Why College Athletes Don't Need to Be Paid

Why College Athletes Don't Need To Be Paid

College athletes produce hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of dollars every year for their university through donations, ticket sales, media rights, and advertising. Why shouldn't universities give athletes compensation for their hours of training on top of their already busy schedules? Many people would agree that college athletes should receive a portion of the revenue they help generate, but they don't realize how universities already benefit their players. College athletes are already paid handsomely, perhaps not with cash, but with scholarships, reputation, connections, job opportunities, and recognition for competing in a sport they love. Further compensation for athletes is unnecessary, and mandating that universities pay them would only hurt less popular, non-revenue generating sports and raise tuition costs.

Athletic scholarships don't pay for all the expenses of college, but large sums of tuition money are granted to college athletes every year. According to the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) official website, NCAA members contribute $1.5 billion dollars every year in scholarships; the average athletic scholarship pays around $18,000 of tuition costs. Universities also spend

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money building and maintaining athletic facilities, paying coaches, physical trainers, and sometimes dietitians that are all free for athletes to use. According to a recent study by USA Today, the average four year university athletic department will annually spend around $40,000 per athlete (Peale). This means that an average college football player who is receiving an athletic scholarship stays in school for four years; his university will have spent around $160,000 to keep him playing. The same study concluded that universities pay significantly more (up to seven times more) money on athletics than on academics. I say this alone is adequate salary for college athletes.

But there are other benefits for a college athlete besides just scholarships. Athletes gain reputation and potential employer connections by succeeding in their sport. A recent study by Indiana State University concluded that college athletes are more likely to be hired than non-athletes (Barratt). Whether employers more readily hire former college athletes because they think they have better health, time management skills, or leadership ability, the study shows that college athletes are about 20% more likely to obtain a job right out of college than non-athletes. Why should universities pay college athletes who have these advantages over their classmates already?

Keep in mind that not all college athletes receive scholarships from their university; those athletes play simply for love of the sport. College athletes love

the sport that they compete in, otherwise