Should College Athletes Get Compensation for Playing?
Imagine that you spend countless hours getting better at your craft. While you get better at your sport, juggling that and school, you may even need to get a job on the side to help afford your education. You are expected to excel at everything while supporting yourself. However, people use your name and likeness in advertising and marketing. The coaches and directors of your school are making a fortune off of your name, but you are struggling to make ends meet. That is exactly what happens to star college athletes. This will explore why college athletes should be compensated for their playtime.
The Fact Is That Being a College Athlete Is a Full-Time Job 🏐
➜ One that students don’t get paid for.
They have to attend meetings, film sessions, weight room training, and their regular practices along with handling their full course load. These athletics may be considered “extracurricular activities” but during NCAA tournaments athletes are expected to miss school to compete. Student athletes bring in a lot of revenue to the schools, especially when it comes to the championship games. College men’s basketball and football are the big earners for colleges, earning significantly more than any other college sport.
College Athletes Put In A Lot Of Hard Work
❗️Profits from these matches do not go back into the academic programs of the college, but they do go back into the sports programs that do not earn as much. Primarily the money goes back to the coaches, administrators, and the directors of the sports programs. College athletes put in a lot of hard work, but it’s the coaches that get the bonuses if the team wins the big games, breaking records, or just make it to the offseason. The athletes do not see a penny of this massive amount of revenue that they bring into the college.
Student athletes should earn a fair and reasonable amount of money for their efforts on the team.
❗️This doesn’t mean that student athletes should make multi-million dollars like the professionals make. There are a few factors that can be considered when deciding on a fair wage for the student athlete. The pay should vary between universities. Smaller colleges will not be expected to pay as much as much larger universities. Programs that don’t earn as much as others will not be expected to pay out as much as the more successful programs. Basing compensation on factors like popularity of the sport, television time, and championships can be a fair approach.
Coaches put a lot of time and effort to improving their players and maximizing their chances of winning. But coaches get compensated, in some cases very well, for their effort. Student athletes are the face of the programs, often being featured on advertising and other marketing materials. They work tirelessly to improve, juggling so many things while also being expected to perform well. These athletes never see a penny for their hard work. It’s about time that student athletes are adequately compensated for all of their hard work, especially when other people are making a fortune off of them.