The “students should be paid” debate is back. Here are a few more reasons why students getting paid for playing college sports is not a good idea.
Mark Emmert, president of the NCAA, spoke (again) about the issue with student-athletes getting paid to play sports. His take was that it would eliminate the less popular sports in favor of marquee sports like basketball and football. He also stated that due to Federal statutes you would have to pay female athletes as well as their male counterparts.
These arguments are correct, and very p.c. of Mr. Emmert, but they fail to address the heart of the matter–which is that these athletes are already getting compensated.
Note that I said compensated, and not paid. Compensation includes everything that these athletes get for their contributions, and it’s not inconsiderable. Student-athletes get a free education, which is invaluable in itself. They get a meal plan and free housing. They get free tutoring if they need it, and they get free textbooks.
I understand where the argument emanates–the NCAA’s revenue is close to $1 billion. That’s just good marketing. The NCAA has managed to build an empire around college sports, but that doesn’t mean that the students should expect to be on their payroll.
Less than ten percent of college athletes will make it to the pros, so why should they get paid in addition to the compensation package that their college has already given them?
If players have that much talent, they will get paid–in the professional leagues. Plus, for many of these kids, the college sports forum is a chance for them to showcase their talents to recruiters. For big-name sports–which are the ones we are talking about here–millions of people are tuning in to watch them play. It’s free marketing. Whether or not they capitalize on that marketing is up to them.
Next: NFL Draft: Ranking the 2018 Top Quarterbacks
Even if they don’t make it in the pros, they have a chance to graduate without the debt that most of their fellow students incur. Heck, that right there is worth the price of admission–I’m still paying on one of my loans.