There's always going to be debate whether NCAA Division 1 athletes should get paid, specifically men's basketball and football players. It makes sense as to why these men should get paid because they bring in millions of dollars to their university whether it's in relation to ticket sales, donations, sponsors and or cable deals (Pappano). There are plenty of reasons why NCAA Division 1 athlete should and should not get paid during their college careers. Some reasons why student athletes should not get paid is because they never have in the past and college athletes need to maintain their "amateur status." Some believe if athletes were to get paid for their hardwork they won't be playing the game for the love of the game but for a paycheck (people have said that for years). Also, some would argue that student athletes do get paid in a sense through scholarships. Some in favor of paying Division 1 men basketball and football players would say these athletes earn to be compensated for their skills and the amount of revenue they bring to the University. Although some athletes earn scholarships it doesn't mean they're all on full rides. There's a budget and you have to divide that money up on who gets what/who needs what. I myself have 3 scholarships here at CU and 2 jobs and that's still not enough to make it through my college career. College athletes need to get paid because they do not have the extra time us regular students have to maintain 1,2,3 jobs at a time.
In my opinion, mens basketball and football athletes should get paid. NCAA Division 1 athletes spend countless hours in the gym, on the field, in the weight room, on the road and on top of all of that they are full-time students like the rest of us. However, these athletes who bring in millions to our universities can only have a part-time job during their off-season and just because it's called an "off-season" doesn't mean these men are not training to be better. They still have commitments to their team/sport. Any athlete that strives to be great and wants to make it to the league is doing more than what's required of them from their coaches. Besides, what company wants to hire a person who can only commit a day or two for a few hours here or there, it's not promising. So I say, why not pay our athletes? We can afford to pay our Division 1 athletes enough to get by through their college careers if we're signing coaches for millions. Paying athletes may even give them some incentive to stay in college and earn a degree. On the flip side-- athletes who have the opportunity to be drafted after their season ends may skip the degree because they cannot risk getting injured and missing their chance getting into the league, a lifelong dream for some.
At the same time I can see why some are against paying NCAA Division 1 athletes because they don't want to see a college trend to mock NBA or NFL athletes habits, attitudes or lifestyles. It's fair to give them some money if they don't necessarily have enough time to dedicate to a job outside of being a full-time student AND being a full-time Division 1 athlete AND they're bringing in millions where the University benefits. It's fair to give back just a little.
References
The Shame of College Sports and NYT_sport_economy
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