NCAA: Why Student Athletes Should Be Paid for Achievements in College

A deep-rooted issue in student athletics was spotlighted in the Fab Five documentary aired on ESPN that has proved to be ever going as the popularity of the college game skyrockets. Players are beginning to feel taken advantage of because, to be frank, everyone else is getting paid.

The announcers are getting paid and the coaches are being tossed tremendous amounts of money to guide these young men to their ultimate athletic achievements.

Why shouldn’t they be paid?

We, sports lovers or not, are so intrigued with the thought of these young men putting their hearts into every stride in a game due to their love for it. There is such a focus on prohibiting them from being rewarded too much for their successes that it blinds everyone to how much they actually deserve.

When some of these players make their debuts onto campus courts and perform beyond what analysts and fans expected of them, universities benefit from their efforts. Athletes like Terrelle Pryor, who were penalized for trying to use their “celebrity” to assist their families, should not have to make the choice to either pursue their dreams or help their relatives survive. 

As much as the one-and-done trend may bother former players and coaches, the great achievers of college sports do not always make an exit right after their freshman year. Some evaluate their lives at and away from school to make the ultimate decision of whether they would like to continue their college careers or not.

I do believe we all would see a dramatic drop in the freshman exit and an increase in the seasoned talent pool if there was some type of assistance and/or incentive to remain.

Jemele Hill, a respected ESPN columnist, suggested on Twitter that the student athletes should be compensated by the NCAA setting up an escrow account with money they generate via licensing.

That way, instead of having to decide between the board on who gets what, the market will decide the proper distribution of monies for each student athlete, just as it is done in the professional league.

The NCAA could also pay the players based on their merit and performance in the game. This way the financial situation would not turn into a popularity contest. However, harder work ethic would be rewarded and student athletes who are maybe riding off of their stardom that preceded them in high school would be motivated to provide a better showcase of their contribution to the craft.

Another stipulation that could be placed on paying students; this way, it could be that their grade point average stays above a 2.7 -3.0—whichever the NCAA feels most appropriate. This would promote more academic excellence whereas most schools reward athletes for their athletic standing and turn the cheek when observing and evaluating how they are doing in classes.

It provides an atmosphere of achievement in both fields which should be the goal of the NCAA in the first place.

Many critics may say that paying students active in college sports would take away the value of the professional league, or take away the true meaning of the term student athlete. But, with so many people complaining about the quality of the game and kid’s lack of consideration for their education, these are a couple of solutions that can be explored in order to improve upon some very ancient NCAA rules.

The nature of the game is changing and so are the stars being catapulted forward by it. If the NCAA does not find a way to keep up and stay in control of the crowd, there will be a complete obliteration of university level sports competition. Complete.