Student Athlete Compensation Essay

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The compensation of college athletes has been a huge debate because of the complexity of the subject. College sports include an array of sports that range from the popular like football and basketball to the less popular like volleyball and soccer. Along with the diverse array of sports there is the division between men and women, and with this comes the differences in popularity between the two. This is evident in the contrast in media coverage of men’s basketball versus women’s basketball. Other people point to the exploitation of college athletes, particularly in football. Both sides of the debate have valid points, and this makes it more difficult to formulate a concrete answer. Supporters for the compensation of college athletes present the issue that college athletes are treated like professional athletes, but without the pay check. For example, through ads and sponsorships. During the 2015 basketball tournament alone, CBS and Turner sold $1.13 billion in ads, but they also …show more content…

This does not solve the main problem, which is that sports fail to recognize that education is the main reason a student athlete attends a university. Less than 2% of student athletes participating in hockey, football, and basketball go on to play professionally, so the education that they receive is the main priority. Other students who pursue their passions like the arts or music, most likely do not go on to hold jobs in those subjects. These students just like student athletes are both following their passion through hobbies, not jobs. The regular student does not get paid for spending extra time to paint a canvas. Similarly, the student athlete does not get paid to play a

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