Please Don't Pay Collegiate Student Athletes

One of the hot topics right now in sports is whether college athletes should get paid or not. At one point in time, I though they should for many of the reasons that you hear. However, I have done a complete 180 and strongly feel that college athletes should not get paid.

Why?

First, they already get paid. They get paid in the form of college scholarships. A lot of times these scholarships are full rides to school meaning that they don’t need to apply for financial aid, they don’t have to get part time jobs, they don’t have to apply for scholarships. They are getting everything paid for. And once they graduate, they will have no debt to pay off unlike the majority of college graduates. I realize that most college athletes don’t go on to play professional sports so it’s unfair to say that they have millions of dollars waiting for them after college, but what these student athletes do have that many of us don’t is a balance of zero in the area of college loan debt which puts them far ahead of most of us.

Second, I don’t buy in to the fact that these colleges are making money off their star athletes. It’s true that last year college football fans went to see the likes of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford (before he was hurt) and that fans were buying these jerseys by the thousands. However, that does not mean that these players should be making money off of this. That money is going right back into the schools so that they can provide the best equipment, stadiums, workout facilities and all the other incentives that lured these players into playing at these schools. It’s not like these colleges have endless sources of income (like the New York Yankees). In this case you can use the saying that these players are going to make millions of dollars someday. This is their way of giving back to the school that is giving them a chance to prove their talents and abilities.

Third, and this argument may be a little weak, but I think it has some validity. I was recruited by UW-Eau Claire to play trombone. I was given a scholarship for both my academic achievements and my trombone playing ability. Throughout my career as a student at UWEC, I performed concerts, did recording sessions, toured many different high schools and communities and assisted with various events to help university recruitment. At no time was I paid for any of these situations nor should I have been. All these experiences helped build me into the type of person who was qualified to become a music teacher and a performer. The same could be said for somebody who becomes a math major and presents at conferences, competes in academic competitions and assists staff in recruitment. I realize that these comparisons may not be fair since neither bring in anywhere close to the amount of money that college football does. However, it is the same because college is a training ground for life, not an employment opportunity.

Finally, how is paying players going to solve the problem? No matter how much you pay them, they will want more and agents and runners for agents will continue to tempt them with more. I don’t see how any good can come from paying collegiate student athletes.

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