Money Issues in the World of College Athletes

There are dozens of ongoing controversial debates in the world of college athletics, mostly related to money issues. A debatable factor falling into this topic is whether or not college athletes should get money for their involvement.. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an organization headed by members dedicated to college athletes well-being and lifelong success. The main purpose of the NCAA is to control competition fairly, and safely to integrate athletics into higher education. As of today, student athletes in college programs are not eligible for any endorsements or monetary rewards beyond the limits of the scholarship offered by any particular college according to the NCAA.

Whether or not student athletes should be paid is a controversial issue with diverse opinions, however, it is possible to find a fair compromise.

One side of this debate argue that the NCAA and major universities rake money and players deserve at least a fair portion of it. In the article To Pay Or Not To Pay: The Big Business Of College Sports it discusses how The University of Alabama reported revenue of $ 174.

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3 million in 2017 and profit of $ 15.6 million, with revenue of $ 108.2 million in football(Talgo). While there is nothing wrong with a non-profit organization taking on enormous amounts of revenue, it seems that the wealth could be fairly distributed among those at the organization's heart and soul which are the student athletes. Although the NCAA pays million-dollar wages to its top executives, parents, students, and fans do not purchase the best season tickets to watch executives play sports.

The fans are invested in the players, many of whom have begun to take follow-ups similar to those of well-known and established professional players.

Playing a college sport is like a full time job, without any financial benefits. Student athletes are left with little or no time to sustain themselves financially. For their efforts made for the team, most college athletes don't receive any kind of payment. Additionally, Opponents argue that college athletes should get paid because coaches earn millions of dollars every year yet players who work hard are not rewarded. In the article Interscholastic Sports it states that Head coaches such as Nick Saban and Mike Krzyzewski rank in nearly $10 million annually in top college football and men's basketball programs, while student athletes take in no revenue according to Lumpkin. Instead of putting a portion of revenue that is made to the athletes, the majority of it goes to coaches. Coaches make a huge impact on a team, but it's up to the athletes to physically do it. Coaches get bonuses to break records, reach off-season, and win big games, but athletes don't any bonuses or rewards even though they're working just as hard. College athletes spend about 40 hours per week on academic activities including practices, games and even traveling. With an intense schedule like this, they are left with little to no time to devote to academics/classes or their personal social life.

On the other hand, Opponents against this debatable topic argue that College athletes should not get paid because they are already fairly compensated through scholarships. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Divisions I and II provide annual athletic scholarships in excess of $ 2.9 billion to over 150,000 student athletes worldwide(NCAA). Student athletes are awarded with an athletic scholarship and receive a generous amount of monetary that covers materials such as tuition, fees, supplies, housing and sporting equipment.
Playing in a college sport is an extracurricular activity that is pursued by their choice while continuing their higher education. A student athletes main goal is to earn a degree and most of them are fortunate enough to do so for a reduced cost through scholarships that are provided for all student athletes. Additionally, advocates argue that student athletes should not be paid because it is a privilege not a right to be apart from a college sports team.Being apart of an athletic team in college leads to receiving academic, social, and financial benefits.

In the article Interscholastic Sports it states that this privilege offers an athlete an opportunity to enhance their civic, physical, and social development, and an opportunity for mental, emotional, and ethical growth and development(Lumpkin). Athletes must first earn the privilege of playing by accepting responsibility for their personal conduct and academic work. Student athletes already know the importance of being accountable for attendance, class assignments, and other behaviors. College players decided to continue to play sports on their own in college and nobody forced them to play. This commitment makes the life of an athlete more busy with all the extra time dedicated to playing, but it was a choice made willingly, and one for which they are being rewarded in various ways.

Though the sides have many areas upon which they disagree on, it is possible to find a common ground. Both sides of this topic have opposite beliefs however, they are similar in the way that they both care for the well-being and future of their student athletes. The ultimate goal for both sides is to provide safety and personal health care of each athlete. In the article “Reducing Barriers to Mental Health Care for Student-Athletes: An Integrated Care Model” it states that Student athletes may experience things such as extensive time demands, achievement pressures, injuries, burning out, and conflict with teammates or coaches(Sudano). Student athletes experience much more stressors that may not be experienced by an average college student.

The NCAA has provided many useful and supportive resources for each athlete to have easy access to related to concerns in regards with their personal health. This service is open to all student athletes which can become highly beneficial if student athletes are struggling with their personal health. The NCAA truly cares about the well being of their student athletes. Although each side has controversial opinions both sides wants the best for athletes. All schools have a top priority which is making sure their athletes are playing in a safe environment. In the year of 1906, the National Collegiate Athletic Association was found to formed and protect young athletes from dangerous and exploitative athletic practices(NCAA). It is important to know that playing in a college sport can be dangerous due to serious injuries that can occur during a game and can potentially change a person's life. Both opponents want to see their student athletes succeed in school and complete their high education in order to have a successful future that they desired.

Now that the common ground has been established, it is clear that a compromise on this issue is possible. The best possible solution can be getting paid through different forms of monetary rewards. For example, athletes would not be paid through a paycheck however, they would be allowed to seek endorsements from companies. If a company, whether large or small, wants a student-athlete to become an endorsement, and the student-athlete wants to accept it, they should be allowed to do so.There would be financial compensation for committed athlete players in the college sports team, and the system would not cost a single penny to the NCAA or its member institutions. The schools would still get to make money off of student-athletes without having to pay them. This new system can also keep a higher percentage of student athletes in school longer because if a company wanted to stay in school, it could essentially pay them longer.

In conclusion, enabling student athletes to access and control their own likeness would be the perfect way to integrate college athletes into higher education. This can be done by enabling them to leverage their field brand to create business opportunities and build a network with those outside the sport arena. Although, both sides of this issues have different ideas of whether or not college athletes should be paid both sides want each and every athlete to success academic wise. With this possible change both side of this argument will finally come to an agreement and both sides will be happy with the college athletic system. This will resolve heated arguments that have continuously been a problem, both college athletes and opposing sides will be on one mutal side.