Paying the "Players"

One of the most common discussions surrounding college athletes is compensation. These athletes sacrifice many hours of their time to become the best they can, but receive little compensation in return. According to this article from ESPN reporter Darren Rovell, NCAA revenues from college athletics topped one billion dollars in the 2016-2017 season. So why are these athletes still unpaid?

Closer to Home

In our state of Illinois a bill has been proposed to compensate athletes. According to this bill student athletes, would now become employees of the university, which would compensate the athlete at the minimum $25,000.

While on the surface this seems like a great way to give back to the player, it comes with some stipulations. The most important being that student athletes are now employees of the university, and their work hours are at the discretion of university. Now players are workers, does that mean in their down time they now become the janitor?

The second stipulation that makes an impact is payment. The bill states only members of the top three financially profitable athletic programs are paid. Football is obviously the biggest revenue generator at every school. A typical football roster has 53 players on it. Does this mean every player earns 25,000 dollars? How is that fair to the golf teams?

The Unseen Impact

What many people miss in this mess is the impact payment would have on a student athletes life. Most student athletes are unable to work due to the heavy scheduling that their sport demands.

These players are more than a figure head on a field. They are people, who have needs, wants, and desires. Payment would help accommodate all of those for the athletes, all it takes is a proper way to compensate these people.