Arguments Against Paying College Athletes

Paying college athletes has been an ongoing controversy for many years because of the NCAA’s mission to position their athletes as students first and foremost; but, are student athletes really going to college to get an education or to prepare for turning professional. Some argue that athletes are paid already with the compensation given such as free tuition, housing, athletic clothing, etc. However, others claim that athletes are not paid their fair market value. Zach Dirlam, a senior analyst for the Bleacher Report, and Jeff Dorfman, a contributor to Forbs, examine paying college athletes for two different audiences in their respective articles “There’s No Crying in College: The Case Against Paying College Athletes” and “Pay College Athletes?

His article begins by exemplifying credibility when he hyperlinks his figures to certified sources: “Should college athletes get a piece of the $871.6 million pie the NCAA brings in annually?” (Dirlam par. 2). Dirlam does not talk about his experience with sports to develop his reliability, rather he begins by showing that he has done extensive research with his hyperlinked sources. His article can be viewed as credible since he has indisputable evidence to back up his claims. Dirlam, in particular, connects with the reader by appealing to the reader’s emotions, since he has very similar experiences to the intended audience and sympathizes with them when student athletes are compared to average college students. Specifically, Dirlam allures the reader’s emotion when he mentions how each athlete will leave a university free of debt. He continues his sympathy by connecting to the audience when he comments, “I’m willing to bet some of you reading this are still paying off college loans, or took quite a while to do so. Heck, I have racked up over $80,000 in tuition fees over the past four years in college” (Dirlam par. 17-18). College students are burdened with heavy expenses associates with attending college such as student loans, tuition, school supplies, health expenses, fees, clothing, etc. One of the biggest expenses is repaying student loans because not only do the students have to pay the principle amount but also they have to pay high interest rates and fees causing financial stress upon graduation. Athletes, on the other hand, receive all of these items and services listed above for free thus cutting the cost of their attendance significantly. To know that athletes do not have to worry about loans is somewhat frustrating to the readers. The stark