked in a record $1 billion in revenue from media rights fees, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and a proliferation of television ads anchored around the three week long tournament.” (1) Events like March Madness, and the College Football Playoff are far and few though which is why they profit so much. These events host the best athletic teams in the nation, which also carry the widest audiences with them. But playing in these events can get you national recognition from professional organizations if you shine. Although the Tournament and Playoff bring in ridiculous profit for the University and National Collegiate Athletic Association, they are truly designed to give student athletes to prove they are the best in the nation. If the athletes do what they are supposed to given this opportunity, it is likely they will the profits will reciprocate.

For any athlete with dreams of continuing their mission to become a professional athlete, it is mandatory that they get into the spotlight, and that can only be done through the broadcast of the NCAA. It is extremely unlikely that any professional athlete does not play at the collegiate level. The universities and NCAA provide a unique opportunity to athletes, they give them the chance to capitalize on their talents which will yield great profits in the future. Money magazines sports analyst John R. Thelin claims that “High school and college players understandably use the National Football League and the National Basketball Association salaries as the gold standard. Multimillion-dollar contracts make professional sports part of the American Dream.” What the author is trying to get at is that there is a lot of profitability for college student athletes down the road. Beyond becoming a college athlete to get a good education, college athletes are expecting to advance to the next level. The minimum salary for a rookie NFL athlete exceeds over four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, with only ten years in the NFL it is guaranteed you will receive at least four and a half million dollars. As for the NBA the minimum rookie salary is roughly over five hundred thousand. If college athletes advance to these levels they will be cashing in at least six figure checks. Jason Clary correspondent for Bleacher report brings up a unique point that college athletes can leave college to chase professionalism and receive different treatment in this quote“If these athletes choose to leave early, they will get paid great money and there are benefits for players who get injured.” (1) College athletes can leave whenever they want, they are not bound to any contract. If an athlete does not conceptualize they value they are receiving from the NCAA and universities then they have the option to leave, in which they will have the ability to capitalize on a professional status.  Obviously this is only achieved by the most talented athletes in college, but they are some of the most deserving. In the NCAA hard work pays off so realistically only the best are going to be getting paid a yearly salary for what they do. 

Those few exceptional athletes receive tremendous value when they preform well on the stage the NCAA and the universities set out for them. Aside from achieving a salary from the professional level, colleges athletes have an opportunity to make a brand of themselves. By making a brand of themselves they can receive value from signing deals with various companies after their career as a college athlete. Scott Davis author for Business Insider makes it clear that there is massive upside when preforming on NCAA platforms in this statement “While these kinds of offers can be the norm for NBA superstars — according to Forbes, Kevin Durant signed a 10-year extension with Nike worth as much as $300 million with royalties and Adidas gave Derrick Rose a 13-year, $185 million deal — Curry's deal with Under Armour looks paltry in comparison.” When making a brand of yourself using the NCAA platform there is potential for one to make millions of dollars off of signing deals with sports companies. Being eligible to acquire deals similar this is primarily based on how an athlete takes advantage of being broadcast nationally. Student athletes are already being paid by universities through the future value the NCAA and universities are giving to the students. Although not all athletes profit from future salaries and signing deals, but most college athletes have a better chance of profiting in the sports industry than non athletes according to Chris Yugasavage of Complex sports. He claims that “they go into coaching or make the move to the front office and work on the business side of their respective sports. And those who are really lucky break into broadcasting and actually get paid—typically, paid very well—to watch and call games for companies like ABC, NBC, ESPN, and more.” It is still very profitable for graduated college athletes to be a Coaches or Sports, these positions usually make around one million dollars a year. These opportunities can be directly linked to college athletes performance on the NCAA stage. Achieving signed deals and coaching or sports analyst positions are much more likely when you have a resume of being a college athlete, It opens more doors for them in the future. 

Not only do Universities pay college athletes by giving them opportunities to become professionals, sign label deals, and acquire high paying sports jobs but they also pay the athletes by allowing them to achieve celebrity status. When walking around a Division one football school, the star athletes are looked at as gods, because the student body is aware of their potential in the future. This only happens because the NCAA and the university has games broadcast on national television, which allows the athletes to get a lot of recognition from the public. Lizz Caroline of LSU Now highlights how college athletes are treated on campus in a envious way, she shows that the treatment the athletes receive is very different from that of the general student body. Lizz states that “College athletes already have it good. They have the best seats in the house, walk around in their top-notch athletic gear, and are treated like celebrities.” (1) The concept is easy to understand, a athlete who preforms well on national television usually stands out among a crowd. The NCAA and the universities put student athletes who take advantage of the platform they preform on, on a pedestal. The universities are practically giving student athletes handouts according to Huffington post Writer Tyler Kingkade. Kingkade says that “the perks can come via free iPads, registering for classes ahead of regular students or getting academic tutors, something universities with big athletic programs make no attempt to hide.” (1) Around campus its considered to be common knowledge that high preforming college athletes are treated like superstars. But not only are the high preforming college athletes treated like this, the university makes sure that all athletes are treated well. Aside from facilities and technology the athletes receive, they also receive privileges most students do not have the ability to receive some of which the university is receiving consequences because of. While Universities are providing their student athletes with privileges because they are high profile athletes, the department of education is starting to question these privileges. Although the privileges are mainly because these athletes are being recognized nationally, some call the privileges Academic “Fraud” like Insider Higher Ed writer Jake New. New makes the claim that academic privileges are not privileges after all but instead it is fraud. Regardless if Universities get caught doing this, it is still ongoing because when athletes are constantly in the spotlight it is impossible to tell what a university or a teacher will do for the athlete. 

Today College Athletes are already receiving payment for their talents on the field. Athletes are demanding monetary form of payment from schools, disregarding the forms of payment they are already receiving. College athletes are being paid in value, the NCAA and universities set a stage for the athletes giving them an opportunity to capitalize on a large salary. Not only are they being paid with the potential to go professional but,when they leave college sports the door is opened for them to close label deals and land sports related jobs. Lastly college athletes are also being paid in the treatment they receive which is similar to the treatment of celebrities. It should not have ever been a question on whether athletes should or shouldn't be paid because with proper analysis it is obvious that student athletes are receiving proper compensation for their time, effort, and performance they are giving to the school. 
