BY ANDY MORALES
It goes without saying, but the NCAA is home to some of the greatest athletes on the planet. Young, strong and in the prime of their career, these college athletes often get to compete on the professional or Olympic level. Yet with all this talent and hours of hard work, the same question arises constantly: should college athletes get paid? Although the work of these athletes does not go unnoticed, the benefits that they already receive are sufficient without getting paid.
College athletes are well respected in their sport and deserve to be rewarded for all their hard work and dedication to their craft…..and they are. Showered with scholarships from their college, NCAA athletes pay for little to none of their college education. If the athlete decides not to pursue competing professionally, then they have a college degree to fall back on. If college athletes did get paid however, then they’d be taking money away from the school. If the players got paid from their respective universities then the schools would have less money to put into the sports programs, which would lead to lower quality games, coaches, and players. In addition, it would also put less money in the extracurricular budget (a factor that not only negatively affects athletes, but also everyone attending that school).
The NCAA program itself is an incredible opportunity for athletes around the country. Every school has a program drawn up for each sport by a coach so that every athlete is challenged and has the opportunity to grow in skill and character. It is the ultimate stepping stone to becoming a professional athlete. They’re career is mapped out and their training is top notch. Without it, countless of athletes would inevitably slip under the radar. Isn’t that enough?
Nevertheless, some people argue that these college athletes should be paid because they often work as hard as professional athletes. What these people don’t understand is that these athletes are being paid, it’s just in scholarship rather than money. The only legitimate way for a college athlete to receive money is by means of advertisements, but even this depends on the school rule.
Athletes that are playing college sports should not get paid. They’re already receiving many benefits for their participation in the program. Any further payment is not only unnecessary, but also unfair.
