Feature Image By Tammy Anthony Baker

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith college football in season, many people wonder how much money the colleges gain from the players, and the team’s’ success. Well, according to CNN The Crimson Tide’s football program reported $103.9 million in revenue for 2016 and posted a $47 million profit. That’s up 3.6% from last year. Raising more money than all 30 NHL teams along with 25 of the 30 NBA teams. This large amount of money raises the question whether the the athletes winning and providing the school with the profitable gains should be paid and have an annual salary. Although, college athletes provide money for their school they should not get paid for it.

Do people of the public really support college athletes getting paid? Well 69% of public opposed paying student athletes So why do the other 31% of people believe in paying these students?

Paying The Athletes Should Not Be Out of The Question

In one of many articles by published by Forbes on student athletes, states that [perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]During the NCAA “March Madness” tournament, students can miss up to 12 days of schooling leaving even further behind[/perfectpullquote]

“The typical Division I college football player devotes 43.3 hours per week to his sport — 3.3 more hours than the typical American work week.” Considering how hard practice and school can be on a person, many people believe that the student athlete should be rewarded for it, especially when they work longer than an average work week. In same article by Forbes they expressed that during the NCAA “March Madness” tournament, students can miss up to 12 days of schooling getting them farther behind in school. With all of the time taken up by sports leaves a very small dose of school for these athletes. Leaving many to believe that all of the hard work of the students athletes should be envied and payed. As for the revenue aspects of the players, they bring in an insurmountable amount of money toward their school, and almost flip their school around depending on the teams success. The year that Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s outstanding college football player, Boston College’s undergraduate admissions increased by 25 points and its average SAT score of admitted freshmen skyrocketed by 110 points. So it’s no question whether the athletes help the colleges gain more funds and chatter.

What If College Athletes Get Paid

Paying the athletes of universities would not only make colleges lose money, but would give yet another reason to not give effort towards actual schooling. Student athletes would spend time and money on much less important things than money going to their education. The money given to the student athletes would account to a loss in the school funds. It also would cause colleges to raise prices of tuition to make up for the salary of the players. In an article by Odyssey they state that it would be really unfair to the other students. Some if not all college athletes are already on scholarships, so why should they be paid like they are professionals. Adding to this point the average college student is middle class and has to pay their way through school without a scholarship. In an article by The Atlantic states that many students would also be distraught by players getting paid, and so many other extracurricular activities in college (like band) would be mad at this idea and would demand for pay of their people. In a non bias article by CollegeXpress they state that “If payments were involved, athletes would be incentivized to commit to the college or university with the highest offer. The next year, they may transfer to another school with an even higher offer. Before you know it, these college sports would be 100% a business”. The financing website Money explains perfectly why paying student athletes wouldn’t benefit as well as you think:

“Say the student got a generous $100,000 salary from the college instead of a $65,000 scholarship. So, a student-athlete paid a salary would owe $23,800 in federal income tax and $6,700 in state taxes, a total of $30,500. In cities that levy an employee payroll tax, the salaried student’s taxes go up about $2,400 per year. Income taxes then are $32,900. And, as an employee, the player would have to pay at least $2,000 in other taxes, such as Social Security, for a total of $34,900. This leaves the college player with $65,100. Since college bills come to $65,000, the player has $100 left.”

That only explains the “ifs” of college athletes getting paid, but let’s not ignore the advantages that the student athletes get while in college.

Don’t College Athletes Get Enough?

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These athletes based on how well they do can control the college and their funds. However, paying the student athlete is not the correct type of reward they should be given. [perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Only 2% of college athletes go onto being a professional.[/perfectpullquote]

 Only 2% of college athletes go onto being a professional. This means that 98% of the college players don’t continue on, so they should really attending college more for education than the sport they are pursuing. Stated in an article by The Denver Post says that,  “Our students receive more benefits than ever before. On top of scholarships that fund tuition, room and board, they now receive stipends for living expenses based on the full “ ‘cost of attendance.’ ” Many enjoy unlimited meals and can get help if they need it with everything from winter coats and eye exams to transportation to and from home in case of family emergencies.” This not only shows the privileges the student athletes receive, but really expresses the extended goods and services that they get compared to the regular student body. The NCAA released an article stating the benefits that a student athlete receive:

“More than 150,000 student-athletes receive $2.4 billion in athletic scholarships each year from NCAA member colleges and universities. The average college student graduates with $35,200. Athletic scholarships offset these costs for student-athletes. In addition, USA Today determined that a full men’s basketball scholarship can be worth at least $120,000 per year, when factoring in goods, services and future earnings.”

Getting things such as meals, medical care, and emergency transportation for no charge should be more than enough to satisfy the athletes.

The Big Picture

Many who believe big-time college athletes should not be paid argue that these players already receive ample financial compensation in the form of a full-ride scholarship. In 2017, 351 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools awarded a total of $2.6 billion in athletic scholarships. As this debate goes on The NCAA keeps denying the idea of paying their players. Some agree, but in the grand scheme of things it would not be good for the players and their education going forward.