The Future of College Athletes and The Issue of Implementing a Salary

Should College Athletes Be Paid Collegiate student-athletes spend countless hours a week training and competing in athletic competition while attending classes and studying. As you know, President Emmert, the push to put in place a salary besides to scholarships for student-athletes has sky rocketed in recent years due to monumental television contracts worth billions of dollars. Supporters of the payment of college athletes claim that the student athletes should be paid because they bring in millions of dollars of revenue to the universities, conferences, and NCAA, they are consumed in being a student athlete that it is impossible for them to maintain a part-time job, and by law the athletes are employees.

President Emery, it is crucial that the NCAA and yourself review each viewpoint and with an open mind. The future of collegiate athletics depends on this decision and whichever decision is made, has the potential to completely change the blueprint of the NCAA and student-athletes Supporters argue that being a student-athlete is a full time job and it should come with a stipend to account for the time spent being an athlete. After adding classes, studying, and homework, the young man or woman’s life is completely occupied. Due to this excessive time commitment, it is impossible for student-athletes to receive and maintain even a simple part time job. This leaves many student-athletes broke and unable to afford a relaxing night out on the town with friends. Unfortunately, this can even lead to crime amongst the student-athletes. A recent example occurred in February 2013. The athlete using the credit card was caught after using the card to buy snacks from a vending machine. Yes, a vending machine.

Supporters believe collegiate athletes have eamed the right to a stipend from their hard work and time commitment, and now is the time to give it to them to prevent future crimes and NCAA rule violations. It is preposterous to believe that of the twenty billion dollars , a minuscule part could not be given back to the players. In fact, only twenty-three of the two hundred and twenty-eight division one athletic programs earned a surplus. That leaves about ninety percent of programs losing money (Zissou).

That would take away scholarships from many hardworking athletes.

Opponents also believe that athletes receive much more in benefits than just the value of a tuition from the scholarship. President Emery, you probably agree that education should be the top priority.

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