College Athletes Should Not Be Paid

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Student athletes work very hard at their sports but they also are highly benefited for being a part of the teams. In the article, “Should College Athletes Be Paid?”, both Joe Nocera and Bob Williams have very different opinions. Although players put many hours a week into their sports, college athletes should not be paid because it could prevent them from learning life skills, and they receive scholarships to play. Due to athletic activities, college athletes hardly have any time to do much of anything such as school work, or maintaining a social life. Joe Nocera says that, “...they put in 50 hours a week on their sport...” (22), so someone who puts in that much time and effort should be rewarded with a paycheck. Not only that but they should also be paid because the athletic programs and the athletes are a large source of revenue for the …show more content…
Athletic individuals have an advantage over others because they have the opportunity to go to college solely based on their athletic capabilities. “Among NCAA student athletes, 15 percent say they wouldn’t even be in college without their sport.” (Williams 23). Their college educations are made possible by the NCAA and athletic scholarships. On top of that, when college athletes finish school they are not burdened with student loans and debts, unlike other students who did not receive scholarships. Student athletes are paid with and education rather than with a paycheck, which is much more beneficial in the long run. College athletes receive many perks just for being a part of a sports team. So it is clear that although they put nearly 50 hours each week into their sport, college athletes should not be paid for two main reasons. First, being paid could prohibit them from learning life skills. But most importantly, they are granted college scholarships to further their educations in