Why College Athletes Should Not Be Paid - Essay Example

Why College Athletes Should Not Be Paid Essay

Division 1 athletes have, in the past, devoted their time and resources to the sport by training hard. For an extended period, the love of the game has secured them places in their Universities of choice. In the universities, they have been provided with a platform to showcase their talent and abilities.

At these levels, the game is less of business, but a passion. The main aim of the athletes at this level is to excel. Excelling in any field triggers down to how devoted one is in participating and engaging in the field. Any athlete who desires to achieve his dreams is driven by passion, not money. Therefore, the success and achievements of any athlete have to come from his desire and urge to participate without external factors hindering his performance.

Recently, there has been a question running most of the minds of the athletes as to whether students engaging in the sport should be paid since they represent the college in athletics or not? Absolutely no. When you trace back at the benefits athletes receive, it does not make sense to paying the athletes whenever they play. Most college athletes are scholarship beneficiaries, and they should not be paid for participating in the game. These students sign the National intent letter, which first identifies them as students before being athletes.

Athletes benefit from scholarships since about 2 percent of University athletes are scholarship beneficiaries. Participating in college competitions is a privilege, and the athletes should play without questioning being paid. The fact that athletes are scholarships beneficiaries should not be taken for granted.

Being one of the highest competition levels, it is the dream of the athletes to participate in these levels. Therefore, the chance athletes get to participate in these levels should be highly appreciated. However, research conducted indicates that there is a two-way opinion regarding the perception of getting paid.

Some perceive that they ought to be paid, whereas others think of it as a bad idea. Paying athlete students can be disastrous not only to the institutions but also to the other athletes because the student-athletes are already benefiting from scholarships beneficiary, which is an indirect payment method.

A scholarship is inclusive of books, food, housing, and tuition. According to a published scholarship article by ncaa.org, a scholarship averages at over $100,000 per year. Besides, sportspeople get other benefits on top of scholarships such as free tutoring services, trainer benefits, free coaching services, complimentary facilities, and equipment.

According to some universities, the extra benefits gained by athletes sum up to over $200,000 for four academic years. If a rough calculation is done, then it is evident that sportsman-students pocket a sum of around $150,000 per annum.

When signing the National intent letter, the students agree that they are going to play for the university in exchange for the scholarships. Besides, these students are always aware that there are no extra benefits for representing the institution whatsoever. The national intent letter shows the students’ commitment to playing for the university and not for their interest.

Therefore, by representing the universities, the students are also representing the companies sponsoring their team and the institution. Hence, no extra payment should be requested since it is not indicated in the agreement.

Student-athlete spends more than seven hours weekly on their training. It is an equal measure to the other players who play in different games and may not be scholarship beneficiaries. In such cases, how can it be possible to determine whom to pay and whom to deny? If an institution is to pay athletes, this means that the institution will incur some extra charges by deducting team funds, which may render some games useless. It will leave some athletes with no game to play, which will be a waste of their hard work.

The main reason behind the establishment of universities is academics. Events and activities such as games are just meant to spice and beef up education. Putting into consideration the fact that institutions have come on board to sponsor several students to help play, the participants should highly appreciate the sport.

Therefore, the students who benefit should be glad and repay their faith in the university by performing well in the sport. The scholarships are not a guarantee since some institutions do not advocate for it. Hence all participants play out of a free will. The fact that one gets academic sports scholarship should not be taken for granted but appreciated by the beneficiaries. The reason that there are scholarships online is clear proof that students’ athletes should not be paid for participating or representing the university.

Besides, the reason why college athletes should not be paid essay is:

• When signing the National intent letter, you consent to the fact that you are first students before being athletes, and hence you should play without asking for an extra payment.
• A university is not a business center, and hence no one has the right to be paid just because of representing the university in the sport. Take an example of a case whereby all the students get paid for representing the university. The universities can run bankrupt in less than a month. Therefore, athlete students should appreciate the platform given to them to showcase their talent and ability.

Taking a look at most of the professional athletes, almost all once participated in college games before being spotted by potential sponsors. Therefore, the athlete students should repay the platform given to them by representing the institution to the best of their ability. Also, the students should note that they are in Universities to study not to make money and profit and hence stick to their course. Therefore, if you are passionate about the sport, you will play without asking for extra payments.

Passion is a driving force towards success. Despite the absence of a scholarship and extra participation payment, that should not hinder one from excelling both in games and academics. Before engaging in the activities, it is crucial to put into consideration the force pushing you to play the sport since it is far much important than the game itself. Excelling in something you are not passionate about is next to impossible.

Research has shown that excellent game participants are huge lovers of the game, and their passion has triggered their excellence. It should be the same case with athlete students. Play the sport because you love it, and you are passionate about it, not because participating will earn you extra benefits. Besides, competing is a way of appreciating the institution for the scholarships you have been offered as an athlete. Therefore, it is clear that no one should be paid for representing their institution by play.