Draft 3

Shaqquan Aaron      

11/24/12

Draft 3 Paper 4

            I will be discussing about how college athletes do not get paid. This argument has been going on for a while. It has been going on for probably about the beginning of sports in the NCAA. Many athletes like myself feel like we should get paid and others do not because we get scholarship money. One of my main arguments on why I think athletes should get paid is the time commitment we put into the sport. Coaches of our require us to practice so much that we do not have time to do other things like having a job so we can make money for ourselves. Also there is so much wear and tear on the body. Why wear and tear on the body is big for me is because coaches get paid millions of dollars a year and are not close to having as much pressure on their bodies.  Also Athletics bring in substantial amounts of money to colleges. Why cant athletes at least get something if they do not want athletes to get paid? Athletes can’t even get a candy bar from someone without getting in trouble. We cant even sign jerseys and get paid for our own name. They will end up getting suspended or something for getting “special benefits”.

            There were times this year when I was low on money but there was no way for me to make some. The only money I had was from my mom and scholarship money for food. Thank god for that because if those were not sources for me I would be struggling. Also my coach demands his athletes to perform as hard as they can everyday causing tremendous wear and tear on the body. I would like to at least receive something since athletes can’t get paid. But the thing about that is what would we receive then. Extra food? I already get food. So the only thing that could really work in this situation is money right? What I am trying to say is what is the big problem with athletes getting paid?

            College athletes really have no time to for another job. Let me tell you an average day of a college basketball athlete, myself. The first thing I have on my schedule when I start is class at 9. That class goes till 9:50. Then I have study hall at 10 till about 11:30. They actually really want us to be in there 2 hours but sometimes I can’t. Then I have a practice for about 30 minutes. Right after that I have weights for about 20 to 25 minutes. Then as soon as that’s over I immediately have to run into the locker room and get dressed fast so I can get to my 1 o’clock class on time. Sometimes I have to run.  My one o’clock class lasts until 1:50. I have a 2:30 practice everyday so the only rest I really get is about 15 to 20 minutes in between. Basketball practice is always about 3 hours so practice does not end until around 6. Then my day is done, but actually it really isn’t. I still have to study for school. So where in the day of my college life can I actually have a full time job where I can make myself some money? There is no way in possible that could happen. And on top of that there are times where we have events or community service events we have to attend too. Oh and I almost forgot about the big days for us college athletes, game day. When there are days I have games there is no way in possible I can work. So why shouldn’t college athletes get paid? Shouldn’t we at least get a chance to at least make some money doing something since they do want to pay us?

            A lot of people think college athletes should not get paid. They all have their different reasons but some of the main reasons they have are that being able to be a student athlete at the collegian level is a privilege and that they get their college education paid for. They say that most Americans do not get the chance to attend college so student athletes should be grateful because of that. But I still think people are failing to realize how much college athletes are worth to these colleges even though they do make valid points. College athletes bring in money to the school every year. Also the coaches get paid tremendous amount of money. Shouldn’t the athletes at least get paid a little something? I mean don’t get me wrong the coaches do work hard everyday but at the end of the day it’s the players that are helping them get paid. If coaches don’t win games then they get fired and lose games. So they need players to help them succeed and get paid. There also a lot of wear and tear on the athletes bodies. They put so much time and dedication into their craft.