Should NCAA Athletes Get Paid?
Drew Figg 3/21/24
Would you be excited if you got paid in college? Well a lot of college athletes are getting paid through N.I.L deals. N.I.L stands for Name, Image, and likeness. N.I.L deals are deals made with athletes and companies involving money. Right now NCAA athletes are getting paid for their names being used on TV, posters, signs and a lot more.
NIL started in July of 2021. The Washington Post states, “ NIL is why, immediately after Caitlin Clark broke the scoring record in women’s college basketball last week, Nike fired off social media posts, which doubled as ads, which were all part of a sponsorship deal that puts a significant amount of cash in Clark’s pocket.” Do you think the NIL is a good thing or a bad thing?
Some student athletes are staying in college all 4 years instead of leaving and declaring for the draft in their sport because good NCAA athletes can make more money their senior year than their rookie year in the pro leagues. Some people think this is a good thing because it rewards players for playing good and earning money, while some people think this is a bad thing because it just hands NCAA athletes money that is more than what a pro league hands out to their rookie players. CNBC states, “Clemson's preseason All-American signal caller Trevor Lawrence, would earn up to $2.4 million per season, on average. A star wide receiver would earn up to $1.3 million per year.” Rookie NFL players make a minimum of $750,000. This shows that NCAA athletes can make more than professional athletes in their rookie season.
In conclusion, NCAA players are getting paid through NIL. The best NCAA athletes today are making somewhere around 1 Million dollars a season, while rookies in the pros are making a minimum of 750k. Do you think this needs to stop? Do you think its a good thing? I think this is a bad thing because it hands money to players for their Name being used and more. NCAA players making money isnt a problem but in my opinion they shouldnt earn more than a pro in his first few years of playing. Let us know what you think in the Google Form below!