We Should Pay College Athletes

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Over the years, the debate on whether or not to pay collegiate athletes, specifically Division 1, has increased greatly. With athletes bringing in millions of dollars to their respective schools, many believe it’s time to make a change. The debate has been ongoing since the 70’s, maybe even earlier, but it really came to the attention of many in the early 90’s, specifically 1995. Marcus Camby, a basketball player for the Toronto Raptors, admitted he took money and jewelry, from somebody who wanted to be his agent, while he was playing at the University of Massachusetts. This was one of many incidents that involved a player accepting money and other gifts from an agent and/or booster. I believe that college athletes deserve to be paid in some fashion. They devote their whole life to their sport, whether or not they are the starters, and most will not go on to the pros, even though they contribute to the team. They sell tickets, jerseys, T-shirts etc. for their school, and see none of the money. Coaches sign six figure deals with shoe companies, like Nike, Reebok, Converse, and the players are the ones wearing the shoes and jerseys, the coaches have on whatever they want. Even though just recently the NCAA Committee allowed athletes to get a job; between schoolwork, and practices, they don’t have enough time to find a job. Most of the kids come from poor backgrounds, and don’t have enough money to do normal college things, like going out to eat, going on a date, or out to the movies. People believe that paying college athletes will ruin the tradition and innocence of the game. However, people forget that Olympians get paid, and most of them are amateur athletes. "Gold medallists from the United States receive a minimum of $15,000 for their success (from the U.S. Olympic Committee and the national governing body of the winner's sport), USA Today, Final Ed." These Olympians can also capitalize on endorsement deals and other additional bonuses, most of which are illegal in college athletics. The innocence of the game is already in jeopardy, in a June 24th, 1996 issue of The NCAA News, " Studies indicate that 75 percent of underclassmen have received cash or gifts from an agent." That’s a pretty high number, three out of every four are involved in illegal activities involving agents, and 90... ... middle of paper ... ...ws. July 1, 1996: 38+. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 5. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1996. Art. 13. 4) Sack, Alan L. “Workers’ Compensation.” Notre Dame Magazine. Spring 1993: 27-32. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 4. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1993. Art. 45. 5) Shropshire, Kenneth. “College Athletes Deserve Pay, Olympians Get Paid. So Do College Coaches, Why Not The Stars?” USA Today, Final Edition. 18 Sept. 1996. Sec. A p: 15. 6) Clark, Liz. “Athletes Say They Deserve to Be Paid.” Charlotte Observer. (Charlotte, N.C.). April 3, 1994: pg. 4G. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 4. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1994. Art. 65. 7) “NCAA Seeks to Relax Rule Against Athletes Holding School-Year Jobs.” USA Today, Final Edition. Aug. 21, 1996, Sec: C, p: 12. 8) Wade, Don. “Colleges: NCAA Gives Athletes a Chance—not the time—to Make Money.” Scripps Howard News Service. Nando.Net. Oct. 21, 1996 Vol. 148. NO. 19. 9) Wojnarowski, Adrian. “Time Has Come To Pay NCAA Players.” http://www.wansports.com/032397ti.html The Fresno Bee. Scripps Howards News Service. (11/14/98) 10) Wulf, Steve. “Tote That Ball, Lift That Revenue.” Time Magazine. Oct. 21, 1996. Vol. 148, Issue 19, p. 94.

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