ARGUMENTS ON WHY COLLEGE ATHLETES SHOULD BE PAID

Coming up with a good quality argumentative essay is not easy, especially if it is your first attempt. To put your worries at ease, we at AdvancedWriters are providing you with a well-written sample essay that is well researched and detailed. The topic is an argument on why college athletes should be paid.

College sports is something that is very popular in America with sports like football and basketball being televised and drawing in huge crowds. This is something that brings in a lot of money for television networks. Over the years, there have been plenty of debates on whether college athletes should be paid when they play or not because of how valuable their teams are. Below is a list of valuable college football teams. 

CF.jpg

Source https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2018/09/11/college-footballs-most-valuable-teams/amp/

There are two main reasons why college athletes should be paid. The first reason is college athletes put their bodies on the line and risk injury to entertain people. College athletes are young and full of enthusiasm and this makes the games very competitive because they play with heart and passion. While this is something admirable, football and basketball are contact sports. Many college students do suffer serious injuries, and some can be career-ending.

This can put their scholarship aspiration to a complete stop because they have put their bodies on the line and not being paid for it. Serious injuries to the knee, for example, can leave someone crippled for life. A concussion, for example, can cause serious brain damage, depression, and even dementia at a very young age. Since there are serious health risks when college athletes train and play on game day, they deserve to be paid.

The second reason why college athletes should be paid is college sports games bring in a lot of money.  Below is a diagram which shows the average revenue for schools by sports.

CF1.jpg

https://amp.businessinsider.com/college-sports-revenue-2016-10

There is no doubt that a lot of money is made from college, but many believe that paying the athletes will make them become complacent and make it less competitive. Instead of playing for pride, college athletes might start playing for a paycheque. Fans love to see the passion and feel the money will ruin that, but this is not true.

Many major corporations in America are making millions off college athletes by asking them to wear their brands without pay during games. These players feel used by these corporations, and no one can blame them for feeling that way. Stopping them from being paid is a way to make sure that purity is preserved, and it remains competitive.

The third reason why college athletes should be paid is it makes them fitter and healthier. When students are earning while they play, they will not need to look for part-time employment to support themselves. This lets them focus more on education and getting better marks, which is good for the school they are attending.

The fourth reason why college athletes should be paid is the funds can provide relief to families that are struggling financially. Not all students come from families that are financially well off. On top of paying for their child’s tuition, they need to buy sports gear for them to play in. A family might sometimes have to rely on loans just to get their child through college. When a college athlete is paid, they can ease some of the financial burdens on their family and pay for their own tuition and up keeping rather than rely on their family.

The last reason why student college athletes should be paid is it motivates them to play. Many college athletes never make it as professionals in their respective sports. In fact, only 2% of college athletes end up making a career in the sport they are playing in. This is because they prefer to become a pro in the field they are studying as play for their college team to socialize and be fit. 

Overall giving students a huge amount of money while they are not ready for it is not a good idea as they can be targeted by predators who want to use them for their money. No one wants to be a victim of fraud, but since college students can sometimes be naive, they can leave themselves exposed to people who do not have their best interests at heart. On the other hand, not being paid while you are doing a job is wrong. Everyone deserves to be paid for a job, especially one that has serious health risks like basketball and football. Some of the money a student might earn if paid can be used to pay for the best medical treatment when they suffer serious injuries.

References:

  • CollegeXpress Student Writer (2017) Should College Student-Athletes Be Paid? Both Sides of the Debate. [Online] Available at https://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/athletics/blog/should-college-student-athletes-be-paid-both-sides-debate/ [Assessed on 01 Dec 2019]

  • Abigail Hess (2019)Majority of college students say student-athletes should be paid, survey finds [Online] Available at:https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/11/student-athletes-should-get-paid-college-students-say.html [Assessed on 01 Dec 2019]

  • Chris Smith (2018) College Football's Most Valuable Teams: Texas A&M Jumps To No. 1 [Online] Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2018/09/11/college-footballs-most-valuable-teams/amp/ [Assessed on 01 Dec 2019]

  • The perspective (2019) Three Reasons Why College Athletes Should Get Paid [Online] Available at https://www.theperspective.com/debates/sports/college-athletes-get-paid/ [Assessed on 02 Dec 2019]

  • Times Staff (2019) College athletes should be paid[Online] Available at https://sjcctimes.com/12832/sports/college-athletes-should-be-paid/[Assessed on 02 Dec 2019]

  • Editor in chief (2019) 14 Should College Athletes Be Paid Pros and Cons [Online] Available at:https://vittana.org/14-should-college-athletes-be-paid-pros-and-cons [Assessed on 01 Dec 2019]

  • Steve Cameron (2019) The NCAA brings in $1 billion a year — here's why it refuses to pay its college athletes [Online] Available at:https://www.businessinsider.com/ncaa-college-athletes-march-madness-basketball-football-sports-not-paid-2019-3 [Assessed on 02 Dec 2019]

  • Cork Gaines (2016) The average college football team makes more money than the next 25 college sports combined [Online] Available at:https://amp.businessinsider.com/college-sports-revenue-2016-10 [Assessed on 02 Dec 2019]

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.