College Athletes and Cash Money, Do They Deserve Extra Reimbursement?.
The question of whether college athletes should be paid has led to a hotly contested debate. The critics who are in favor of paying athletes for their services point to the millions of dollars of revenue generated from football and basketball alone. These critics then ask why these athletes should not receive some of the money they raise. The other side has stated that they feel the higher learning is more than enough compensation for the athletes. The current dilemma at question is whether college athletes should or should not be compensated more or less by their athletic programs. My opinion, representing the college athlete, goes for more compensation of the college athletes.
For years, Division 1 athletes have been pouring their hearts out day after day, week after week, to protect the pride and tradition of their universities. Television contracts and shoe deals the athletes endorse for the college is really bringing and other forms of revenue. Sure people say that the typical athletic scholarship is enough to compensate, but is it? A true athlete plays the game simply because he/she loves it. At the Division 1 level of sports, it is more or less a business and it is the athletes" job to make money for the school by performing on the playing field. These athletes also give up many freedoms. For a given number of hours per week, they give their blood, sweat, and tears just to play a sixty-minute game or run laps around a track. Take these factors and combine it with the academic responsibilities, and it is a lot to account for.
