Should College Athletes Be Paid?

` In most universities, athletes generate a substantial amount of money for their institutions. You might think that they would be paid for risking their bodies and generating millions of dollars, but you would be wrong. They make so much money that according to an article by Shannon Ford, “The University of Louisville took in 45.6 million dollars.” It is only fair that these college athletes get some share of the revenue that they generate. 

Despite some players getting scholarships to play for a team or attend a college, to quote Ms. Ford again, “struggle financially to afford food and other necessities … players [might] have to drop out because of financial struggles.” Since they are making such a big profit, it is ironic that they would have some struggles financially. If universities give a salary to their players, just ten thousand dollars a year, no college athlete would ever struggle financially during their time playing for the team. This revenue could be established on how well they perform in the season. 

For example, if an athlete performs well, they would receive ten thousand dollars. But, if they don’t do too well, they could get a salary of eight thousand dollars per year. This payment would not be even a big piece of what the institution would make if they make their players happy. This motive will also drive competitiveness in the team and strive for players to do their best to get more money. The money would also help them support their family and give them more enthusiasm to be on the team. But, since most universities do not do this, many talented players have to drop out. 

One player like this was Brandon Burlsworth. He was an American football player who was a walk-in. A walk-in is a player who pays to get into the college and on to the team. Walk-ins do not get scholarships. Unfortunately, Brandon and his family could not afford all three trimesters, so they just paid for one. But, Brandon was able to work so hard, that they gave him a scholarship in the middle of the year! He even earned a degree by his last game!

You might argue that college athletes should not be given cash because it, to quote the article, “puts a dent in team harmony.” But it will make the team a more competitive team because they know that to earn the most money for themselves, they would have to work harder. This incentive would prompt motivation, and overall performance up.

In my opinion, college athletes should be paid for their hard, laborious work which, currently, they receive no form of payment.