Why Should College Athletes Get Paid?

Who said that college sport is not a money-spinner? Advertisers and college administrators are raking in millions of money through college sports. People usually rush to invest in college sports, especially companies that wish to advertise their brands through sponsorship.

However, one may get tempted to believe that the students are also gaining financially from College sports. It might interest you to know that the students usually have no compensation for their college sports efforts. This sounds so awkward. 

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During my time in college, college administrators, students, and sponsors engaged in a series of debates as per whether college athletes should get paid or not. There is no doubt that students deserve a share in the profits; after all, they are the real people who promote the brands. 

Considering my college experiences, sacrifices, and efforts, the points below buttress why college athletes should get money for their energy. 

Time Spent in Training Is Comparable to a Full-time Job

Student-athletes work their hearts out to stay fit and focused. Of course, you will not make the team if you fail to maintain the required level of fitness and sharpness. As a result of this, we spent loads of hours in training and other games.

It was quite demanding as though we were engaged in a full-time job. We also needed time to read and complete assignments. In fact, without dedicating extra hours for studies, a college athlete will falter academically.

According to statistics, a regular college athlete spends a minimum of 40 hours in training, and this is virtually the same time spent in a full-time job. 

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There Will Be More Competitive If Money Is on the Table

As college athletes, we will put in our best if there is a guaranteed monetary gain. The thoughts of financial compensation would spur us up for better performances. Of course, if we get paid, we would be more motivated and less-anxious about our finances. More so, we would focus more on the games because of the less financial stress. 

Time Spent on Sports May Affect Academic Performances

To remain at the peak of performances, a college athlete must place sports at the zenith of priorities. As college athletes, we deprived ourselves of our study hours because of sports training.

We dedicated a few hours to our academics, and this was highly detrimental to our academic performances. Our future and prospects in life are in jeopardy all because of sports. I guess this is enough reason why college athletes should be paid. 

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Coaches Receive Fat Salaries

Sports coaches are paid even though they have assistants. In college sports, most of the coaches are physical education lecturers, and we watched with sadness how they were paid continuously for their commitments in the area of college sports.

This was a big cheat on us, the students who worked round the clock to achieve the results. Coaches carted home millions of money monthly, yet as college athletes, we earned nothing. This act is unfair, considering the enormous amount of money in circulation in the college sports sector. 

Income from College Sports Is Not Beneficial for the Students

Colleges are always on the prowl to remain at the top of the sports rankings, and they earn good revenue at the end of every tournament. However, these revenues are not beneficial to the students of the college.

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The taxes do not sponsor any research; neither are they invested in the university’s development. Instead, coaches’ and administrators’ salaries make up the bulk of expenses accrued from the earnings from sports. 

College Athletes Bear the Cost of Extra Expenses

During our college days, a higher percentage of college athletes were from poor homes, and we were on scholarships. Though the college-sponsored our tuition, accommodation, and other regular expenses, being a college athlete comes with lots of extra costs. We needed extra pocket money to cater for our needs during sporting outings: 

• We ate more than non-athlete students.
• We needed extra clothes and other essentials. 
• All the additional expenses were from our money. 

Come to think of it, do you expect these hapless college athletes to continue to wallow in this depressing situation? How long can they continue to foot the bills of these extra expenses from their money? It’s high time the sports administrators take a swift look into this and start making plans to pay college athletes. 

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Colleges Achieve Fame through Sports  

Sports achievements have massive positive impacts on the overall rating of a college. Sports victories quickly accelerate the victorious college to fame. Asides from the financial gain from the games, more athletes, academic, and sporting talents will be attracted to the college. The college will gain more recognition and may increase their tuition charges.

Salaries Will Boost Savings for the Future

Earning a monthly salary will help college athletes to save some money for the future. At least, we would have had something to show for the sacrifices. It is always very disheartening to see college athlete’s graduate with just a degree and nothing to bolster their sports sacrifices.

Our future in sports is not guaranteed, which left us on a very tough spot after graduation. 

Risks of Injury and Lengthy Absences from School

Engagements in sports have its fair share of risks. Injury is inevitable in games, and it is paramount for the students to gain some compensation for it. Yes, the sports unit of the college bears the financial burden in cases of injury.

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But the physiological and psychological damage that comes with the injury is taken by the students. The student may miss classes for long periods if the injury is serious. The mental challenges of college sports are massive, yet they are not ready to give a dime. 

Whether college athletes should be paid is a heated debate and is likely to linger for a long time. Imagine working six days a week, spending over 8 hours daily in training and practice, just for the bigwigs to be paid extravagantly.

College athletes attract lots of money for their colleges, yet they gain nothing. We had no other option than to train harder to remain at the peak of our performances; hence, we put our academic pursuits in jeopardy by dedicating more time for our sports training. 

This is a summary of the life of a college athlete. What’s your opinion about this? Do you think sports administrators should continue to enrich themselves from the energy of the students?

Or do you feel that the students should also get a fair share of the income? Kindly drop your opinion in the comment box. Thanks for reading.