Should College Athletes Be Paid?
By: Joshua Vogt
Should college athletes be paid? That is the big question. This controversy is split down the middle with pro and con. College athletes should be paid for the work that they put in. Tyson Hartnett from the Huffington Post who is an athlete, an author, and also an entrepreneur stated that “Contrary to what all the opponents believe, being an athlete is a full-time job. On a typical day, a player will wake up before classes, get a lift or conditioning session in, go to class until 3 or 4 p.m., go to practice, go to mandatory study hall, and then finish homework or study for a test.” This indicates that many college athletes do not have time to make money.
They do not have time to work a job.
Many athletes have several classes to go to along with all their sports practices. Also, when athletes are without money because they do not have the time to get a job, they will not have pocket change for special occasions. Even if they find a job that they can manage, they come home late from the job and have to wake up early to practice. This could hinder their ability to compete with the same intensity because they are tired. When the actual season starts, if they have a job they will not be able to keep it because they are traveling considerably far for away games. Lastly, a scholarship does not put money in an athlete’s pocket. Scholarships pay for the necessities of the school costs.
Athletes bring in money for the schools they play for.
When a star player on a college team is noticed in the media, that school gets a lot of advertising. Also, when players take their team to NCAA glory, they give that school a great deal more publicity. When college players break school records, the coaches get paid extra, but the players do not get paid anything for what they accomplished. When a college team does well, the school name is in the media for months, and many people see that school name and could become interested in attending the college or buying tickets to a game.
When athletes get injured.
When an athlete chooses to stay for three or four years in college, this increases potential time for injury. For many football players, their careers are short because of injuries. For some athletes, when they get hurt, their career is over. Some play longer to get their academic degree, and if they get hurt they cannot make money as an athlete when they get out of college. For some people, all they have and all they want is to play at the pro level and an injury could end their career and they would have nothing left.
Financial Awareness.
Tiffany Patterson of smartasset.com said that “The ESPN documentary, Broke, gave an inside view of the financial woes of many of the professional athletes, noting that around 60% of NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. ” This states that many players who hit sudden wealth do not know what to do with their money. Schools could teach athletes about good investors and help them put their money into investments. Giving athletes money for playing sports could help them build a foundation of financial literacy. Even if they do not go pro, they will have a better understanding of finance and will better invest in good things.
After reviewing the pro's, it makes sense that college athletes should be paid because it helps bring money to the colleges, helps give injured players money to start life, gives athletes a break by not forcing them to find a job, and it can give athletes financial awareness. Athletes should benefit from everything that they give to the school as the school benefits from them.
Sources:
By: Joshua Vogt
Should college athletes be paid? That is the big question. This controversy is split down the middle with pro and con. College athletes should be paid for the work that they put in. Tyson Hartnett from the Huffington Post who is an athlete, an author, and also an entrepreneur stated that “Contrary to what all the opponents believe, being an athlete is a full-time job. On a typical day, a player will wake up before classes, get a lift or conditioning session in, go to class until 3 or 4 p.m., go to practice, go to mandatory study hall, and then finish homework or study for a test.” This indicates that many college athletes do not have time to make money.
They do not have time to work a job.
Many athletes have several classes to go to along with all their sports practices. Also, when athletes are without money because they do not have the time to get a job, they will not have pocket change for special occasions. Even if they find a job that they can manage, they come home late from the job and have to wake up early to practice. This could hinder their ability to compete with the same intensity because they are tired. When the actual season starts, if they have a job they will not be able to keep it because they are traveling considerably far for away games. Lastly, a scholarship does not put money in an athlete’s pocket. Scholarships pay for the necessities of the school costs.
Athletes bring in money for the schools they play for.
When a star player on a college team is noticed in the media, that school gets a lot of advertising. Also, when players take their team to NCAA glory, they give that school a great deal more publicity. When college players break school records, the coaches get paid extra, but the players do not get paid anything for what they accomplished. When a college team does well, the school name is in the media for months, and many people see that school name and could become interested in attending the college or buying tickets to a game.
When athletes get injured.
When an athlete chooses to stay for three or four years in college, this increases potential time for injury. For many football players, their careers are short because of injuries. For some athletes, when they get hurt, their career is over. Some play longer to get their academic degree, and if they get hurt they cannot make money as an athlete when they get out of college. For some people, all they have and all they want is to play at the pro level and an injury could end their career and they would have nothing left.
Financial Awareness.
Tiffany Patterson of smartasset.com said that “The ESPN documentary, Broke, gave an inside view of the financial woes of many of the professional athletes, noting that around 60% of NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. ” This states that many players who hit sudden wealth do not know what to do with their money. Schools could teach athletes about good investors and help them put their money into investments. Giving athletes money for playing sports could help them build a foundation of financial literacy. Even if they do not go pro, they will have a better understanding of finance and will better invest in good things.
After reviewing the pro's, it makes sense that college athletes should be paid because it helps bring money to the colleges, helps give injured players money to start life, gives athletes a break by not forcing them to find a job, and it can give athletes financial awareness. Athletes should benefit from everything that they give to the school as the school benefits from them.
Sources:
- Hartnett, Tyson. “Why College Athletes Should Be Paid.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Jan. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/tyson-hartnett/college-athletes-should-be-paid_b_4133847.html.
- Patterson, Tiffany. “Should College Athletes Be Paid?” SmartAsset, Smartasset, 26 Sept. 2016, smartasset.com/insights/should-student-athletes-be-paid.