Should college athletes be paid?

[Dave]

As the debate over whether college athletes should be paid continues, it's clear that there are strong arguments on both sides of the issue. While some argue that college athletes should receive compensation for their contributions to their schools' athletic programs, others believe that such compensation would undermine the spirit of amateur athletics and the value of a college education. So, which side of the argument do you fall on?

On the one hand, it's easy to see why some people believe that college athletes should be paid. After all, these students work incredibly hard to represent their schools on the field or court, often sacrificing their own health and well-being in the process. In many cases, they bring in significant revenue for their universities through ticket sales, merchandise, and advertising deals. Given these contributions, it seems only fair that they should receive some form of compensation.

On the other hand, there are also compelling arguments against paying college athletes. Some worry that doing so would undermine the amateur nature of college sports, making it more difficult to distinguish them from professional leagues. Others worry that paying athletes would create unfair disparities between schools, as only the wealthiest programs would be able to afford to compensate their athletes adequately. And some argue that the value of a college education should be considered compensation in itself, as it provides athletes with valuable skills and opportunities that they might not otherwise have access to.

So, where do you stand on this issue? Do you believe that college athletes should be paid, or do you think that such compensation would undermine the value of amateur sports and the college experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and let's continue this important conversation.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I think they should be paid, and a cap should be placed on how much a school can spend on their Athletics program, with excess going to funding the rest of the school.

 

[MindDetective]

I don't know enough to state an informed opinion. So here goes an uninformed one: How about students get a cut of the merchandise sold with their name/team on it?

 

[Tress]

I don't know enough to state an informed opinion. So here goes an uninformed one: How about students get a cut of the merchandise sold with their name/team on it?

This, and advertising rights. Students should be able to use their likeness to endorse products/services.

Don't pay them, but let them profit if they can. And if a student is undergoing financial hardship due to the fact that they can't do a sport AND work (which is a real concern), the college should look into providing assistance in some way. Maybe provide housing and food for all college athletes who request it?

 

[Sara_2814]

It stopped being amateur when the NCAA, universities, and media companies started raking in the big bucks. It's professional sport using slave labor. I'm sure that if they were paid, it would be for as little as possible so as to not cut into the NCAA's profits preserve the "amateur" status.

This is kind of old, but I don't think anything has really changed since 2015:

 

[Celt Z]

While I certainly think these athletes are doing the level of play as a professional and should be compensated, my main concern is WHERE the compensation is going to come from. College tuition is already inflated, and I'm worried the cost is going to fall on the students who are there for academic reasons. Also, this may cause cuts to athletic programs and schools that can't keep up with the costs. It's already an issue at many schools that general money is taken away from educational programs and pumped into sports.

 

[@Li3n]

The programs already make the universities money, don't they ?

It's how they pay coaches so much.

Just give them a % of revenue.

 

[Bubble181]

The whole system as I understand it - which is admittedly fairly little and based mostly on TV shows episodes, a couple of documentaries, and John Oliver - seems exploitative and based on semi-voluntary indentured servitude.
Allowing the athletes to be paid or not, but otherwise not fundamentally changing the system, both seem like non-solutions to the deeper problems underpinning it.

 

[@Li3n]

Well, it would solve the "semi-voluntary indentured servitude " part...

 

[Dave]

By the way, this was an experiment. The subject and post were written by AI.

The other choice was gun control but we’ve done that one to death.

For my own part I think it’s a good thing since the universities make a shit ton of money off of the players’ likenesses and merchandise.

 

[GasBandit]

I agree with the sentiment that collegiate sports are no longer amateur. They're just the minor leagues for the NFL and NBA. Universities are recruiting potential students not for their academic potential or prowess, but their athletic ability. To quote an internet meme, a great many of them are no longer institutions of learning, but just sports franchises with an education side hustle.

So yes, collegiate athletes absolutely deserve monetary compensation.

 

[Bubble181]

By the way, this was an experiment. The subject and post were written by AI.

I'm not at all surprised, the tone didn't quite sound like you but I wasn't entirely sure.

 

[Dave]

I'm not at all surprised, the tone didn't quite sound like you but I wasn't entirely sure.

That last paragraph is what I figured would give it away.

 

[blotsfan]

Obviously they should. But humorously enough, while some athletes have been making huge money from being allowed to do endorsements and whatnot, the biggest earners aren’t the NFL and NBA stars of tomorrow (not that they aren’t doing well). They’re the super-hot volleyball and gymnastics athletes who are now able to monetize their extremely popular instagrams and TikTok’s.

 

[Dave]

Obviously they should. But humorously enough, while some athletes have been making huge money from being allowed to do endorsements and whatnot, the biggest earners aren’t the NFL and NBA stars of tomorrow (not that they aren’t doing well). They’re the super-hot volleyball and gymnastics athletes who are now able to monetize their extremely popular instagrams and TikTok’s.

Just look at that girl from LSU. She’s making bank on her platforms. Good for her!

 

[PatrThom]

In all seriousness, if a college is making money off its athletes, then those athletes deserve a cut.
Probably a larger cut than the college would be willing to give, too. Like, I'm thinking a 50/50 split would be the starting point.
And for those people who say, "But splitting it 50/50 would give college athletes waaaaaay too much money!" I will reply, "Then perhaps the amount the college is making off them is waaaaay too much money."

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

If it's more money than the athletes need, it's definitely more money than the coaches and administrators need.

 

[sixpackshaker]

Generally, the education, and room and board should be enough. But the kids need some spending money so they can eat off campus at least three times a week, pay for laundry, and drive home to see mom a couple times a year.

I say this because my brother played college football at a small school.

 

[Dave]

Generally, the education, and room and board should be enough. But the kids need some spending money so they can eat off campus at least three times a week, pay for laundry, and drive home to see mom a couple times a year.

I say this because my brother played college football at a small school.

You know that's a thing a lot of people don't know about. If you are a scholarship athlete the NCAA bans you from getting a job. You can have 0 income while you are a scholarship athlete under current rules. How is that sustainable?

 

[sixpackshaker]

One of my favorite corrupt college athletics stories goes...

My brother was a local kid on a Junior College team. The coaches tasked him with entertaining the kids from out of town. They would give him $300 to take a homesick kid out for the night. The coaches were expecting fine dining and nightclubs. But the kids wanted KFC, and my bro would take them out to the local mega brewery for free beers for the football players. Then he would take them to a disco/honkey tonk. My bro would profit around $200 each time he took them out.

 

[blotsfan]

Comparing whether athletes should be paid at JuCos where the coaches usually make 5 figures and the teams are money-losing enterprises is and at D1 schools that can bring in 50-100 million a year is ridiculous.