Although coaches get paid for their hard work and effort, college athletes aren’t compensated for their continuous work in daily practices and games. Student athletes spend hours of their time involved in their sport — usually missing classes and tests — just for practices, and deserve to be paid for their work.
Being a college student-athlete mirrors a full-time job, prioritizing sports over school and health. A 2015 Pacific-12 Conference study found that 80 percent of athletes said they missed a class for competition during the academic year. Additionally, 54 percent said they did not have enough time to study for crucial exams. Many cannot afford the luxury of having time to study, and consequently are unable to receive high grades. According to The Atlantic, the typical college football player spends 40 to 50 hours a week — more hours than the average American work week — on football-related activities virtually year round.
Furthermore, senior Washington State University golfer Derek Bayley said in The Daily Evergreen that he might miss a whole week of school for golf, and he often must choose between focusing on school, golf and sleep — without having enough time for all three.
The majority of students in the U.S. have student debt during and after college; According to CNBC, “the average student loan borrower has $37,172 in student debt.”
Some pay it back by taking side jobs and working extra hours during their four years, as well as working after college. However, college athletes are typically unable to work due to their rigorous practice and game schedules, and over their years as a student-athlete their debt accumulates, and without a job, they struggle to pay it off.
“Of the college players who get a concussion, 92 percent return to practice in fewer than seven days”
Worse, when injured, some athletes don’t receive treatment and go right back to practicing. Of the college players who get a concussion, 92 percent return to practice in fewer than seven days. Furthermore, 69 percent who experience loss of consciousness return to practice in that same time frame.
Paying college athletes is the only just way to compensate them for their work on the field. Not only will this will ready them for the real world, it will reimburse them for what they miss out on because of their dedication to being a student-athlete.
Although critics of a wage for athletes say that they get enough from scholarships, the stark reality is that student-athletes rarely get enough to cover their needs. According to Forbes, even though college sports programs produce a lot of revenue from season games, much of the revenue collected from college athletics stay “in the hands of a select few administrators, athletic directors, and coaches.”
Additionally, scholarships are rarely given out, as many schools have shifted to need-based financial aid. CBS News published that only two percent of high school athletes win sports scholarships every year at NCAA colleges and universities. As rent and tuition continue to rise, the other 98 percent of athletes don’t get enough in scholarships to cover their school textbooks, housing and meals.
It’s only just that college athletes get paid. The rising costs of being a student-athlete has long surpassed any scholarship compensation, and with pay, student-athletes can pay off their debt, afford living expenses and recuperate from sport-attained injuries.
