To Pay Or Not To Pay That Is The Question

To pay or not to pay that is the question

Final Paper

Collegiate athletics are at a crossroad; to pay or not to pay college student athletes, that is the question. College football and basketball revenue profits for top tear schools programs are at an all-time high. “They take in $ 20 million to $ 30 million a year in football and more than $ 5 million in basketball” (Alm, 1999). This does not even include the money teams make off television contracts, sponsors and licensing of their logo for clothing and appeal. Is the money really there though to pay all these athletes? Do you pay a student at one school more then another school? Do all student athletes get paid or just the major programs that make money for the school? Paying college athletes would not be beneficial, despite its appeal, because college athletes already receive payment from the universities, it would ruin the integrity of the sport and it would be impossible to regulate.

Although student athletes are already receiving payment, it is not in the form of cash in which many young kids would prefer. Payment from universities includes tuition, books, housing, meal plans, training, coaching, banquets/team meals, and an education. Many of these forms of payments will stay with a student athlete for the rest of their lives while cash is quick, flashy, and easy. It does not carry any weight, and comes as easily as it goes. “A national college athletes' advocacy group and a sports management professor calculate in the report that if college sports shared their revenues the way pro sports do, the average Football Bowl Subdivision player would be worth $121,000 per year, while the average basketball player at that level would be worth $265,000” (DallsNews.com, SPORTSDAY; Pg. C08). With an education student athletes can go pro in something other than their sport. Only about 1% of all college student athletes go pro. Education is the key and should hold a higher value but sadly it doesn’t....