Should College Athletes Get Paid?

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Should College Athletes Get Paid?
Introduction
The trend in modern sports today is a clear shift from the conventional fun and games into business and this trend is observable even in college sports. College sports, especially at the division 1 level has been a huge source of income for universities and over the years, athletes have been giving their best towards sports they have been working hard for on a daily basis (West Virginia University 1). Through the hard work and years of 100% input in training and output on the field, the athletes have displayed their abilities and talents in different sports that are now being recognized. Universities are receiving millions of dollars in form of ticket sales, sports merchandise, and television contracts among other revenue related benefits. However, looking at "student-athletes" a term coined by the National Collegiate Athletic Association they have been engaged in a long revenue controversy with universities and sports governing bodies. These athletes are given scholarships that cater for the tuition fee but at the same time, they have to work hard in class, practice, and during games. Therefore, there is no evident difference between them and other students, as they are required to pay for other necessities they require. This raises a critical question for all the bodies and individuals on whether there is a need to pay these college athletes that are already on scholarships CITATION Des13 \p 2-3 \l 1033 (Desrochers 2-3).
College athletes are already on scholarships and receive extra benefits from their universities. Therefore, in essence these students are already being paid for the services they are offering. The scholarships cover tuition, boarding, books, and food; therefore, they receive all they require. These students receive extra benefits, in addition, to the scholarships, for example, free tutors, trainers, coaches, equipment, facilities, and clothing. These benefits in some institutions add up to approximately $200,000 for the four-year period (Chamberlain and Dorsey 2).
In addition, prior to joining these institutions, the students are required to sign a letter of intent. This is an agreement that the athlete will offer his/her services in exchange of the scholarship and only the benefits contained in the contract, therefore, the athlete is aware of what is expected. Therefore, they agree and commit to represent the university and not themselves. These athletes hence represent the university in all capacities including the brands that sponsors them. Companies might be sponsoring the college but at the same time sponsor the athlete, therefore, receives merchandise for being part of the University’s team. These student athletes are reported to spend over 7 hours outside their scheduled practice. If these student demand to be paid, they raise the possibility of eliminating sports in some institutions as all universities do not possess a similar capability of paying the athletes, therefore, would be required to cut-down or do away with other sports in order to acquire funds to pay the student athletes. Athletes in different types of sports put the same effort and it would be irrational to cut down or eliminate one sport accommodating may be hundreds of athletes so as to acquire funding for a single athlete CITATION Des13 \p 10 \l 1033 (Desrochers 10).
The rationale of providing scholarships has changed from the basis of providing scholarships to the best student academically to providing it to the best athlete. Therefore, these colleges appeal to the best athletes through their athletic programs and the high demand makes it difficult for any student athlete or non-athlete to get a scholarship. If athletes are paid, the popularity of these universities will increase due to the payment and not the education offered. According to the Bleach Report 2011:
"Scholarships are not a way of to facilitate the education of those who would not otherwise have the means to attend. Scholarships were not intended to be a way to attract top athletes to a school who have no interest in gaining an education. But in many cases that is what they have become" CITATION Vel11 \p 1 \l 1033 (Velure 1).
The provision of a scholarships is a noble initiative, however, putting the issue under a microscope reveals that this is insufficient compared to what the athlete is generating in terms of revenue CITATION ISD14 \p 1 \l 1033 (ISD Editorial Board 1). Due increased rating, the revenues that come from these athletes’ amounts to billions of dollars and as the ratings continue going up, the revenues are also increasing and it is the stronger, bigger, and faster athletes that generate more money while receiving none of it. Therefore, universities and the college sports governing bodies are exploiting athletes a problem that has grown in the recent past to an extent that some of the athletes are quitting school to enter into sports professionally. Evidence is also present that universities have gone to the extent of exploiting even the alumni and athletes interacting with gamblers to alter the outcomes of games. Per Steve Wulf, most of the college athletes are from non-affluent families, therefore, apart from the tuition fee they require funds for other college expenses. In addition these athletes are not allowed to work and other students are often paid when they provide their services to the colleges, for example, assisting lecturers in research and it is for these reasons that I think college athletes should be paid (Wulf 1). Studies conducted also indicate support for the payment of athletes. For example, per Schneider (2001), "of the 458 students (275 males and 183 females from 1 Division 1 athletic conference) surveyed, only a slight majority (54%) of the students believed athletes should receive additional compensation." (Miller 1).
College athletes do not have the privilege to work and in cases where they are allowed to work, their salary is limited to a certain amount above which they might lose their scholarships and get kicked of the team and t...