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Eric Finkelston
Mrs. Griffith
Research Paper
April 24, 2014
Should College Athletes Be Paid?
The topic of college athletes getting paid has caused many to reconsider the idea. Getting
paid can be defined as transferring money or goods, or to give in exchange for something. This
can be understood as getting monetary funds, a scholarship, or housing. Currently, it is against
the rules in the NCAA to pay an athlete, but it is not clearly defined or stated. Another major
concern in college sports is the sale of merchandise which is strictly prohibited. There can be
hefty fines and suspensions given if this occurs. Many believe college athletes are already given
enough and should not be paid a cent.
College athletes across the United States already obtain many perks and benefits for
performing on the court or field. Some receive free tuition, which is called a full ride, while
others receive partially paid scholarships. The only athletes that truly receive nothing from the
athletic programs are walk-ons who are not scouted and not given scholarships for athletics.
Many college stars get free tuition, books, room and board, and compensation given to them in
their contracts with the colleges and universities. Other players who may not have that potential
canreceive fractional funding, but still get the same extras.
Players, coaches, and even directors have come out and stated their particular views on
whether these young men and women should be paid, not paid, or even have already been given
too much to begin with. Some famous and well known players such as Jadeveon Clowney,
Adrian Peterson, and Shabazz Napier have voiced their respective opinions. All three of these

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male athletes stated that athletes should indeed be paid due to their hustle and commitment to his
sport. Clowney and Peterson particularly told the media that each player in college athletics
should receive an undisclosed sum of money to pay for their needs. Napiers main statement was
that he goes to bed starving at night supporting the thoughts that college athletes do not
necessarily need to be paid, but need necessities such as food, shelter, and schooling. On April
15, 2014 the NCAA finished its investigation and came forth stating that Division I schools are
allowed to provide and encourage college players to take advantage of unlimited meals and
snacks provided free of charge from the school. This was in response to players advocating and
backing Shabazz Napiers plight of going to bed hungry as a college player.
However, there are still some outspoken individuals who insist college players should not
be paid for many reasons. One reason is that the best players, the stars, will not have to worry
about money when the time comes for them to be drafted. Just by getting drafted in the first
several rounds, players instantly get millions of dollars in signing bonuses alone. Another
thought put forth is the players spend just as much time with school work as they do training and
playing their sport. A final major point is that most college athletes have said that they cannot
have part time or full-time jobs due to the inseason and offseason workout regiments. In
addition, there are many requirements that have to be met for a player to maintain his or her
athletic scholarship and multiple regulations on what a player is or is not allowed to do.
A recent report came out of Northwestern University. Government officials actually
ruled that the students are employees of the university, not student athletes. This is due to the
fact that mens college basketball, as well as college football have generated the highest revenue
among all college sports. It is written in a Forbes report that college basketball and football
combine for five billion dollars in revenue. Some of this money does not go back into the

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programs but gets kept by universities and colleges looking for a way to generate mass amounts
of money. This is the most discussed topic amongst board members and ironically there will be a
meeting on April 24, 2014 to redefine what it means to be paid along with plans to review the
current procedures in place.
College sports are nearly as popular as professional sports are today. It is where the head
coach of the Kentucky basketball team makes $5.5 million a season, while his players
supposedly are earning nothing when making it to March Madness year after year after year. The
most popular football coach at Alabama, Coach Nick Saban, will get paid $5.9 million when
more than half of the NFLs head coaches do not even get that much money. Each year a record
figure is made in revenue in college sports and barely anything is thought of the players or the
players needs. Another oddity is that many college football stadiums hold an average of 20,000
more fans than professional stadiums. This means that the stadiums seating alone could
generate enough funds for the players to be paid over $50,000 in just one game!
Overall, it can be noted that as of now college athletes are not getting paid. Of course
there are cases popping up occasionally such as at the Ohio State University where players were
selling their own merchandise for a large profit, but it is strictly monitored. Many state that
college athletes should get paid for their hard work on and off the field, their dedication, and
most of all their talents. The same people state that mens college football and basketball players
should all be paid in Division I schools only. Mens college football and basketball are by far the
two biggest and most watched sports which in return means that the most money is made from
these sports. Other think only Division I schools in the NCAA should be paid because these are
the top-talent stars and prospects for the most part. Besides that fact, a majority of college
athletes who exceed in Divisions II and III transfer to bigger schools for a better chance to make

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it to the pros. Now under NCAA rules, schools are allowed to pay for students emergency and
medical bills, clothing expenses, and travel fees. The rules have become a lot more lenient in
terms of what a college can or cannot do for their coveted athletes.
Athletes should indeed be paid and this proposal can be backed by many current college
players and former athletes now in professional sports. However, I believe this notion should
transfer to all college Division I athletes. Athletes in this division only should be paid because
this is the most competitive division in sports. College athletes no matter the sport should get
paid whether it be $1,000 or over $1 million. This is just purely based off opinion but it would
be the right thing to do. For instance, it cannot be said that the row team for a college works or
trains any less then the basketball team. This statement cannot be made without further review
or examination. No matter the circumstance college athletes should be guaranteed money for
injury alone. Injuries occur often and there are few ways to prevent major ones. No athlete
should have to risk going about their life in the future knowing they could have lingering
longterm health effects and not get any compensation for the damages. This would be a long,
drawn out, and complicated process which would almost certainly be turned down due to
monetary issues, but it should be considered. All athletes should get every necessity which
include but is not limited to: scholarships, room and board, books, clothing, food and most of all
money.

I interviewed several people on debate.org and got two responses back to my questions
Should colleges athletes be paid?

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Works Cited
Bowen, Fred. "Should College Athletes Get Paid?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 09
Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/should-college-athletes-get-paid
/2014/04/09/5cfb4b2c-bf36-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html>.
Griffin, Geoff. Should College Athletes Be Paid? Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. Print.
|, Michael Wilbon. "College Athletes Deserve to Be paid." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, n.d.
Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
"Paying College Athletes." Should We Be Paying College Athletes? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr.
2014.
Sack, Allen L., and Ellen J . Staurowsky. College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy
of

the NCAA's Amateur Myth. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998. Print.

Smith, Ronald A. Pay for Play: A History of Big-time College Athletic Reform. Urbana,
Chicago: U of Illinois, 2011. Print.

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