Athletes refer to people who participate in competitions in various sports that involve speed, persistence, determination, and energy in order to become the winner. In today’s society, sports play a greater role in promoting unity and social interaction among people since people from different backgrounds meet to compete and exchange ideas (Boninger 754). Paying college athletes is beneficial as it promotes talent among students and motivates them. However, there are many components to consider before paying them.
Paying college athletes helps students who face hard times meet their daily demands. Sympathy goes to the students who participate in athlete competitions in different institutions. They usually undergo difficult lives in developing their talents since even if they develop an injury; it will be quite difficult for them to undergo medication (Boninger 754). Starvation is all over since the students do not work hence any salary to cater for their foodstuffs.
Paying college athletes also helps to improve their outputs, thus helping the institution earn a good reputation. The National Collegiate Athlete Association should ensure that the athletes get a token of appreciation through income, which will enable students who can not be able to afford the essential needs to cater for themselves (Lytal 158). This will encourage them to actively participate in the sport and even improve their output which will earn the institutions several medals (Thacker 188). If salary is introduced, several talents will be realized within the institution since the students will feel valued and appreciated, thus giving their best in the competition.
In the absence of income, many athletes will be unable to cater for food, gas, and other necessary essentials. For instance, the author says “Sometimes, there are hungry nights where I’m not able to eat, but I still have to play up to my capabilities” (Thacker 185). Not only do the athletes need to attend the practice session, team meetings, and weight sessions but also need to attend their classes and ensure they score good grades (Lytal 158). At times the athletes come out of the practice at odd hours, and they need to have all of their work done and prepare for the next day’s activities. You also have to go through your books just like somebody else. This is tiresome and the athletes need to be given a token of appreciation through income (Boninger 754). The stakeholders end up making billion of money and even selling the athlete’s jerseys, making them feel so demoralized.
The National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) has been called upon by several commentators to relax its rules that do not allow for the payment of athletes. It was further criticized for keeping the revenue in the hands of the management staff and not students. However, when the college students’ status is uplifted to employees, they would easily convert the athlete’s tax-exempted scholarship to taxable income. For instance, Edelman claims that “the tax code then lowers one’s taxable income based upon three types of reductions: exclusions, deductions, and credits” (Edelman 1150). Movement should allow the students to enjoy the college revenue since they sacrifice much time, personal anatomy, and physical health to prove their lack of payment (Edelman 1152). This may result in putting off the economic benefit of pay-for-play.
The exploitation of college students should come to an end together with the rampant financial hardship that the students undergo. The college students, together with the citizens, should unite in order to come up with laws that will enable them to earn royalties and use their academic scholarship to join the FWS. Enlightenment of the challenges the student-athletes go through should be done to Congress and this will automatically begin when the citizens join hands to support the young, hardworking, and ambitious athletes who are being silenced by the power of the NCAA. Due to their hard work, there is no reason for the athletes to be denied compensation.
Works Cited
Boninger, Nathan. “Antitrust and the NCAA: Sexual Equality in Collegiate Athletics as a Procompetitive Justification for NCAA Compensation Restrictions.” HeinOnline, 2018, Web.
Edelman, Marc. From Student-Athletes to Employee-Athletes: Why a “Pay for Play” Model of College Sports Would Not Necessarily Make Educational Scholarships Taxable. Boston College Law Review, 2017. Web.
Lytal, Sarah. “Ending the Amateurism Facade-Pay College Athletes.” HeinOnline, 2018, Web.
Thacker, Dalton. “Amateurism vs. Capitalism: A Practical Approach to Paying College Athletes.” Seattle Journal for Social Justice, Vol. 16, no 1, 2017, pp. 184-216. Web.