Should College Athletes Be Paid?

Whether or not college athletes should be paid has been a subject of debate among sports fans, coaches, and the general American public. The topic has gained significant attention in the past years, with most individuals arguing that they should not be paid since not all colleges would be able to pay players the same amount of money, meaning that the bigger schools would get the cream of the crop for recruits (Donnor, 2020). On the other hand, other individuals posit that it is only fair that college athletes be compensated for their dedication, hard work, and revenue-generating contributions. In this, they argue that the National Collegiate Athletic Association makes quite a considerable sum of money from the profession, and thus, failing to compensate the athletes would be unfair (Donnor, 2020). Although college athletes contribute significantly to university revenue, they should not be paid because compensation would deepen institutional inequalities, distort the purpose of higher education, and undermine the academic foundation of college athletics.

College athletes should not be paid, as that would create many school inequalities. While it is true that college athletes contribute significantly to the revenue and success of sports programs, paying them would create so many inequalities. Such is the case, as schools have different capabilities, meaning that some athletes would receive more compensation than others, making them feel more valuable (Knoester & Ridpath, 2020). Equality should be at the forefront of college sports, but this aspect has been interfered with by most schools as a result of paying college athletes. The case for paying college athletes posits that if you pay one pay all. In this case, if one college began paying its athletes, all other schools would follow suit, creating a rigged recruiting system. Also, not all college sports generate the same revenue, and some end up operating at a loss. For example, sports like football and basketball generate relatively high profits compared to other sports. Thus, college athletes should not be paid as compensation would be unequally distributed, leading to inequalities between athletes and schools.

Another reason why college athletes should not be paid is that it would make them shift focus from what took them to school. The initial goal of any student attending school is to get a degree, and college athletes are not exempt from this. The aspect of playing sports is an extra-curricular activity, and therefore, paying for them would threaten the college's primary focus, which is education. Paying them would make the college degree worthless, as they would value money more than education. Ehrlich (2020), reveals that most college athletes fail to make it to the professional level, and in that case, it would be better to focus on education more (Southall, & Weiler, 2023). College degrees should be given priority; therefore, college athletes should not be paid.

However, as much as one would say that college athletes should not be paid, one of the most important factors to consider is that the students sacrifice their bodies and so much time into these sports. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has been termed as one of the perfect examples of modern-day slavery (Knoester & Ridpath, 2020). Such is the case because college athletes sacrifice so much to make money for themselves, but the institution fails to pay them and also denies the athletes a chance to have a job while on scholarship. In that case, college athletes should be paid as they put their bodies online every day, and this is quite a significant opportunity for them to make money, which will sustain them in school and avoid being distracted. Also, paying the athletes would make them work harder, which would go a long way in becoming the professionals they desire in the field.

There is no doubt that not paying the college athletes would reduce the inequalities of selecting who to pay and not. Also, this would be an important ground upon which a balanced school life would be achieved without shifting the attention of the students. This balance should also understand the implications of the participation of the students, given that they generate revenue as well.