With the high-status profile student athletes are given playing sports in college, the question if they should be compensated for their competition has been an issue that still has yet to be agreed upon. The subject becomes difficult because college athletics is a multimillion-dollar industry with a heavy emphasis on recruiting the best and most talented athletes in the country. Along with that, star coaches in these college athletics programs often earn tremendous salaries and gain national fame.
When the question arises about colleges and universities paying student athletes, the question of companies being required to pay college athletes for capitalizing on their fame and public image also is raised.
Turning professional does not guarantee that athletes will be endorsed for their equipment and other expenses. What it means is that athletes will be paid to play for their time playing the game. Payment for actual game play is the fundamental difference between “professional” and “amateur” status according to the NCAA. Looking at professional athletes in this perspective, it’s clear that student athletes should not be paid any more than what is given in their scholarship to participate in any particular program.
The line becomes unclear when it comes to the world of endorsements and outside contracts. While these are related to the financial payoff from sports, it does not necessarily mean that companies like Nike are paying athletes to play. What they are paying for is the name to put on a shoe, jersey or T-shirt. Due to this power given to these big companies, it is obvious that they benefit from unpaid athletes. Many would argue that players do deserve some compensation for giving away their identities for profit.
Another concern is the potential for the gap between wealthy Division I schools whose athletic programs can afford the large salaries and tremendous benefits that the very best athletes demand and mid-major teams who simply cannot compete in that arena to widen if educational institutions are allowed to pay players.
This means that the best student athletes would be prompted to play for the teams who offered the largest sum while other competitors suffer because of the financial advantage of the other schools during recruitment.
Among the many concerns officials have about the subject, fans find that their greatest concern is whether the level of play would be hurt by outside endorsements. It could be looked at as motivation for students, just as scholarship money still motivates college athletes today. Nothing in the collegiate sporting world is for sure and many players thrive on that uncertainty. Scholarship money can be taken away with a career ending injury, poor play or off-field misconduct. Endorsements for pro athletes work in the same way.
Although athletes are important to colleges and universities across our nation, money should not be an incentive used in achieving a higher education for college athletes. However, should the NCAA overlook student pay but support the students who have become profitable marketing tools for corporations to gain their share of the gains?
