persuasive essay on why college athletes should be paid

Why Should College Athletes Be Paid, Essay Sample

One of the most pressing issues in college sports is the debate over whether or not college athletes should be paid. This topic has gained significant attention in recent years, with many arguing that it is only fair for college athletes to receive compensation for their hard work, dedication, and revenue-generating contributions. This free essay sample from Edusson will explore the various reasons why college athletes should be paid and will provide a comprehensive analysis of the issue.

Time Commitment and Workload

College athletes put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into their sport, often at the expense of their studies and personal life. As a student-athlete, I know firsthand the dedication it takes to balance academics and sports. We have rigorous practice schedules, intense training sessions, and games that require travel, leaving little time for anything else. Many athletes have to miss classes or sacrifice study time to attend competitions or travel with their teams. The workload of a college athlete can be overwhelming and can negatively impact their academic performance and mental health. Some may argue that athletes receive scholarships and other benefits, but these do not fully compensate for the amount of time and effort they put into their sport. Paying college athletes would help to alleviate some of the financial burden that many student-athletes face, while also compensating them for their time and workload.

Financial Struggles

As a student, I believe that college athletes should be paid for their hard work and dedication to their sports. One of the main reasons for this is the financial struggles that many college athletes face. These athletes come from low-income families and often struggle to make ends meet while attending college. They are unable to work part-time jobs to earn extra income due to the rigorous demands of their sport. This creates a challenging situation where they are unable to support themselves or their families financially. Paying college athletes would provide much-needed financial support and alleviate some of their financial struggles. This would allow them to focus on their studies and athletics without the added stress of financial instability. It would also give them the opportunity to contribute financially to their families, which many of them are unable to do currently. In short, paying college athletes would help alleviate the financial burdens they face and provide a fair compensation for their hard work and dedication to their sport.

Health and Safety Risks

As college athletes compete at a high level, they put their bodies on the line and are exposed to various health and safety risks. These athletes often play through injuries, which can exacerbate the severity of the injury, resulting in long-term physical damage. Therefore, it’s essential to consider the health and safety risks associated with college sports. Paying college athletes would acknowledge the risks that they take and provide a safety net if they get hurt. Furthermore, college athletes who are injured may not have access to the same level of healthcare as professional athletes. Paying them would help ensure they have the proper medical care and resources to recover from injuries. Moreover, paying college athletes could also incentivize schools to prioritize athlete safety and ensure that their health is a top priority. Overall, providing financial compensation to college athletes for the risks they take and the injuries they sustain is not only fair but also necessary for their wellbeing.

Revenue Generation

One of the main arguments in favor of paying college athletes is that they deserve to be compensated for their role in generating revenue for their universities and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). When fans attend a college sports event or purchase team merchandise, they are supporting the team and the entire athletic program. The athletes who are responsible for the success of these programs, however, do not receive any monetary compensation for their efforts. It is unfair that the NCAA and universities benefit from the work of college athletes without providing them with fair compensation. It is also worth noting that college sports have become a commercial enterprise, with the NCAA and universities treating them as such. Many top college sports programs generate millions of dollars in revenue every year, and the athletes who contribute to this success are essential to the financial health of their respective programs. However, athletes often struggle to make ends meet due to the demands of their sport, and they don’t have the time or resources to work part-time jobs to earn extra income.

Fairness and Equity

As college athletes put in countless hours of hard work and dedication to their respective sports, it’s only fair to compensate them for their efforts. However, one aspect that often goes unnoticed is the lack of rights and privileges that college athletes are subjected to, especially when it comes to earning money from their name, image, and likeness.

It is unfortunate that college athletes are the only ones on campus who are not allowed to monetize their skills and talents. This is in stark contrast to everyone else on campus, including musicians, artists, and actors, who can earn money from their talents while attending college. This discrepancy can cause a sense of injustice among college athletes who are forced to watch others monetize their talents while they are restricted from doing so.

In recent years, the issue of fairness and equity has gained considerable attention, and rightfully so. Paying college athletes would go a long way in promoting fairness and equity among all students. It would ensure that athletes have the same rights and opportunities as other students, allowing them to monetize their skills and talents just like everyone else. Additionally, paying college athletes would help eliminate the economic disparities that exist on campuses, especially among low-income athletes who may not have the financial support they need to sustain themselves.

Furthermore, paying college athletes would promote gender equality. Female athletes have historically been paid less than male athletes, even at the professional level. This inequality also extends to college sports, where female athletes often receive less funding and attention than their male counterparts. By paying college athletes, regardless of gender, colleges and universities would help bridge this gap and promote equality among all athletes.

In this table, we will outline some of the main reasons why college athletes should be paid.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Paying College Athletes — Should College Athletes Be Paid for Playing: Examining the Debate

Should College Athletes Be Paid for Playing: Examining The Debate

• Categories: Athletes Paying College Athletes

About this sample

Words: 711 |

Published: Sep 5, 2023

Words: 711 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Recognition of athletes' contributions, preserving the amateur spirit, exploitation and financial equity, maintaining the focus on education, conclusion: a complex issue.

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Should College Athletes Be Paid?

Example of introduction to essay on should college athletes be paid.

There are many debates about college athletes and reasons for paying or not paying them. Supporters of paying the athletes are convinced that college athletes deserve to be paid just like any other athlete because they are doing their professional tasks. There are also critics who state that college athletes should not get paid for the reason that their college sports life is a great practice for the future, but it should not be regarded as a work, but as an opportunity. Personally, I believe that college athletes have to be paid, because this way, it would be possible for them to focus on sports development instead of worrying about financial matters; moreover, college sports can be regarded as a first professional job that has to be paid accordingly.

Example of Body Paragraphs to Essay on Should College Athletes Be Paid

At the present moment, many people state that college athletes should not be paid since they already receive a scholarship (Prewitt). A lot of people defend such a position stating that paying money to college athletes would put other students in an unfair position (Block). Nevertheless, I would like to contradict such an opinion. It is true that college athletes are on scholarship. Nevertheless, it does not provide them with everything, and they often have to work in order to make extra money, which is needed (Hartnett). Hence, they end up studying, working as well as training; and that is an unfair position. Since they have to spend time working, they have less time training or studying, and the quality of these things may decrease. Thus, it is much smarter to pay college athletes so they would be able to focus on sports instead of wasting their energy on things, which are not connected to their future careers.

Also, college athletes bring a lot of revenues to their colleges, and that is why these people deserve compensation (Inside Story Team). It is only logical for people who do their professional job to get paid for it. After all, the scholarship is for people to train and study, but an actual salary could motivate sportsmen more. It is also important to mention that college sports are no longer about mere games between students. At the present moment, it is a huge business, which attracts a lot of advertisers, businesses, and, obviously, fans (Nocera). Thus, it has become a sphere with big money flowing around, and athletes are the ones attracting money. From this perspective, it is absolutely normal and even expected to pay people who bring the money in because, without them, there would be no finances.

I also view college athletes as professionals, and any professional deserves a salary for his or her work. Those who do great in sports should be rewarded for it with fixed payments. This way, college athletes would view sports as a responsible duty, which requires their professionalism and great work, but which would also be rewarded.

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Example of Conclusion to Essay on Should College Athletes Be Paid

Hence, I can say that I strongly support paying college athletes. It is difficult to imagine any modern college without athletes who are both entertaining the public, as well as are examples of how a person can control and train one’s body. I find college sports to be an irreplaceable part of college life, and college athletes are the ones who keep this part functioning. Thus, they have to receive financial incentives for that. Being a great sportsperson is a difficult task, which has to be rewarded, and it would also be very motivating for many athletes who are having a hard time combining physical training, college education, and a part-time job. Hence, it would simplify lives for athletes greatly, as well as contribute to better results shown by them.

Example of Annotated Bibliography to Essay on Should College Athletes Be Paid

• Source 1: Leavitt, P., (2014). Mesa’s Hokam Stadium ready for Oaklanda’s Arizona Publication

This publication gives detailed information on the importance of morale for college athletes who prepare themselves to become professional athletes and for the prospect of athletics. It relates directly to my research topic since the research topic on whether or not college athletes should be paid. It is important to consider that payment is a part of morale.

• Source 2: Fitzpatrick, F., (2011). Demographics may doom the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society Philadelphia Media Network (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

The article focuses on young athletes in Philadelphia and how happiness correlates with their athletics performance. The author implies that for a young person to advance, he or she needs to have motivation. Money paid to athletes could be one such motivator. He further illustrates that eliminating pay for college athletes may ruin the historical record of athletics in Philadelphia.

• Source 3: Eddie, C., (2015). Introduction to Intercollege Athletics Johns Hopkins University Press

This book addresses how rising income affects participation in athletics and sports as a career. It discusses the concept of complete value that predicts that extra income will increase long-term happiness. It is useful for this paper since it explains the shortcomings that can be brought by the elimination of payment in college athletes.

• Source 4: Difley, C., (2007). Tailteann Games Plays in History going for a Song The Irish Independent

The article concerns itself with the challenges facing the world of athletes after many sponsors, as well as institutions, eliminate the payment for college athletes. Although it is more detailed on the disadvantages of eliminating college athletes’ students, it is important since it sheds light on the other side of the story.

• Source 5: Gareth, A., (2013). London Marathon 2013 The Guardian

The author focuses on the participation of young people in the 2013 London marathon. He acknowledges that the number of young people who are participating in international athletic events is falling every year. The question of whether college athletes should be paid has demoralized many young people who want to concentrate on the other ways that can guarantee them a better future. Therefore, it addresses the importance of paying college athletes with the main idea of having a better future for athletics.

• Source 6: Geoff, G., (2007). Should College Students be paid? Green Haven Pres s

This is one of the most informative papers. It addresses the issue directly since it focuses on the research question providing guidelines of the advantages and the benefits that student-athletes enjoy.

• Source 7: Ronald, A., (2010). Pay for Play University of Illinois Press

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It is an article based on research conducted in a university by a professor intending to understand the impact of making arrangements for paying college athletes. The author concludes that a play is an appreciation of the hard work that college athletes do during training and for setting aside their free time in order to excel in the athletics career. Therefore, it implies that paying college athletes has an advantage in that it will attract many talented young people to join colleges and earn other social advantages.

• Source 8: Charles, T., (2011). Big Time Sports in American Universities Cambridge University Press

Sporting is one of the co-curriculum activities that help in the development of education. Charles argues that people should stop considering the sporting activity as only a co-curriculum activity that benefits students for preparing them for education. He proposes that it should be seen as a new path of life or a profession. Therefore, college athletes should be paid to encourage them to carry on with their dreams and become professional athletes who can become great Americans and make a living out of the athletics. He analyzes that the benefits of offering payment to college athletes are that they will be motivated and other potential athletes will be attracted to make utilize their talents.

• Source 9: Daniel, C., (2010). Managing Intercollege Athletics Holcomb Hathaway Publishers

Daniel illustrates that colleges serve as the best place where individuals can grow their talents or discover them. In his book, he argues that a failure to recognize a talent when a person is in college would mean ruining the life of an individual since most of the people can only excel in the areas that they are talented. Therefore, he advocates that college athletes should be paid as a way of encouraging all young people to bring out their talents and make use of them. In his article, he outlines that the world athletes are the best-paid individuals worldwide. He then calls for a necessity to pay college students who participate as athletes as a way of introducing them to a new way of life that can serve as an effective career. Among the benefits outlined in his book, he includes offering an opportunity to those athletes who come from a poor background and rely on sponsorships for education. He states that most of the talented athletes are from poor families and they can change their lifestyle if they can earn from their talents during college life.

• Source 10: Bernard, M., et al., (2014). Sports Marketing Human Kinetic Publisher

Bernard is one of the great researchers in marketing and sporting activities. He has conducted many studies on different topics related to sports. In the article, he illustrates that sports are among the most liked activities worldwide. Therefore, it is a field that has numerous advantages for talented individuals. Many products are promoted by athletes to achieve effective sales promotion. In relation to that, he feels that college athletes should be paid. It will attract many young people who have talents not only to become professional athletes but also to avoid dangerous practices such as drug abuse. He argues that athletics in colleges keep students busy, physically fit and refreshed. Therefore, those who actively participate in athletics while should be given a reward.

• Source 11: Howard, L., (2014). The Athletic Trap: How College Sports Corrupted the Academy Johns Hopkins University Press

Howard is a lecturer who has worked in many international universities. He wrote his article on the basis of his experience. He calls sports a poison for education. It is an important source for the research since it offers a wide variety of opinions considering that his view is that college athletes should not be paid. The source is useful for the research because it not only falls directly under the topic, but it also contradicts the other sources. It will make the paper unbiased because it presents the other side of the argument.

• Source12: John, U., (2013). Four & Long: The Fight for Soul of College Football Simon & Schuster publisher

The author of this paper agrees that world footballers are one of the best-paid individuals in the world. However, he argues that such talents must grow from a young age. To turn the dreams of college students to reality, students-athletes should be paid a little to enable them to afford the facilities they require for their exercise.

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