Pay for Play

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Playing a college sport comes with a huge demand as these dedicated athletes sacrifice their time, their bodies, and sometimes their degrees. Collegiate athletes give it their all “their energy, talent, and bodies to play in the big time” (Ehrlich). Their main priority should be in the classroom and graduating. However, this is simply not the case as countless athletes miss the mark when it comes to earning a degree due to basically put everything they have into their team (Ehrlich). Also, playing a big-time college sport takes a major toll on their bodies as injuries and permanent damage occur frequently. Sometimes coaches force their players “to gain or lose weight, with penalties for noncompliance” (Eitzen). In addition these players experience “random punishment, stress, fatigue, personal degradation, and abuse” (Eitzen). Playing a college sport is more than just playing in the games; these players also pay a huge price costing them their bodies, time, and occasionally degrees.

Although paying college athletes possesses the possibility that the players would only concentrate on dollar signs, college athletes should be compensated because of their work, because of their revenue, and because of their value. The heated debate on whether or not college athletes should be paid by their university for the dedication to their athletic performances is a question that can be answered. The solution will conquer the player’s needs, as well as the university’s needs, while appeasing the NCAA at the same time. Rewarding the players illegal and underhanded benefits would be eliminated.

. In the world of big-time college sports, the NCAA should pay any player who participates in Division I sports for their dedication and hard work. College athletics is more than students running up and down the court or people getting tackled on the turf; it is a multi-billion dollar industry that these college athletes have created. It is wrong to exploit athletes by forcing them

to do the majority of the work while others are getting their pay. Allow the market to work itself and stop short handing the people that deserve the benefits, the athletes themselves. It is not always getting the hot girlfriend, receiving the celebrity fame, hitting the winning three-pointer, or having a “full ride.” Sometimes, it is about the athlete’s benefit to the university. If everyone could get past all of the controversy, the world of sports would be a better place, colleges would be more productive, and college athletes would be paid what they deserve.

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Works Cited

Ehrlich Jr. Robert L. “Student-Athletes Need a Degree, Not a Paycheck.” Baltimore Sun. 06 May 2012 Web. 21 Apr. 2015.

Eitzen, D. Stanley. “Slaves of Big-Time College Sports.” USA Today. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

Looney, Douglas S. “Cash, Check, or Charge.” Sporting News. 01 Jul. 1996: Web. 22 Apr. 2015.

Ostrout, Neill. “Time to Pay College Athletes? Buzz Building Toward Changes.” Americas Intelligence Wire. 12 July 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.

Veazey, Kyle. “Pay for Play.” Commercial Appeal. 02 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.

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