College life is usually one of the most captivating and influential periods for many people. Students are able to identify their priorities and interests, develop their skills, and learn the material that can be used in the future. Students like to participate in numerous college activities, and many students prefer to get involved in some sports activities. College athletes gain a number of benefits and the opportunities to connect their future careers with sport. Still, there is one issue that undergoes a number of discussions and concerns: if college athletes should be paid or not. There are many discussions and opinions about the necessity of payment, and people are able to find effective pros and informative cons to support the chosen positions. In this paper, the evaluation of the revenues of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the reasons for why students want to participate in different sportive competitions will be developed to clarify if it is justified for college athletes to be paid or not.
One of the main bases for taking part in sport is connected with the notion that people are able to attain some kinds of benefits from their direct and indirect participation (Lapchick 130). There are different groups of people, who have rather different benefits and shortages of the development of college sports activities. For example, teachers may not accept the idea of payment for college athletes because it may influence the quality of education and attitudes to academic projects. Some students, who do not have appropriate sportive skills, may be against the idea of payment as well. Still, there are also many people, who understand that college athletes work hard and deserve a paycheck (Marzilli 72). At the same time, it is possible to say that there are many students, who complete hard academic work. It seems to be unfair that college athletes should be paid, and academic students do not receive any possible portion of compensation for their achievements. The existing instability in the opinions about the pros and cons of payments for college students arouses a number of questions and intentions to support the chosen position.
People, who believe that college athletes deserve payment for their work, choose different approaches to proving their points of views. For example, there is an idea that no changes can be observed in case college athletes will be paid. The NCAA is a dominant organization that governs the majority of college sports in America (Rosner and Shropshire 479). This organization introduces college sports competitions almost the same way any professional sports competition occurs. The activities of this organization lead to a number of assets and revenues. The NCAA representatives know how to earn on college athletes and try to use their opportunities in a variety of ways. It means that famous and influential people can be invited to the competitions to increase the ratings of chosen events, TV contracts may be signed because not all people are able to visit the game but wish to watch it in some other more convenient for them ways (Chudacoff par. 1), and various business activities may be organized to promote one particular brand, product, or service.
There are many people, who have already earned a lot on the sports activities and the work performed by college athletes. It is also unfair to deprive college athletes of money that can be earned only as a result of students’ direct participation in the event. What can be changed if college athletes star getting payment for their own job? There are no clear explanations and examples that may prove that the idea of college students being paid is dangerous or negative only. Besides, such payments may improve the quality of the competitions and the attitudes of college students to sport. Students put their health on competitions. They may have some financial benefits from what they do to make some contributions to their health. At the same time, the abilities to earn money while being a college student should promote the necessity to develop a sense of some kind of financial awareness. Students are able to think about the financial aspects of their careers in sport, compare their options, and make the decisions that can influence their future lives considerably. If college athletes are paid, they can use their experience and skills in their future with ease.
Still, it is also necessary to remember that in many colleges and universities, athletes are usually provided with some types of scholarships and certain benefits that can facilitate their lives. Many educational organizations develop a system according to which college athletes get free tuition and rooms for living, additional help that can be used to meet their basic educational needs. Not all ordinary students have the same opportunities. As soon students start getting payment for their participation in college sports competitions, they can be differentiated from other students of the same college. Such decision may create more reasons for students’ diversity and students’ interpersonal conflicts. Some students may underline the necessity to pay for their hard academic work that requires some “health” investments as well because mental work is not easier than physical work.
According to the Confucian tradition, the values of mental work are even bigger and more essential than the values of physical activities (Zhao 79). Besides, there is thought that many professional athletes are not as passionate by their activities as college athletes because they have already achieved certain benefits and use them in a variety of ways. When college students start getting payment, they may be simply detracted from what they can or have to do. They may become less passionate and less motivated to achieve the best results in their activities. In fact, it is very difficult to create a fair and well-developed system according to which the details of college athletes’ payment can be identified. Colleges should invite financial experts to identify the possible payment measurements, coaches and tutors have to consider the fact that their athletes earn salaries almost the same way they do. A number of contradictions and concerns may occur in a short period. Colleges should be ready to solve many different problems with college athletes, who are paid and who are not paid and create the conditions appropriate for all college representatives.
In general, there is no definite point about whether it is necessary for college athletes to be paid or not. There are many pros and cons concerning this idea, and every college is free to make its own decisions and approaches to the payment system for their college athletes. Students should realize that their participation in sports competitions should not influence their education, and if they are paid for their physical activities, they should not use this point to underline their superiority over other students. Therefore, it is possible for college athletes to be paid in case a number of ethical, legal, and social points are taken into consideration and explained to all college representatives.
Works Cited
Chudacoff, Howard, P. “Let’s not Pay College Athletes.” The Wall Street Journal. 2016. Web.
Lapchick, Richard, Edward. New Game Plan for College Sport. Westwood: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Print.
Marzilli, Alan. Amateur Athletics. Philadelphia: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print.
Rosner, Scott and Kenneth L. Shropshire. The Business of Sports. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Print.
Zhao, Yong. Catching up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization. Alexandria: ASCD, 2009. Print.