Maha Rashid, a Contributing
Writer for the Voice, can
Should NCAA athletes get paid?
This debate has been brewing in the college- sports community since the beginning of the media coverage of sports. As there are two sides to every coin, so there are two sides to this debate.
Those who support paying athletes have a pretty compelling case. U.S. News reports that “Athletic conferences receive millions of dollars in payouts from the NCAA when their teams advance deep into the tournament.”
University of Kentucky basketball, for example, is a dynasty and any player would be honored to play there. These athletes collectively generate tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars annually for their schools.
In regard to the coaches, The New Yorker says, “Many college coaches are the highest-paid public employees in their states. A five-million-dollar salary is no longer eye-popping, and that paycheck doesn’t include gifts from boosters, who will occasionally pay for a coach’s house to make sure that he stays happy.” Why should the coaches get paid when the athletes are the show? Shouldn’t they get compensated for what they produce?
People that are against the payment of athletes state their case in opposition. Education, they argue, is the key to success in today’s society, and without college, athletes will be unable to unlock the doors to their future.
Unfortunately, most athletes in the NCAA will not get to the pros. They can pursue a post secondary education and better themselves for their future.
Some NCAA Division I athletes receive a full ride, and many receive some form of scholarship. (CBSNews.com reports that the average scholarship is “less than $11,000.”)
NCAA president Mike Emmert says, “Rather than push college athletics further and further from academics, we need to bring it closer.”
Having student-athletes allow them to mature and grow as people. They gain real-world experience without the pressures of ample amounts of money.
Being young and dumb with copious amounts of money cannot be good. (Just look at all the child stars who become addicted to some kind of drug and end up falling out of the spotlight.) Athletes receive enough compensation through scholarships, scholarships that can help them prepare for a more secure future.
My personal opinion is that athletes shouldn’t get paid. Money can be a destructive force on a young mind. Students need to grow and develop before they enter the cruel world.
If I was handed one million dollars today, I know that I wouldn’t make the wisest investment with it. When I get $20, it immediately gets spent on food that is not Lowry. Imagine the amount of non-Lowry food I would be eating with one million dollars.
But I digress. My point is that young adults can be foolish and should receive an education before receiving a fat paycheck for their talents.