Discuss whether college athletes should be paid or not

With the ever increasing debate on the issue on whether college athletes have to be paid or not, many stipulating factors are ready to support and contradict the current scenario. Since the time NCCA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) has begun in the 1910s as supervisory power, it has rather developed into an institution which promotes business, journalism, industry and organized athletics on an extensive commercial basis till date. Such commercialism in the educational system is being questioned on various levels. So there are various notions for this issue which are discussed below as key points:

Athletes should be paid-

The scholarship does not completely serve even the basic living expenditure of an individual.

Many of the students who live below the poverty level gets scrutinized because they are not paid well for their positions on the team and the mere amount from the scholarship that they receive hardly covers thousands of dollars for unknown university fees tuition, housing, meal plan and expensive textbooks. For example, the scholarship given for an individual is about $25000, then it would cover only the basic expenditure and hence student has to seek for an extra job to earn the money.

No relaxation or extra time for any other leisure activities.

There is no time for relaxation as the student has to get his own earning. He is glued up with the balancing of his attending classes and the sports practice classes in a daily schedule. For an extra penny, the student has to work day and night and these troubles go unnoticed for he/she has to live an exhausted life without any leisure hours to spend. This does not allow the student to complete his degrees and also concentrate on his practice sessions.

Do not receive any extra bonus for getting to the playoffs, championships, or breaking school records.
The amount for each inter-collegial sports event earns an enormous amount which comes mainly from ticket sales, television rights, product endorsements and internet broadcasts.

Because the college athletes are bringing in huge amounts of revenue for the colleges, they should receive their rewarding compensation for their hard work and dedication. They are sacrificing their time and physical aspects for a goal just like a professional do in major events. These factors go unnoticed as it is a necessity not only to keep the competition healthier and also to encourage the students to graduate with satisfying degrees.

No insurance against injury or benefits received as a professional gets.

Even though there is medical attention for the athletes, there is no medical claim received if they undergo treatment due to severe injuries. These people struggle to make ends meet while these are not covered by the scholarships either. Many of the college athletes do not come from privileged backgrounds and hence their performance at their sport is one of the few chances which will enable them to grow their career. This has to be organized by the higher authorities by giving them an insurance coverage.

College athletes being a slave to the NCCA and the coaches

Currently, the NCCA is a billion dollar company which makes a profit amount of about $11 billion per year while an athlete cannot earn even $100 for his or her efforts for the game. Previously it started as a non-profit organization but now it has modernized to take full advantage of the new kinds of sports fan. Unfortunately, the vast revenue money taken in by the college athletics program does not benefit the universities or the athletes in return. NCCA coaches are rewarded very well as they earn an average of $1, 00,000 per year. The coaches in schools with massive sports programs are paid millions of dollars. The NCCA continues to endorse an amateurism concept in college athletics which counteracts the current scenario and the point is that a scholarship does not equally give cash in a player's pocket.

Athletes should not be paid-

Meaning of National Letter of Intent
When the athletes sign the National Letter of Intent, they are representing the university in exchange for a scholarship and therefore representing not as an individual name. Before signing, athletes should be aware that they cannot receive extra benefits from other organizations.

Leading to less interest in academics
When a college athlete starts to earn in terms of the championship he/she wins, they will concentrate more on the sports rather than the academics because they will get high pay in the former than the latter. This will invariably lead to low grades for the individual.

The steady development of professional career with no cost
The athletes still receive expert coaching that could lead to a professional career. For example, on-campus housing, access to state-of-the-art training facilities and professional development for absolutely no cost.