The issue of whether college athletes should get paid is a complex one, and has been increasingly debated in recent times. There are several compelling arguments for both sides that I will outline below.
In favor of paying college athletes, one could say that they are being exploited by the universities, who profit off of their name through merchandise and ticket sales. The absurdly large profits that the universities make through college football and basketball games each season is worthy of contempt when considering that the people they are making off of are not being fully compensated. While they are granted scholarships that pay their tuition, this is still a fraction of the amount that the athletic department makes.
In opposition to paying college athletes, one could say that they have traditionally not been paid, and that it would be in our best interest to keep it this way. This helps sustain the pride of college sport, and by not being paid like the pros, we can guarantee that they are playing the game because they truly love it, rather than for a paycheck. Additionally, they are compensated by getting a free education, and should not take this unique opportunity for granted.
Overall, there are intriguing arguments for both sides. Personally, I lean more towards not paying athletes for several reasons. Firstly, while football and basketball are the most popular college sports, they are not the only sports, and deciding whether to pay athletes who only play the popular sports or having to pay every college athlete would get tricky. Additionally, the universities have every right to maximize the profits from the games, because this can also help boost the community and local economy, as well as possibly persuade out of state kids to visit the college if they have an interest in watching a particularly successful football or basketball team. While I recognize that there are some quality arguments for paying the athletes, I ultimately think that there are too many logistics involved and that they should not be paid.
References: Branch, Taylor. The Shame of College Sports. Hartnett, Tyson. Why College Athletes Should Be Paid. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tyson-hartnett/college-athletes-should-be-paid_b_4133847.html. NYT Sport Economy.
I do believe men's basketball and football athletes should be given some money in return to the amount of work and money teams bring to their Universities all around the country. Yes, there's other sports like golf, cross country, soccer, volleyball etc. but those sports aren't bringing in the millions like men's basketball and football--we all know that. CU athletics makes that very clear when they advertise their "For $175, the CU Sports Pass gets students access to seven CU football home games this fall, as well as the opportunity to claim tickets to see the men's basketball team during the 2014-15 season. Students also get access to women's basketball, soccer, volleyball and lacrosse games." slogan. Us students do not have to pay nearly as much or at all to get into some of these events. It's more clear than not on who should and shouldn't get paid and it all depends on who's entertaining us.
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Karli Salas
I agree in that I don't feel that college athletes should get paid. I think that choosing which athletes to pay and which one not to would create a lot of issues and tension between the sports. While I don't feel that it is right for the universities to profit off these athletes as much as they do, adding a salary on top of scholarships could only lead to universities spending more money than they already are.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you in your argument that college athletes shouldn't be paid! Although perhaps at times they struggle, so do other students in different ways! Rosy Garcia
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