Getting By? Or Getting Enough?

Alaya S. - LLI Toledo

Over the years, the topic of “Should College Athletes Get Paid” has increased in rage. The majority of the people who play sports in high school have a dream to play in college and eventually go to the league. Time, hard work, and dedication are three big factors that play a part in this journey. Stakes are at risk when it comes to these things because you never know if you are going to make it.

“Kids basically put their lives on the line, but “approximately three percent of male and female high school basketball players go on to play college basketball, and only about one percent of those players turn pro.” ”

— Georgia Career Information Center

Those who get full ride scholarships to play a sport in college believe it is a big relief, but then life hits them hard. Some do not expect that it takes up a lot of their time and dedication to make it to where they want to be. Yes, their schooling is getting paid for, but what about the basic necessities. While some coaches are getting paid four million a year, “85% who live on campus and 86% who live off campus are living in poverty” (NCPA).

One of the main arguments that is being presented as to why college athletes do not get paid is that if they do start paying college athletes, it will ruin college sports. The reason behind that is that athletes who play sports in college play for two main reasons: the love of the game and the chance to make it to the pros (Anderson).

Another main argument is that the college athletic programs do not have enough money to pay the athletes, but they spend almost millions on 30-second commercials. In 2014, “the average cost for a thirty second commercial on CBS during a men’s basketball championship game was 1.49 million” (Kantar Media).

Lets think about the athletes who play in college, but do not make it to the NFL or the NBA. Records show that “41% in the NFL graduate from college” (Bogan). That is less than half of the team. Yes, they are going to college, but does that mean anything? Those who do make it to the pros forget all about their degrees that they would have once had. The video that was played in class stated that the students who also played a college sport were getting average grades. One student even noted that he did not get home from a practice until 3 o'clock in the morning and had an 8:00 am class. Do the coaches care about their grades? Are they getting enough? Or are they doing just the right amount to get by?

SOURCES CONSIDERED: 

• "Amateurism." Web blog Post. NCAA.org. 15 September 2017.
• "Amateurism Eligibility Requirements." Web blog Post. NCAA.org. 15 September 2017. 
• Martinez, Madison. "Should College Student-Athletes Be Paid? Both Sides of the Debate." Web blog Post. Blog. CollegeXpress,  20 March 2017.
• Boor, William. "College Athletes Do Not Deserve to be Paid, Now or Ever." College Football. Bleacher Report, 6 June 2011. 
• Mandel, Stewart. "Why the NCAA Won't Be Paying College Athletes Anytime Soon." NCAA FB. FOX Sports, 15 Nov. 2016. 
• Wilbon, Michael. "College Athletes Deserve to be Paid." College Sports. ESPN, 18 July 2011. 
• Tracy, Marc and Strauss, Ben. "Court Strikes Down Payments to College Athletes." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 30 Sept. 2015.