Lets Change College Sports Essays - Youth, Student Athlete

Lets Change College Sports There is not a better feeling in the world to an athlete than suiting up for a game and playing their heart out. Being an athlete involves strength, stamina, critical thinking, and a passion for the sport they are playing. Colleges offer many sports that range anywhere from Rowing and Polo to Football and Baseball. College sports have gained a lot of attention over the years due to the athlete's passion and desire to be involved in sports. Being nationally televised and making it to big tournaments can provide funds to colleges and universities, that they can respectfully cash in. While these funds provided by tournaments and bowl games are a strong advantage for the schools, athletes gain no income from their hard work and natural abilities. It is not fair that athletes do not receive any benefits for their countless hours and dedication they put into sports. Therefore, college athletes should be paid for their duties. Being an athlete and a college student can be difficult to juggle and balance. Many times being an athlete conflicts with the scheduling of classes." Athletes don't have have free choice of what major they take if the classes conflict with their practice schedules"(qtd. Cooper 1 ). By eliminating a large chunk of an athlete's free time, and expecting the athlete to be fully dedicated to that team, there needs to be some sort of reward in return for this loyalty and dedication. Jobs use this same tactic by providing their employees with pay checks in order to get necessary work done. Since athletes are providing work, like in a job, they should be paid, like a job. Athletes experience a lot of struggles in their college careers. According to Robert McCormick, who was an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board under President Jimmy Carter, stated, " There are more demands put on these young men than any employee of the university" (qtd. in Cooper 1). Robert McCormick said it be st without having to go into detail of the grueling practices, and time consuming homework assignments that affect these young players. With all this work being done, student athletes cant help but to feel, " somethings gotta give." These athletes more than work for or earn their pay. Student athletes not only have the pressure of being successful in sports, but also in their studies. To be part of the team, must maintain certain grades and show up to every practice for multiple hours. The stress these athletes go through is enough to make any person want to give up. Colleges and sports programs can greatly benefit from sports. Because colleges and sports programs benefit from the work the athletes do, many athletes feel they should be rewarded. Sports programs make extreme revenues due to certain players, and the work they do. " The NCAA reported $ 871.6 million in revenue for the 2011-2012 academic year." (Tarbush 1). Without players working hard to boost college athletic programs, the programs would not be able to manage this type of income. Athletes should be rewarded with an income as well since everyone else benefits from their talents. Not only networks but also the college receive revenue generated from college sports. " College football and men's basketball generate revenues of more than 6 billion every year ." (Bagaria, Akash, Birkenes 1). If schools are making this type of money from their athletes, there is no reason the athletes cannot make something from the college or university. Colleges and universities not only benefit from the games but also from the players themselves. By placing the numbers on jerseys and hats, colleges are able to sell highly popular merchandise to the fans. If a player's talents are good enough to entice the fans to spend tremendous amounts of money, then the colleges and/or universities should be willing to reward the player with some sum of money. College athletes may bring in tremendous amounts of money for their schools, but they are under appreciated and treated unfairly. Athletes feel mistreated because they provide a service that is in high demand for no pay. According to, Andrew Zimbalist, an Economist, " No other industry in the United States manages not