College sports are now becoming more commercialized than ever; the NCAA should not have the authority to take all the money generated by student athletes, surprisingly, they are still monopolizing college athletics with no signs of ending their reign. Student Athletes deserve more accommodations included for participating in sport that is equivalent of a full-time job. Im looking to level out the playing field amongst athletes by advocating for monthly grants for necessities to condense their schedule. This schedule is more achievable for the student athlete’s because they won’t have to worry about missing meals in exchange for sleep, and it will benefit them in practice because they will be on energized and ready.     

Every student athletes job is their sport, their place of employment is their arena, and their skill is put to the test every day. Student Athletes who attend the 350 school that participate in division I athletics on athletic scholarships or walking on to a sports team do not have time for part-time jobs. These student athletes have no way to make money besides their scholarships. All student athletes should be supplied with monthly aid to cover groceries, toiletries, and other supplies. Full-Scholarship athletes currently reap these benefits, but how is it fair that they are facing the same discomfort and adversity as a teammate on a lower amount of scholarship money. Jared Walch, presents the schedule of a student athlete is equivalent to managing a full-time job. What does a full-time job consist of you may ask? A full-time job is about 40 hours a week! A part time job would be about 15-20 hours a week, which is close to impossible to balance with a student athlete schedule. 

The NCAA introduced these rules and regulations to keep amateur athletes academically driven and focused, while keeping the integrity of college athletics. I disagree, however, that the NCAA does not direct their focus on what is best for the student-athletes, instead they are more interested in how much money they can accumulate.  Students should be provided everything they need to be successful. They should be provided with tangible aids, such as grocery store funds, this solution will give more time to the student athlete for academics, rest, or practice/competition. Student athletes deserve to be treated better than this and don’t deserve to be controlled by the NCAA. These extra aids are a necessity to minimize their schedule and make it more achievable. This way they can put more focus on their education and sport. 

The early wakeup call sounds, it’s 5:00 a.m. This is the beginning of a twelve to fourteen-hour day as they are on their way to practice, lift, or circuit. Professional Football player for the Seattle Seahawks, and former student athlete at the University of Stanford, Richard Sherman states, “I would love to have a regular student to have a student athletes schedule during the season. For just one-quarter or semester and show me how you would balance that.” Student athletes are not given enough time to truly take advantage of their education. Their scheduled meetings or practices can even come in conflict with their classes. My teammate on the Swim and Dive team here at the University of South Carolina, endures class conflict daily having to begin practice an hour and a half earlier, so he can be present in class. Now, being introduced to this stressful and time consuming lifestyle you now have a small glimpse of what student athletes face daily. Hopefully now you understand why they walk slow, complain about be exhausted all the time, or sometimes even fall asleep in class. 

The daily hardships of being a student athlete include; having trouble staying awake in class, having little time to study, and having no time to maintain a decent paying job. It infuriates me seeing students who take their educations for granted in their decision to show up hungover to class, while athletes show up just as tired, if not more, from their four to six hour daily workouts. In addition to the physical demands, student athletes are expected to attend two-hour study halls twice a week, sign in with class checkers every day, and give back through community service. Aside from our athletic responsibilities, we are also responsible as student athletes to maintain good grades and conduct. Catherine Rampell, provides general reasoning behind the stereotypes of college athletes. She includes a study done by the Andrew W. Mellon foundation which gathered and analyzed grade point averages from 84 NCAA Division III Universities. This chart will help me in my argument stating that student athletes do take their educations seriously. The graph splits up the population by gender, status, and whether he/she was recruited or walking onto a team. The graph provides information I can use in my argument with showing very little variability between normal students and athletes according to their grade point averages. The male population, however, had a lower grade point average than females. This source was published in 2010, thus making it a relevant and credible source because it includes current information and debates. This will help me argue that athletes work hard both in and out of the classroom. The article will add another element in discussing why collegiate athletes need additional aid because of their strenuous schedule For these reasons, I think we should have some money set aside so we can buy utilities, groceries, and other necessities. The tedious schedule of a student athlete there is no allotted time for a job. This makes it difficult for athlete’s families who have difficulties paying tuition. 

Joe Nocera’s, “A Way to Start Paying College Athletes” agrees with my argument that athletes deserve compensation for their hard work. Nocera elaborates on the Universities and how they benefit from the money these sporting events generate. The entertainment these athletes are competing in also puts their bodies on the line, as well as practicing countless hours a week and keeping up with their education. One of Nocera’s main points that stood out to me highlights the significance that paying athletes could keep them in school longer. Although, I am advocating to create a more feasible atmosphere for student athletes. Readers who would agree with this idea would be previous athletes and people affiliated with sports, such as a sports psychologists or analysts. An example of someone who would disagree with this topic would be other students believing that athletes don’t deserve these extra benefits. This article shows bias in that the author’s occupation involves watching and analyzing sports. It is evident from his other articles that Nocera is a sports fanatic and has a background involving sports, therefore influencing his opinion on the subject. I believe that through his love of sports, Nocera would agree that the hard-working players he writes about deserve compensation for their dedication and commitment.  

Athletes are not just facing adversity with their schedule or class, instead they are putting their bodies at risk. In the article, “Should athletes be paid to play?” continuing the scorching topic whether to pay the athletes. I researched how schools expand and college athletics is the reason they can keep the University or College up and running. Every college athlete puts their bodies on the line, countless hours a week, including their education. Why are they not receiving any other benefits? Imagine working over twenty hours a week and not receiving anything in return. This unjust act of keeping all the benefits generated from college athletics needs to stop!  

The Universities who hold these athletic events need the money they generate to make the school more appealing. College Athletics is a multi-billion-dollar industry that can build a colleges reputation with their athletic success. Students want to be given an unforgettable experience when they paying thousands of dollars to attend the University. Students need these athletic gatherings as an escape from their homework, class or studying. These sporting events create a brand for the community exploiting their name across the country with the goal of making their University stand out amongst the sea of competition.

The NCAA was designed in the year 1906 to implement a safer environment for college football. This is no longer the case with the monopolizing NCAA. During the 100th anniversary of the creation of the NCAA the president of the NCAA Myles Brand understood that college athletics was sparking into a large enterprise, surprisingly, Brand wanted the athletes to remain as amateurs. In the 1950’s president Walter Byers of the NCAA fabricated the term student athlete in place of NCAA athlete. This phrase was implements to escape, “… the dreaded notion that NCAA athletes could be identified as employees by state industrial commissions and the courts” (Byers). They are Athlete-Students because their sport is more important than their academics according to their coaches. How is the NCAA still able to do this today? 

The current capitalist system the NCAA oversees is evolving into a monopolized organization. The athletes who put hours of work in a day are not receiving any benefits for their success. Richard Sherman states, “I would love for a regular student to have a student athletes schedule during the season. For just one-quarter or a semester and show me how you balance that.”

If the NCAA came to terms and started providing additional aid to these college athletes, they now wouldn’t have to worry about having to go professional. This would increase attendance at these athletic events because the star athletes who could go professional can now stay and finish their education. Imagine a player like Lebron James instead of going professional right out of high school now he could get his education and generate a fan base before he entered the NBA. This benefits these athletes because they can’t be in their sport forever. Eventually they have to surrender their jerseys and retire. Being able to fall back on a college degree will help these athletes can join the workforce after they conclude their athletic careers. 

The scholarly article I was interested in researching, from Santa Clara University, highlights the main reasons why student athletes should be paid. The novel is written on behalf of the University of Chapel Hill Athletic scandals. This article, instead of taking one side or the other, comes up with a new way to look at athletics and college sports. This is a book based off athletic scandals at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. It outlines how students were robbed of an academic experience to fulfill the needs of the university in terms of physical talent. It treats them as more of a business. The players claim that they were not being fairly when it comes to academics. In most cases, these athletes were introduced to classes that would just get them by so they could remain eligible. They realize their sport is taking up so much time that it is hard for them to focus, concentrate, and maintain good grades in the classroom. He argues that most student athletes have 50 hour weeks with practice, games, and school, so they should be treated as employees. He also wants to add a program that gives student athletes a chance to obtain their Bachelors or Masters on scholarship even though they are no longer playing and a health insurance for life plan. This is a credible source because it is an article from the Santa Clara University’s Institute of Sports Law and Ethics. The authors are not affiliated or belong to the NCAA but are associated with North Carolina so they experienced this information first hand. Smith has a PhD and has written a plethora of other novels. They do not present bias towards the situation because they were a part of the University. This novel was peer edited and reviewed by credible sources. This novel changed my view of college athletics because I thought it would be a great idea. Subsequently, in researching a plethora of viewpoints on this topic, I decided that student athletes should not be treated like they are a part of the workforce. This was written in 2015 making it a relevant subject. It delivers current issues and opinions associated with student athletes. This source is relevant towards my argument because it deals with rules and regulations do change so having a current source makes it more credible. This article is imperative towards my argument because it brings up another perspective into my topic. This source is in relation to my other sources because it explains how college athletics should be treated as a business, including valid arguments that I will be able to argue against.

Being a part of the Student-Athlete community at the University of South Carolina I have faced all the hardships on a daily basis. In coming to terms on a topic I knew I would be passionate in arguing this topic. I often become infuriated seeing students missing class because they are hungover and as athletes we are expected to attend every class no matter the excuse. In my solution to this ongoing discussion whether to pay athletes I believe athletes deserve to be treated better than their current status. I believe athletes deserve extra monthly payments in order to cover food expenses. I often come in conflict with not having enough time to get a meal before or after my practices because of class or homework. Having money supplied to every student athlete instead of just primarily athletes that are on full-scholarships will keep every student athlete at an equal playing field. 

College programs such as basketball or football generate the most revenue for the University. While others tend to lose money but an equilibrium is met as the big programs cover the smaller athletic events such as Women’s Tennis or Swimming & Diving. Where does all the other money go? It certainly isn’t given to the athletes who produce the entertainment. I agree that this money should go towards paying the athletes for their sheer dedication they exhibit day to day. All college athletes should be treated fairly to keep inequality out of the discussion. 

 The current rules and regulations produced to keep the integrity of college athletes. Keeping college student’s amateurs is their main influence in implementing these rules and regulations. These rules keep student athletes from receiving any money from fans. If any rules like these are broken it can jeopardize your eligibility as a student athlete and can be kicked out of the University. It can also be difficult keeping athletes in check when they are receiving extra benefits. “I love watching college athletics because you can tell how much passion they have for the game. They live for their sport and do so because it is their passion, not because they make money from it” (Jared Walch). The idea of paying college athletes does, however, change the college athletics that we thoroughly enjoy watching. Athletes who are determined trying to make it to the next footstep in their long journey with their sport they thoroughly enjoy playing. This makes this argument difficult in deciding whether athletes should be given these benefits because it could lower their drive to succeed, however, paying the athletes would keep them in college sports longer. This could help in the near future after their athletic career come to an end they can become contributing member to our society. 

My solution provides an even playing field for all athletes. Having a small portion of money given to each athlete monthly to cover expenses will give the athlete easier accessibility for food. I know in my personal experience having no money for groceries means I might have to skip a meal or two every couple of days due to a busy schedule. The monthly aid will be about four hundred dollars which will cover a month of expenses for food. From being around other athletes I know this will benefit not only just me but the rest of the athlete population here at the University of South Carolina. We deserve compensation for our hard work. Working an equivalent of a full-time job and attending classes deserves some aid in return. The NCAA needs to step off the high horse and understand how unfairly they are treating their athletes.  

In conclusion, no matter what the athlete looks like or what sport they play they deserve compensation for their dedication day in and day out. The NCAA has been running college athletics as a way for them to reap the benefits from the athletes providing the entertainment. This is unjust and needs to conclude. Our society is evolving and the rules implemented by the NCAA need to follow in its footsteps. From my personal experiences of being a student athlete I have lost some necessities that regular students take for granted every day. I thought college was supposed to be the best years of your life? Not a daily struggle to just make it through the day, complete all your homework, study, and then get a little sleep before you have to get up for morning work outs the next day. As a Student-Athlete, I think we should have time to at least experience some benefits that college has to offer instead of always falling behind on homework or papers. We are benefitting the college more than the NCAA realizes exploiting the brand of the University attracts students to want to attend. So why don’t Student-Athletes receive anything in return? This small altercation could be what eventually evolves into student athletes receiving a small salaries. 
