Should We Be Paid?

In my last post, we talked about what student-athletes go through in order to stay eligible and play the sport they love. But a very interesting and controversial question comes up when discussing student-athletes. And that is, should we be paid?

There are only two sides, yes or no. I’m going to break down the reasons people say no, the reasons people say yes, and then we’ll get to what I think.

The people who side with no, I understand why you say so. A lot of the arguments from this side of the spectrum are based on the fact that we signed up for this. We knew from the get-go what our bodies would go through and that it would be hard.

Another reason people don’t believe that we should be paid is that our schooling is already paid for. We don’t have to worry about tuition or books. We are also given a check every month that way we can pay our rent and for our food and gas. So the argument is that we actually are being paid, just not an actual salary that we can use to spend on anything.

Now for the yes side, I agree with the points that are made here as well.

When I’ve had these conversations with people, it’s mostly with other athletes, but many people outside of them agree as well. One of the main arguments that people on the yes side give is that we are put through strenuous amounts of work. As I described in my last post, we have to maintain a certain amount of hours in the classroom, a certain GPA and have to participate in practice and games.

The additional part of all of that work is the possibility of getting hurt.

The yes side argues that other athletes in the world get paid to play for others entertainment, and so do collegiate athletes. The only difference is the age and the level. So why not pay collegiate athletes?

Now, in my opinion, I definitely see the validity of both sides’ points. But, ultimately I agree with the yes side. And I’m not saying this because I just want all of this extra money to have to go shopping. But I agree that we work and push our bodies to a limit that not many others can say they have been pushed to. I am in the 1.2% of women that get to play Division 1 basketball. Not everyone gets to say that, and not everyone knows what it takes to get and stay here. The money would not only, for the lack of better words, “make up for” what our minds and bodies have been through, but also give us a good start if we do not pursue professional careers in our sports.

As unfortunate as it is, many kids in college pass by in school and get a degree that they don’t even know how to use because they focus so much on sports. The money could help them financially if they were struggling to find out what they are supposed to do with their degree.

Now I believe that if we were to get paid, then we shouldn’t just receive all of it in a check or cash. I think in order to make it fair and actually help us out, part of that money should be put in savings accounts that cannot be touched until we graduate from college. This would just ensure that we are actually using this money to help us in our futures.

I want to know what you think! Leave me a comment about what side you’re on and why. Can’t wait to see what you all have to say!