Should Colleges pay Student Athletes

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Aiden Shen

NCAA Rules

The NCAA needs to change the rules, NCAA profits, and athletes' lifestyles need to be compensated for the betterment of the collegiate scene.

Athletes' demands and living conditions aren't being met with the rules as of right now the cost of living today is increasing and with scholarships they only cover 50%-75% of tuition.

Key Attraction: Without the athletes the NCAA lose their main appeal
Revenue: Is generated through the appeal and advertisement of the athletes
Fair Compensation
Brand recognition athletes help represent the school and bring viewers

Importance of Athletes

"The main selling point for colleges to profit is the young athletes if these students did not play there would be no tickets selling or broadcasts" (Terp)

Time commitment: Full time
Limited pathways after finishing competing
Workload is similar compared to the pros
Revenue substantially driven by student athletes

Unpaid Labor On The Field

"As the NCAA is driven by college athletes labor on and off the field it can be seen as being treated as an unpaid worker as stated in an article NCAA football players are less likely to find a pathway toward the professional leagues as there is a rule that makes NFL draftees only eligible after three post-secondary years" (Sanders)

Collegiate football players dedicate the same amount of time to athletics that full-time employees dedicate to their professions and generate billions of dollars in profit for universities. (Borghesi)

As atheltes havbe to focus on academcis the risk of falling off can strip them of their scholarships leaving them with having to take academics and sports full time

Full-Time On The Field

Miss out on internships and job opportunities
Financial Burdens
Risk of losing Scholarship

Bigger programs already have better facilities
Offering pay will help smaller schools recruit
Extra money helps athletes live better at smaller schools
Fair compensation for athlethes

Argument For Change

Athletes will seek financial gain
Make powerhouse schools stronger
Better selling point for schools that can offer more money

Argument against change

Ruined Integrity Of The Sport

Many argue that the payment of athletes will ruin the integrity of the sport as some schools may pay students more to play for them as schools with better amenities and wealth will attract more athletes as a selling point

Should all college athletes be paid?By: WFAA

Conclusion

Looking at the betterment of today's athletes giving them pay in a billion-dollar industry should be a no-brainer. While looking at the balance and keeping everything fair may be valid, the system in place already fails and lacks those goals but compensation for college athletes, can enhance the integrity of collegiate sports.

Borghesi, Richard. “Pay for Play: The Financial Value of NCAA Football Players.” Applied economics 49.46 (2017): 4657–4667. Web.

Sanders, Shane D. “Wages, Talent, and Demand for NCAA Sport After the Alston v. NCAA Antitrust Case.” Journal of sports economics 25.2 (2024): 169–185. Web.

Gail Terp., & Gail Terp|AUTHOR. (2020). Paying College Athletes . Lightbox Learning Inc..