Brianna G. Wisconsin

College Athletes Should Get Paid

College Student Athletes work very hard to be great at a sport and handle school, but they aren't getting compensated.

Dear Future President,

Have you ever worked really hard on something and didn't get paid? That's what it feels like to be a college athlete. College athletes should get paid because they push themselves and other people get the profit, the NCAA makes a large profit off of them each year, and they work hard to juggle their sport and school work.

One reason they should get paid is they work hard and other people keep the profits. Boyce Watkins, a professor at Syracuse University, said " When Tom Cruise makes a film, he gets paid quite well. He doesn't get the money because he's a nice guy, he gets paid because he is generating revenue for someone else". This statement should hold true for college athletes as well, but unfortunately it doesn't. College athletes are creating revenue for others and don't get any for themselves.

Another reason college athletes should get paid is the NCAA makes large profits off of them, but where does that money go? On average, the NCAA earns $4 billion each year and Nick Saban, a college football coach, receives $5.5 million each year. Why does the coach get so much when the athletes get nothing?

A third and final reason college athletes should get paid is they put in a lot of time and effort and get nothing back. Each week, college athletes spend around 40 hours (the same amount of hours an average person works at a full time job each week) of training, practicing, or competing for their sport. Meanwhile, they are still attending school and getting educated.

In conclusion, college athletes should get paid because other people are making money off of them, the NCAA makes a large profit each year, and they put a lot of time and commitment into their sport.

Sincerely, 

Brianna G