Jaegar Nance

AP English IV

Mr. Cullen

29 April 2019

Student-Athletes Being Paid

The idea of college athletes being paid was never really considered a century ago. One

article explains how the National Collegiate Athletic Association has become more modernized

over the last century compared to the original vision of the organization that President Roosevelt

had in 1905 when he stated The institution was committed to the idea of not providing a salary or

stipend to the student-athletes who took part in this organization and then Roosevelt stated It is

based on their amateurism, and this was a notable idea at the time (Anderson). But, these

student-athletes work hard continuously in the classroom and on the playing field while the

athletes never see a dime of all of the revenue the universities collect based off of the

merchandise and tickets being sold for them, when they are the main reason the universities

bring in the revenue in the first place. Student-athletes should get paid with a salary of $25,000

to pay for their potential injury that could end their pro career, bring a sense and atmosphere of

prestige to their university, and generate more revenue for their college by performing at a very

high level for fans to pay to see them play. While athletes perform at a very high level for their
fans at their university, athletes can become disliked by their fans due to their

off-the-playing-field antics and actions. However, when an athlete performs at a high level, their

performance can change the vibe around the entire university for the better which represents a

positive image for that college. Also, student-athletes deserve some credit in return from their

university for all of the popularity that the university has gained since that student-athlete joined

the college. The act of paying the student-athletes a $25,000 salary may seem a little outrageous

but, it is very beneficial for the student-athlete along with the university as well.

A student-athlete’s body can have a lot of wear and tear throughout their college sports

career and if a serious injury occurs, the athlete will have a stressful and troubling time paying

for their medical bills. If an athlete were to be paid with a salary, they could pay off the costs and

debts of their medical bills, surgery expenses, and rehabilitation services quicker than without

the assistance of a salary which is very beneficial for the athlete in the long run. Once you get a

sport involved, there are politics, injuries, and a call to the office to tell the player, Thanks, but

we don’t need you on this team anymore (Hartnett). Essentially, once an athlete becomes injured

and is of no use to that particular university’s program anymore, that athlete will transfer

elsewhere for a better opportunity which could potentially cause a university to lose a top tier

athlete. Also, if the athlete is paid, it would allow the injury healing process to proceed faster due

to not having to wait for the expenses to be paid off which will allow the athlete to get back on
the playing field sooner than expected. Before the student-athlete signs their commitment letter,

they would have the option to apply for a supplemental insurance policy agreement to ensure that

the university will provide the money through their salary to pay for their medical expenses.

Also, if a student-athlete were to be paid with a salary, they could use the money given to them

to pay for the college expenses such as books, food, and other essential needs and at the end of

the student-athlete’s tenure at the university, the student-athlete could use the money that they

saved throughout their tenure of college to jump-start their potential pro career even though pro

careers are not guaranteed for every student-athlete, the student-athlete could still use the leftover

money to help them by having money saved over to pay off their student loans or debts quicker,

and ultimately boost their economic status before they begin their profession. The advantage of a

student-athlete already having a supplement of money left over from their college sports salary

and they know that they will have a pro career in the future is very beneficial because it will

allow them to be economically stable before life after college begins. As for the bench players

that never receive any playing time, they will still be paid the $25,000 which they could use for

their life after college graduation.

Student-athletes should get paid for bringing a sense and atmosphere of prestige to their

university through a winning sports program that brings championship to their alma mater and

the athlete would be getting paid based off of their performance on the playing field and in the
classroom. If a student-athlete has the best season of their college career, racking up a ton of stats

and leads his or her team to a championship title, they deserve some credit from their university

for providing a winning culture throughout their collegiate tenure and changing the university's

vibe to a more prestigious college that would attract more and more highly-talented

student-athletes to take the previous person’s spot on the team and pick up right where the

university left off by continuing the winning atmosphere. The task of winning a national

championship is way easier said than done, but many athletes who have achieved the highest

accolades in their sport career, have built a type of dynasty for their university’s team, which

attract student-athletes that want to be just like the current student-athletes at that particular

university to have a chance to compete for a national championship. Once a highly-ranked

athlete sees how a current student-athlete is racking up awards and winning championships all

while averaging a high GPA, that athlete makes the university more and more attractive to rising

college freshmen or graduate transfers which boosts the enrollment average which is ultimately

greater for the university in aspects of all people, not just athletics. For example, the University

of North Carolina in Chapel Hill basketball team has made two consecutive trips to the NCAA

National Championship game by which they brought home one championship title which makes

the university’s mood change for the better. The success of the basketball program at UNC

allows Roy Williams (Head Coach) to recruit at a high level to make the team even more
successful. It shows that a winning culture/atmosphere and a great amount of positive popularity

can change a college for the best. It is all thanks to the student-athletes who make it all possible

without ever receiving any financial credit for their work on the playing fields.

Student-athletes should get paid for generating the revenue for their college by

performing at a very high level for fans to pay to see them play. One article explains how a

student-athlete’s popularity can grow rapidly, making people want to pay for some of their

merchandise, which should be okay but the NCAA feels otherwise.

“If somebody is willing to give A.J. Green $750 or $1,000 or even $2,500 for his

Georgia Bulldogs jersey, fine, good. If one of his teammates, a tackle, can fetch

only $50 for his jersey, then it'll be a good marketing lesson for both of them. It's

called supply and demand, and if both men are fortunate enough to reach the NFL

it'll be a lesson worth learning because that dynamic will exist their entire careers.

If a soccer player can't get a dime for his jersey, well, there's a realization in that,

too,” (Wilbon 2).

Student-athletes are essentially looked upon as celebrities on their college campus

by other students and the same with their fans at the games. Kids admire athletes and

want to look, act, and be the same as the athlete. If that child’s parent has the money to

buy their child’s favorite college athlete’s jersey that was worn by that athlete during a
game, that athlete should be able to accept the profit with no strings attached. However

thanks to the NCAA, the athlete is not allowed to receive any type of compensation for

their performance on the field while they are the ones who are generating the revenue for

the university in the first place. The clamor to pay players arose this week when North

Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams earned $925,000 in bonuses after his team won

the national championship. The players got awesome T-shirts and hats,” observed

Associated Press sports writer Tim Reynolds in a viral tweet (Washington).​ ​The NCAA

should not frown upon student-athletes trying to make a living by selling some of their

game-worn equipment because the student-athlete is just trying to help themselves not get

into debt while they are still in college, is there any trouble in doing that? One article

explains how the NCAA could potentially help student-athletes stay afloat economically

in college.

“Obviously, Americans love their sports and there will always be a steady flow of people

to buy up anything that says “Roll Tide” or “Go State” on it. The fact that the NCAA

takes so much yet gives so little is what bothers me. According to a study done by Drexel

University Department of Sports Management, the annual out of pocket expense to

athletes is still over $3,000. In addition, the findings also concluded that taxpayers

continue to subsidize food stamps and welfare of student athletes in order to fill in the
 gaps left behind by the NCAA’s scholarship cap, just by looking at the amount of football

related the revenue one can only imagine how much better off all athletes would be under

some sort of the revenue sharing program. In 2012, three schools made over $50 million

from football alone. Alabama, Ohio State, and Oregon all rolled in the dough, yet the

NCAA has made it illegal for a player to take any sort of compensation outside costs for

education,”(Dominic 3).

The NCAA may be opposed to student-athletes selling their own game-worn equipment

for money because if there are only a few athletes who are having terrific seasons in the country,

other universities attendance will drop. Which causes a stoppage of the revenue that is generated

which could hurt them financially and athletically, but if athletes are being paid, that will give

them the motivation to play for another purpose which will ultimately cause the generation of the

revenue for the universities around the nation once again. The article below explains the

argument about not paying student-athletes. In 2013 survey expert John Dennis found that 69%

of the public is opposed to paying student-athletes. This proposed payment would be in addition

to the scholarships given in men’s football and basketball programs (Martinez).

The statement made in the article listed above does make a very good point because

becoming college athlete is way easier said than done. Although there are top tier coaches who

are cashing out money big time from the bank with their huge paycheck. A record-breaking
number of collegiate football coaches (72) are earning more than $1 million this season,

according to USA TODAY Sports. The University of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh takes the No. 1

spot, making $9,004,000 (Mama). The act of paying a college coach a salary is a very outrageous

to do because the idea of giving a student-athlete a yearly salary makes much more sense

because the task of becoming a college athlete should be rewarded in other ways than just

experience and is way more competitive than becoming a collegiate coach. Furthermore, a

college coach has no other jobs on their hands because their only job is to coach their team and

lead them to victory while on the other hand, a student-athlete is a student before they are an

athlete so they have to find a happy medium between sports and The typical Division I college

football player devotes 43.3 hours per week to his sport -- 3.3 more hours than the typical

American work week. At some schools, the road to the NCAA men's basketball championship

may require student-athletes to miss up to a quarter of all class days during their Spring semester

(Edelman 1).

Most colleges cherish their students and their academic accolades but, student-athletes

are held to a higher standard or higher expectations. If a student-athlete is able to handle

workouts, practices, film sessions, and games along with their classes with their workloads, that

is a whole other level of balancing schedules which should receive some type of reward,

preferably a salary of $25,000 which definitely would help benefit them not only for college but,
potentially their life after college whether it be a professional career, going to the military, or

even starting a family. If the student-athlete were to be paid, it would be ideal for them not to

spend their money all in one place and have a certain amount of money set aside for whatever

plans they have after they graduate college. Although the act of paying college student-athletes

has never really been sought after in the past, the benefits are through the roof and very helpful

for the student-athlete not only for their college tenure, but for the long run of life after school

and even though the idea of paying the student-athletes could potentially change the values and

image of the National Collegiate Athletic Association forever, it would only make the

organization more popular which would increase the business in each and every way positively.

In conclusion, student-athletes should get paid for their potential injury that could end

their professional career, bring a sense and atmosphere of prestige to their university, and

generating a multitude of revenue for their college by performing at a very high level. Fans pay

to see them play, even though there is very little leisure time for the student-athlete and other

consequences for the athlete wasting their money, the idea of paying student-athletes with a

$25,000 salary is very beneficial for the student-athlete and the university and the student-athlete

will be ensured with either a professional career or education degree to help prepare for the

student-athlete’s future after college. Furthermore, the act of paying a student-athlete is very

important to not only the student-athlete’s life during college but after college as well by which
the student-athlete could use to fuel his or her life after college with for their future family and

job after college.