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Essay / The College Athlete Compensation Debate
Student-athletes are among the most influential athletes in the world. On college campuses, kids are in class with these athletes, then get to see them on the national stage on the weekends. These athletes are admired. Imagine spending hours and hours working without getting paid, it doesn't seem realistic. People work their whole lives to be paid for what they accomplish during the hours they spend working. From the age of 16 until the day you retire, you work in one form or another. Maybe it's doing chores for a little pocket money when you're young, or maybe it's working for minimum wage at a store down the street from your childhood home or spending what seems like a lifetime at university to find a good job, it feels like it never ends. People say “money is the root of all evil” and act like it’s not a necessity for living. What must be said is that greed is the root of all evil. Life is expensive. College is even more expensive. Student debt is extremely common in today's world and easy to underestimate. How do I know how challenging this is? I was an unpaid student-athlete. I have seen first-hand what scholarship and many non-scholarship student-athletes have to endure on a daily basis. Today's student-athletes travel several weekends a month, often also during the week, which has led to children missing classes. Having thousands of dollars in debt. I was able to experience it on a daily basis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Growing up, everyone says that college is the best time of your life, but the years can also be the hardest, busiest, and most confusing too. Many people struggle in their daily lives with various things, and money is probably one of the most common problems, regardless of age. Student-athletes are no exception. They not only have to worry about their classes, but also about their team and its track record in past and future events. It's not an easy task when you miss several classes every week during the season and train for hours a day. On the surface, it's easy to point out early on that these same student-athletes bring in a lot of money to the university, so why shouldn't they be paid? It's no surprise that there's big money in college sports, especially the popular ones. Well, where would the money come from to pay them? Taxpayers? Lessons from other students? Making it easy and only paying college athletes whose sport is profitable wouldn't be that hard to figure out. Coaches generally receive a comfortable salary, so it would make sense that the people who make this job possible would be rewarded for their hard work. These children produce and generate so much income that they should receive even a tiny part of it. College sports are very big and people love to keep up to date and cheer on the teams. Saying they wouldn't know how much to pay these student-athletes is a lazy excuse. Colleges have money equations for each book, professor, and class credit in the book. Beyond that, there is much more to it and how paying these student-athletes would benefit not only them, but also people withwith which they interact regularly. “Michigan, Alabama and Ohio State round out the top five most valuable college football programs. The Buckeyes and Wolverines rank first and second in average annual football ticket revenue ($54 million and $44 million), and each ranks in the top five in sponsorship revenue. their schoolwork, moreover, it would relieve them and their parents. Making ends meet is difficult in itself for some, but trying to make ends meet without a job? Impossible. Getting a job while being a student-athlete? This doesn't happen. Parents of these students are placed with more financial responsibilities than any of the students attending college, at least immediately. In some cases, it may not be what they wanted. Federal student aid is based on parental income, although children often do not have the luxury of having their parents write a check for half a hundred thousand dollars on a whim, perhaps even s it is available. Some call it tough love. This is a frustrating and controversial topic. Alright, let's say they'll help pay for tuition, what about expenses, grocery money, transportation... It's most often a thought that can stress people to the gills. Paying these student-athletes, even a small amount, would help not only the students, but also the parents who are supposedly responsible for paying tuition." According to a 2011 NCAA survey, many students train in average 30 hours per week, while some spend more than 40”. That's more time spent practicing than some people spend at their part-time job. Spending more than 40 hours per week would qualify for full-time employment. Unpaid. On top of that, they are most likely taking around 15 college credits with classes around 15 hours per week, and then they are expected to work on their assignments and study. Some people argue that these same athletes already receive scholarships to play at a university and therefore there is no need to reward them beyond scholarships. The university decides who benefits from these scholarships and for what amount. $60,000 isn't exactly spending money, so it takes a little planning to figure out where the tuition money comes from. Let's say they get a scholarship, but more often than not, it doesn't come close to covering the full cost of tuition. I'm not saying student-athletes should get $60,000 a year, because that's more than the national average for household income, but anything would help. How about selling the jerseys these players wear, or the autographs they hand out? outside after the match? It's not allowed, but why? What if a fan wants to pay a few hundred dollars for their worn jersey? Why not. These athletes don't see a single dollar of the money people pay for their jerseys, etc. sports stores. Not only jerseys that could be sold, but also equipment. Even the clothes. Once it becomes the property of the athletes, they should be able to do with it what they want. If I were to be a football player, I should be able to sell my football cleats, or if I was a hockey player, I should be able to sell old hockey sticks. Even if it doesn't make a ton of money, anything can help. Many of us are forced to stay on campus during the summer to continue training for our sports as well as taking classes and working on our assignments. When should we work? We need.