The Great NCAA Debate

The 21st Century has ushered in a new era to college athletes. With sports like college football and basketball becoming as popular as ever, the division one schools competing are seeing mass revenue increases. The problem that has arose with the money going to the schools is that the student-athletes now feel the right to some of that money that they are generating.

In professional leagues, athletes get paid. A lot. And they rightfully are paid this because they bring in that money to their teams. Star players command nine-figure contracts because they captivate the spectators. College athletes are doing exactly the same. While they aren’t quite as talented as the pros, they are at the top of their divisions and, football and basketball players especially, provide lots of money to the athletic departments. Because of this, proponents of paying collegiate players believe they should receive an annual stipend. Additionally, these advocates argue that these students are spending so much time practicing they face a severe disadvantage to their learning.

The issue with this argument is that players are actually paid. They are paid in scholarships. This might sound a little silly, but most of these division one football players are going to school free of charge. In some cases, they are saving $60k a year. With four years and a possible redshirt season, many of these players are receiving a $300k education. For example, football players at Stanford are receiving world-renowned education for absolutely nothing.

They have zero expenses. They don’t have to pay for room and board. They are provided with free athletic gear from the team. They get the school’s best tutors. They get access to training facilities and medical care that every other student on campus does not get. Basically they are above the actual student-students on campus not only because of their athletic fame, but also because of the remarkable benefits they have, and they get all of this while paying absolutely nothing Another problem that arises with paying all division one athletes means you’re paying every single sport with what should be an equal amount of money. This means the bowlers and gymnasts get paid the same as the football and basketball stars, even though as a whole only two sports make a profit.

However, the NCAA does need to fix something (I know, shocker). They must allow athletes to market themselves. It is absolutely ridiculous that these players can’t accept any help. Regular students can do anything they want in terms of receiving compensation for an autograph, but the second an athlete does it they are violating NCAA rules. If your average student can take a payment for appearing in a commercial, then why can’t athletes? After all they are students first, as the NCAA loves to state. These players have earned the right to their own brand. Not only is this perfectly legal, but it also doesn’t violate any moral or ethical grounds. If the NCAA wants to ensure that the average student and the average athlete have roughly the same amount of luxuries, the players must be able to get compensation from their own image.

College athletics are facing a huge dilemma coming up, and in order to save the image of the NCAA, they need to make a decision as soon as possible. While players shouldn’t receive an annual salary, these athletes deserve every right to market themselves to the world.