College Athletes Should be Paid Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essa

College sports are big business. For many universities, the athletic program serves as a cash-generating machine. Exploited athletes generate millions of dollars for the NCAA and their schools, and never see a dime. In terms of profit, if all ties with the university were eliminated, an athletic program acting as its own separate entity could compete with some fortune 500 companies. So, why do the vital pieces of the machine, the players, fail to receive any compensation for their performance? The answer lies in the money-hungry NCAA and their practice of hoarding all the revenue. College athletes should receive payment for their play to make their college experience more bearable because they create huge profits and have no other way to earn money during the year. Most college athletes are not wealthy and among the many rules imposed for these privileged individuals, they are not permitted to carry jobs, receive money, rewards, or any type of kickbacks from any sources other than family. The NCAA does not allow their athletes to hold jobs because the job issue has ramifications on recruiting. The NCAA believes some schools would have an unfair recruiting advantage over other schools. That one school could offer a recruit a better job opportunity than another. There is an issue that jobs in different locations would pay athletes different salaries. Life wouldn't be so hard for many of the student-athletes if they were permitted to hold jobs. But the NCAA does not permit scholarship players to be employed during the school year. During the summer, these athletes are forced to train, practice, and compete in order to keep their roster position. This leaves little time to earn money. The lifestyle of... ...e that over the past 23 years, the NCAA's total revenues have increased almost 8,000 percent and the NCAA's $1.7 billion contract with CBS for rights to the NCAA Tournament is bigger than any single professional sports deal, with any network. The non-profit in this case pertains to the athletes. Though a college education is important, the goal of college is to prepare yourself for your future profession. Many college athletes plan to join the professional ranks after college. However, some are forced to leave college early or even forgo college altogether because of their need for money. With giving student-athletes a small salary, such as the $5.40 an hour national minimum wage, more athletes would not have to miss their chance of a college experience. These people are not greedy; they are looking out for themselves. And they could use a little help.