For the past five or ten years, there's been a controversial question going around: Should students who play a sport get paid as a reward for being a college athlete? The answer is no. Student athletes should not be paid because they already receive money in scholarships, they go to school to earn a degree and not to play sports, and that would totally defeat the purpose of going to school. College athletes should not be paid because it would ruin the amateurism of college sports and make young athletes spoiled for money. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay For the people who are in favor of paying college students, I understand your reasons behind this. Everyone wants to get paid, but that's not how the world works. Over the past decade, college sports has turned into a multibillion-dollar business, and many people think that everyone in the industry gets paid except the college athletes who produce the product on the field. However this is not true at all, most college athletes receive full scholarships to the college they attend, meaning they essentially go to school for free. Furthermore, college athletes are still students and should be treated like all other students. If they receive compensation for the sport they play, that will make them more valuable than other students on campus, which is never the goal. Paying college students would throw everything off balance and end up hurting universities across the country. On the other hand, one reason why college athletes shouldn't be paid is because it would eliminate the line between amateur and professional sports. According to the NCAA, college athletes currently do not get paid because it is still an amateur sport and if amateurs were compensated, it would eliminate the separation between the two leagues. It could also hurt athletes who don't enter the professional league because they would have fewer opportunities available to them. Adding to the problem, paying college athletes would affect the audiences and crowds the sport attracts. So many people enjoy college sports because the athletes play for the love of the game, not for the money. And what some people don't realize is that college athletes already get paid in the form of an academic or athletic scholarship. In the words of the NCAA, “It is important to clarify that while many rules promote amateurism, the specific scholarship rules are fundamentally still an economic relationship of providing labor in exchange for compensation. It is therefore legally correct to consider the receipt of the scholarship by the student-athlete as compensation." If you are a college athlete and have been awarded a scholarship, the college you are attending is already rewarding you for your talent. There is no reason why you should get paid for a sport if you are there to further your education and get a degree. If college athletes were paid, it would ruin the culture of college sports. College students love school sports because the athletes are still students. They are seen in classes and on campus and still live normal lives. Introducing money into the world of athletes would make them seem more important than everyone else at school and that's not the case. College athletes put in more time and have a larger workload than some students, but they are rewarded by receiving a scholarship and most likely going to school for free. College sports should be fun andfocused on the game, not the money. If an athlete gets paid, they will never understand the true meaning of working for something and will not understand the purpose of college sports. If college athletes were paid, teams would become unfair because “you will see bigger schools using (athlete payment) as a recruiting advantage” and thus ruining the culture of college sports. It is very difficult to earn a position on a college team, much less receive a full scholarship. Only about 7 percent of high school athletes progress to college-level sports, and only 2 percent of these athletes reach the division one level. This helps show how special it is to be a part of college athletics and how rare it is to not have to pay for college. Paying college athletes would put a spanner in the works and negatively affect many universities. To strengthen my point, college students should not be paid for receiving a free education at a high-quality university, where in other cases some students may not be able to do so. afford. And to put the icing on the cake, they will graduate with a bachelor's degree. In other words, these players are already paid through the scholarship they receive, awarded based on the player's talent and determined by the coach. Interviewing a reporter, they said: “They are students who receive access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay for tuition, fees, room and board, and other eligible expenses. Collegiate sports is not a career or profession. It is the vehicle for students to achieve a higher level of education” (Mitchell). On average, most universities charge 30,000 to 50,000 per year, with scholarships all covered and less stress for families and students. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay A student athlete's first priority is his education, and his second is sports; unlike professionals where they only focus on the sport they play. Having more students on their plate makes them more passionate about the sport because they play for the love of the sport and not for money. If the student athlete received compensation, his innocence would be taken away and he would no longer play for the same reasons. Just like everything in business, the money has to come from somewhere. So if athletes were paid, funding for academics would be reduced and universities would lose money. Ultimately, school athletic departments would become more of a business rather than a department designed to help athletes improve their skills both on the field and in the classroom. Scholarships are meant to be a way to provide education to students who cannot afford to attend colleges. If student athletes were allowed to receive compensation, this is what a scholarship would turn into. Simone Jacobs was a rower at Stanford University and during the interview she said: “They pay me because I have a scholarship. I get paid because I don't have to pay as much for my college education. If student-athletes were paid on top of their scholarships, universities across the country would no longer prioritize the quality of education offered, but would focus more on the business side of things. Ultimately, paying student athletes will have negative effects on both universities and students. Works CitedBranch, T. (2011). The Cartel: Inside the Rise and Impending Fall of the NCAA. By Taylor Branch. Byliner Inc. Edelman, M. J. (2017). It's time to pay the athletes.