Should Student-Athletes Be Paid?

1960 Words4 Pages

College athletes are undoubtedly some of the hardest working people in the world. Not only are they living the life of an average student, they also have a strenuous schedule with their specific sport. One of the most discussed topics in the world of college athletics is whether or not student-athletes should be paid money for playing sports. The people who disagree with the idea have some good arguments to make. Primarily that the athletes get to go to school for free for playing sports. Another argument is that if student-athletes were to get paid then it would ruin the amateurism of college sports. People who are against paying the athletes do not want to see the young people become focused on money. “Paying student-athletes would dramatically shift their focus away from where it should be - gaining knowledge and skills for life after college” (Lewis and Williams). This is very understandable because one of the biggest reasons college sports are so popular is because the athletes play for school pride and for bragging rights. They play because they enjoy the game, not because it is their job. Most people that disagree with the idea of paying the athletes fail to realize what really goes on behind the scenes. At most Universities around the country the bulk of the income the school receives is brought in through the athletic programs. In fact the football and basketball teams usually bring in enough money to completely pay for the rest of the athletic programs all together. To get a better understanding of how much has changed in the world of college sports a little history must be learned.
Sixty years ago college sports were in no comparison as popular as they are today. Universities were not contracted with te...

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...ons of dollars the school makes off of their athletic abilities.

Works Cited
Doyel, Greg. “Timeto Pay College Football Players.” CBSSports.com. N.p., 25 Sept. 2013. Web.
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Birkenes, Adele, and Akash Bagaria. "Pay to Play." Current Events Feb 06 2012: 7. ProQuest. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
Woods, Al. “College Athletes Should Be Paid.” Sports and Athletes: An Anthology. Ed. Christine Watkins. Greenhaven Press, 2009. 87-94. Print.
Cooper, Kenneth J. "Should College Athletes be Paid to Play?" Diverse Issues in Higher Education 28.10 (2011): 12-3. ProQuest. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Lewis, Michael, and Bob Williams. "SHOULD COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS BE PAID?" New York Times Upfront Nov 17 2008: 22. ProQuest. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
"NCAA Requires Loss of Contests for Six Ohio State Football Student-Athletes." Targeted News Service Dec 23 2010. ProQuest. Web. 25 Nov. 2013 .

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