Analysis: Why College Athletes Should Not Be Paid

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College Athletes Should Not be Paid Professionals or Amateurs Collegiate athletes, though unquestionably talented, should not be paid because they are representing their school participating in extracurricular activities not professional sports. Professional athletes are career athletes whose salaries are based on their prowess in the sport they work in. Students do not receive a salary, they are not employees, Mitchell in Mitchell & Edelman (2013) states: “They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay tuition, fees, room and board, and other allowable expenses” (p. 17). Many college athletes are given scholarships to pay for their schooling to play for…show more content…
In addition to their college tuition, books, lodging and meals many college athletes also get clothing allowances, free medical and dental care, and educational assistance in the form of tutoring, instructional aids like computers and free transportation (Ford, 2011). Ford (2011): “As TSU Athletic Director Dr. Charles McClelland notes, athletic scholarships are not without economic value. He says the university spends $80,000 to $150,000 per student athlete” (p. 12). The cost of a sports scholarship is hefty, and athletes who accept these are expected to perform. New rules passed by the NCAA in 2014 will allow colleges to give an additional $2,000 to $5,000 to their athletes to pay for extras like trip to the movie theater and pay for post-season travel for the families (Gregory, 2014). With the average price of a college education in a moderately priced private institution being below $50,000 a year, these elite student athletes are receiving extra benefits and stipends valuing near dizzying amounts, while the average student who participates in an equally important extracurricular activity such as band, an equally if not more challenging activity receives nothing. Athletes are less academically inclined as
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