In today’s world, college athletes may not play a sport for “the love of the game” instead; they may play with the hopes of making it as a professional athlete. While “the love of the game” feeling may have gotten an athlete to a Division I school to play and the chance to display their talent; at the Division I level, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) see sports strictly as a business. Over the past few months, college athletes have started to come forward claiming that they feel they should be rewarded for being one of the main sources of profit for their university. Many people believe that college athletes should not be paid due to the fact they are receiving a free education; however, college athletes may have expenses that their scholarships or grants may not cover, and being paid for what they are good at may help them cover the differences. One reason college athletes should be able to receive compensation for their talent is it would significantly decrease media scandals that are brought to the public’s attention.
Time after time, the NCAA has had difficutly coving up improper benefit scandals that appear in the news: “In 2010, the NCAA sanctioned the University of Southern California after determining that star running back Reggie Bush and his family had received ‘improper benefits’ while he played for the Trojans. … The Bowl Championship Series stripped USC of its 2004 national title, and Bush returned the Heisman Trophy he had won in 2005” (Branch). Some fans were disappointed to find out the University of Southern California was stripped of their 2004 National Championship title because one player received improper benefits while playing on the team that season. In another case, the University of O.
References:
- Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .
- Peterson, Kristina. “After Injuries, College Athletes Are Often Left to Pay the Bills.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 July 2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. .
- Rick Reilly. “Not a Good Sign.” ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. < http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9567169/rick-reilly-ncaa-autographs >.
- Walsh, Meghan. “‘I Trusted ‘Em’: When NCAA Schools Abandon Their Injured Athletes.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 May 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
