Argumentative Essay: Should College Football Players Get Paid

“The great debate rages on: Should college football players be paid…” (Jennings). I do not think that they should because they already get rewards, they could make money if they chose, and they are amateurs and are playing the game voluntarily. Although there are many reasons why college football players should be paid, the evidence clearly stacks against those arguments.

First, college football shouldn’t be paid because they already could be making money. They should get a job if they don’t have one already. College football is not a job, working as a waiter or being a tutor is a job. Also, many of the players are there on scholarships. Those cover lots of money. “For an out-of-state public school, the average value is $25,000, a year” (NCAA). The player is practically being paid to go to school. If the players are already being paid to go to school, and being paid at a job, they do not need to be paid to play college

football.
Another reason college football players should not be paid to play is because they get rewards for playing college football.

If the team gets to a bowl game, the players get rewards. The article, “Should College Football Players Get Paid”, says, “The Missouri Tigers and Oklahoma Cowboys, for example, got Apple TV’s and iPad Minis for participating in the AT&T Cotton Bowl” (Gonchar). The players are getting a reward for making a bowl game, and there are thirty-nine bowl games. That means that many college football players are getting that reward. But, every player gets the reward of playing in college football. They all get an opportunity that many people dream of, but don’t get to live. That is a reward that no money can make up for. Opponents might argue, iPads aren’t the same as money that you would get at a job. They might also say, “Playing in a bowl game is no longer reward enough for some college football players.” That may true, but shouldn’t be. If you made it to a big bowl game for the first time, it should be very exciting and

rewarding.
Something that an opponent might try to argue is that the players are making lots of money for their schools. That is not true, college football players play for the fun of the game. They are just amateurs and should be playing to enjoy their collegiate experience. Another point to be made is that college football is nothing different from high school football except that college football is nationally televised. Do high school football players get paid? Also, the players are voluntairily playing football. If they are too worried about money, they should quit football and get a job. Being on a college football team is a valuable experience. The article, “College Athletes Should not Recieve Money for Playing”, says, “The experience of playing on a college team itself is valuable, working much like an unpaid internship for other students” (Block).
College football players on scholarships can get up to a couple hundred-thousand dollars off their tuition costs. Why should they be paid more. College football isn’t a job, the players are playing voluntairy. The players already get rewards for getting to a bowl game, and for just playing on a team. College football will turn into the “minor leagues” of the NFL if the players are paid. These guys are still amatures, they should not be paid.