Compensation of NCAA Student and Athletes Essay Example

that this deal invigorated him to change his mind concerning the issue of NCAA athletes. The deal revealed the amount of finances that the NCAA brought over for a period of one month. However, the money that is collected from this event does not trickle down to the athletes, who sacrifice their energy and time to become the stars of the competition. In 2015, the revenue that was obtained from college athletics soared to approximately 900 million dollars. The head coaches for the NCAA teams were paid millions of dollars while the student athletes only received scholarships and some even went hungry. This indicates a big subjugation on the side of the players considering that they also formed the active part of the NCAA games.

Thirdly, paying the NCAA athletes will help create a sense of monetary awareness. One of the major factors that are disregarded by people who oppose the payment of the college students is the fact that many of the NCAA athletes are very irresponsible financially and most of them do not know how to organize their budget. A film that was released by ESPN in 2011 indicated that many college students do not know how to use money. This situation has been supported by the fact that many students lack financial awareness because they are not given an opportunity to earn and plan their budget.

In fact, the film indicated that more than a half of the NBA players become broke within a period of less than five years after retirement. The players that were interviewed in the documentary indicated that there was poor investment by many students due to lack of knowledge and investment opportunities. If

the NCAA players are paid, they will have an opportunity to help the other students build the basis for financial literacy. This will allow NCAA athletes to introduce the other students to financial investments that will give them better interests in the future.

Fourthly, paying the NCAA athletes will help make the sports more competitive. The National Collegiate Athletic Association regularly states that compensating the college players will abolish the competitiveness of the sport. Nevertheless, this proposition makes little or no sense. The National Football League (NFL) has been paying its sportspersons based on their value and their abilities and this has not in any way affected the competitiveness in football (Quinn 23). The tiered payments that are given to the professional players play an important role in motivating them to even work harder and uphold their rankings. The hard work also enhances salary increments through media proceedings and sponsorship. Stating that compensation will derelict the competitiveness in the NCAA games is extremely misinformed.

Although the idea of compensating the NCAA athletics is a good idea, it is important to note that paying students would also deteriorate the need to learn. Students go to college in order to learn. The student wants to become an auditor, a doctor, or a teacher and this means that he or she will graduate as a professional in the field being studied and not in athletics. Student athletes are not given salaries like other professional athletes do, nor do they obtain professional bonuses. The student athlete should know that the education institution is offering him or her an opportunity to access college education by participating in sports (Burgan 56). In essence

the student athlete ought to view college sports as a vehicle to higher education.

In conclusion, the idea of paying NCAA students has been facing a lot of controversy. Some authors believe that paying student athletes is a good idea while other believe that students should not be paid. After analyzing both sides of the argument, I believe that paying student athletes is a noble idea. My opinion is supported by the four premises that are discussed above. However, the NCAA should collaborate with other stakeholders in the sports and education departments and establish measures that will motivate students who participate in college sports to also put more effort on academics.

Works Cited

1. Branch, Taylor. The Cartel: Inside the Rise and Imminent Fall of the Ncaa. San Francisco: Byliner, 2011. Print.
2. Burgan, Michael. Working in College Sports. Broomall: Mason Crest, 2016. Print.
3. Quinn, Kevin G. The Economics of the National Football League: The State of the Art. New York: Springer, 2012. Internet resource.
4. Wilbon, Michael. "College Athletes Deserve to Be Paid". ESPN 2016: 4-6. Web. 1 Dec. 2016. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6778847/college-athletes-deserve-paid