Should College Athletes Be Paid? Over the years a debate has been going on that deals with college athletes, and money. College athletes put it enough work for it to be considered a full time job but yet, they see no money coming their way after all that they bring into to their respective universities. College athletes should receive some type of payment because schools are using their product, and skills to benefit money, and enrollment wise while the players see nothing in return. Last season the NCAA made over $845 BILLION dollars in revenue from games, merchandise sales, television contracts, and ticket sales while the athletes who made that possible made a combined amount of $0 (Elite Daily). The Elite Daily put it the best when they said that the NCAA is a “corporation that makes tons of money and, oh yeah, they don’t have to pay their employees.” (Elite Daily) which if you are in the NCAA’s shoes sounds pretty like a pretty good deal. Imagine you have been given a job and you help bring in millions and billions of dollars to your company, and at the end of the year while they count their checks and drive off in hundred thousand dollar cars they bring you in and thank you for all the hard work that you did, but turn around and give you nothing. That does not exactly sound very fair does it? Well that is pretty much what the NCAA does to it’s student athletes every single year without even batting an eye. The NCAA is set to make around 11 billion dollars in TV deals just for March Madness between 2011 and 2024. That is 11 billion dollars for 3 weekends a year and not to mention that in football the NCAA just signed a $500 million contract with ESPN to carry college footballs BCS playoff games in the coming years (Michael Wilbon. "College Athletes Deserve to Be paid.") which is just for 5 games in a 2 week span. The NCAA is a money making machine and have pretty much unlimited funds but fail to see that their stubbornness and greed are ruining the sports that is giving them the majority of their money. Some would argue that today’s college basketball games are on the edge of being unwatchable because of sloppy play, bad fouls and just all around inexperience in the games. Why are there so many young, inexperienced players in these games? Because all of the quote on quote “best players” are leaving after just one season to go play professionally. Why are they leaving? To make money! Players have no reason to stay in college when millions of dollars are waiting for them 6 months down the road. Not only can they not receive any type of perk whatsoever in college they also cannot go out and get a real job during the offseason because “The NCAA is actually bold enough to restrict their athletes from having jobs or making money because they don’t want them cashing in on their performances in any way.” (Elite Daily “Athletes Should Be Paid”) Who is the NCAA to tell you that you cannot go out and earn any money? Not saying that college athletes should be paid millions of dollars to play but something has to be done, because if there is a reason to stay in college and play for 3 or even 4 years the quality of play would raise back up again because some of the better players would stay longer. Now for every story there is another side and in this case it would be the people who believe the athletes are already paid with all that they receive as athletes at their schools. Recently Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops came out and said that “players get plenty already” (Hayes, Matt. Sporting News “Players Get Plenty”) with scholarships, room and board, meals, clothes, and personal trainers. All of that is true, they do have special perks that no other student gets but that does not change the fact that it is not money in their pockets. Another one of the biggest arguments against paying college athletes is that you could not pay them all equally. While that is a good argument I would respond to