Hartley 1

Conor Hartley

Professor Skelly

English Comp

4 December 2020

Should College Athletes Get Paid?

If you have ever played organized sports, then you know how much time and effort is put

into practice, working out, and playing in games. This is the reason why many people ask if

college athletes should be paid. After all, playing college sports is the equivalent to having a full-

time job. This a hard question to answer because while having that “full-time job” of playing

sports, college athletes are also taking around fifteen credit hours just like any other college

student. The difference is regular college students have the time to work and earn money while

they take classes. This is one of the main reasons why people argue that college athletes should

be paid. However, college athletes receive various benefits from their universities and are taken

very good care of. College athletes should not be paid because of these benefits they already

receive.

The biggest thing people need to realize when they are asked if they think college athletes

should be paid, is that college athletes are already attending their university while on a

scholarship. Bob Williams, the senior vice president of communications for the NCAA, writes in

an article for the New York Times, “Among NCAA student athletes, 15 percent say they

wouldn't even be in college without their sport. That experience is made possible by the $2.7

billion in athletic scholarships awarded each year by NCAA schools” (Williams 23). By having

these scholarships, college athletes are already a huge advantage to their peers who will more
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than likely graduate with large amounts of student debt. With the enormous amount of money

given out in scholarships, paying the athletes would more than likely cause other problems

within colleges. Williams states, “Paying college athletes would force many schools to make

tough choices and field fewer athletic teams” (Williams 23). This would mean that sports that

bring in little to no money for colleges would be cut from the universities and those athletes

would end up losing their scholarships in the process.

Another big reason college athletes should not get paid is because they are first and

foremost, students. Veronica Majerol, a senior staff editor for The New York Times, writes in

her article, “The NCAA’s amateur code was officially adopted in 1956, and since then the

organization’s view has been that college athletes are students, not professionals or employees

entitled to paychecks” (Majerol 15). Just like any other college student, college athletes should

not be given special treatment until they graduate. On the flip side of this, Majerol talks about the

possibility of allowing college athletes to make money off of their names. For example, she says,

“In August, a federal judge decided that players in top college football and men’s basketball

programs—the big-money sports—are entitled to receive payment if their “names, images, and

likenesses” are used in video games or TV broadcasts” (Majerol 14). Unfortunately, the decision

was appealed. This was a big topic with the EA Sports video game, NCAA Football, that was

around from 2003 until it was discontinued in 2014. However, none of the 24,819 athletes that

appeared in the video game were paid.

The main goal for going to college is to leave having earned a degree and having gained

experience for life. Paying college athletes could take away from both of these things. Elad De

Piccioto, in his article for The Perspective, writes, “It is supposed to provide students with tools and

abilities to succeed after college. In that manner, college athletes are no different than other college
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students who practice or intern in hospitals, law firms or advertising agencies for little to no money”

(Piccioto). This brings up the point that college athletes are, in a way, “interning” for professional

sports, and like any other intern, should not be receiving pay but rather gaining experience. Not only

should college be about gaining experience in a student or an athlete’s respective field, but also for

situations that will be presented further on down the road. Piccioto states, “However, in reality, poor

investments, trusting unethical financial advisors and lavish spending habits are some of the main

reasons professional athletes find themselves broke after they retire, according to ESPN

documentary, “Broke” (Piccioto). This is a reason why college athletes and all college students

need to first receive financial education before moving on from college.

While there are numerous reasons why college athletes should not be paid, some folks

make arguments that could persuade otherwise. One example is that playing a sport is like

having a full-time job. A guest author for College Sports Madness states, “Various statistics

suggest that college athletes spend at least 40 hours per week dedicated to their sport, including

games and training sessions. This is like working a full-time job on top of demanding courses,

school assignments, and other responsibilities” (College Sports Madness). While having this full-

time job on top of schoolwork, these athletes do not get paid. Another argument that is made is

that sports such as football, and men’s basketball bring in massive amounts of money for their

university, but the athletes do not receive any pay for their efforts. For example, in the early

2010’s, AJ Green and Terrelle Pryor, two college athletes who would eventually both go on to

play in the NFL, struggled financially to get through college and resorted to selling memorabilia

for very little money. In his article for Bleacher Report, Brennan Thomas writes, “Both bring a

ton of money into their respective universities, and yet were desperate for money” (Thomas).
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These athletes are just two of the many athletes that were in need of money during their college

careers and had to resort to measures that caused them to be penalized by the NCAA.

While these points being made are very true, college athletes are already given more than

enough to cover their basic college needs. While playing a college sport is like a full-time job, it

is also like they are playing to earn their scholarship and any other benefits they may receive.

Also, in regard to not having enough money, there should be a way where college athletes can

earn a little bit of money off of their names through things like video games, and jersey sales.

However, paying them a salary to play their respective sports is not the way to go about it.

While those who argue that college athletes should be paid make some good points, it is

clear that college athletes should not be paid. College athletes are students first and are in college

to learn and obtain knowledge and experience for their future and the rest of their lives. College

athletes also already have an advantage over other college students because of the large

scholarships they receive. With all this being said, paying college athletes would take away from

their overall experience of the college life.

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Works Cited

Majerol, Veronica. “Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Shibboleth Authentication Request, The

New York Times, 15 Sept. 2014, eds-b-ebscohost-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3.

Piccioto, Elad De. “Should College Athletes Get Paid?” Theperspective.com/, 1 Nov. 2019,

www.theperspective.com/debates/sports/college-athletes-get-paid/.

Thomas, Brennan. “Pay for Play: Should College Athletes Be Compensated?” Bleacher Report,

Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/654808-pay-for-play-should-

college-athletes-be-compensated.

Williams, Bob. “Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Shibboleth Authentication Request, 13 Mar.

2017, eds-a-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4.