College athletes juggle busy academic and athletic schedules throughout their collegiate careers, so why shouldn't they be compensated for the time they dedicate to the sport? Since the beginning of college sports, athletes have not been financially rewarded for their efforts. They've received scholarships, but financially strapped students can't always balance academics, athletics, and a job. College athletes should be paid an allowance for participating in college athletics. In doing so, it would provide them with funds needed for expenses, and also eliminate a lot recruiting violations, such as under the table payments. .
Many argue that participating in college athletics is similar to holding a full time job, except without the financial benefits. For example, a male college football player is almost always doing something football related, with nearly all seven days a week dedicated to practice, film, running, or lifting weights - not to mention their academic responsibilities. With this intense schedule, they are left with no time to make a living. These athletes give their heart and soul to the schools they attend, always striving to get better and to succeed. Does this sound like a job to you? Parents are not always able to provide for their child's financial needs, and besides, college in the time when students should being learning how to be independent adults and how to support themselves. Many student athletes take on much needed student loans, leaving them with debt that may hang over their heads for many years. Paying athletes for the time and effort they put into school athletic programs would benefit them greatly by making them less dependent upon their parents, providing them with funds they have earned independently, and eliminate future debt frustrations.
In my opinion, colleges, especially the big Division 1 Universities, bring in millions of dollars in revenue from their athletic programs.
