unit 8 - debate topic essay

Nicolas Guillen

English 2

5/9/22

Paying Student Athletes

The debate on whether or not student athletes should get paid or not has been going on for many years now. Should athletes get paid? the answer to that question is simply no. There are just way too many negative things that will impact the school, students and the athletes. Paying athletes will cause worse than good and they shouldn't change it now. Therefore, paying student athletes will lead to the cutting other programs, smaller schools will suffer, unequal pay amongst the athletes.

First, we will talk about the cutting of other programs if student athlete's get paid by their universities. According to Alexandria Laurence who is a student at Baylor claimed that "The smaller sports that do not generate enough revenue to sustain the program would definitely get cut." By paying top sport athletes millions of dollars can result in the suffering of other sport athletes that attend those same schools. It won't be fair if another athlete dedicates all their time and energy in a sport like swimming or volleyball just to have their entire program or sport cut. Every athlete in school deserves to be in a club or program that they enjoy a lot. I would be devasted if my sport got wiped out and that I had no chance to be a professional athlete because other student athletes in my school are getting paid for putting in the same effort as I would. This would cause so much more controversy and maybe even riots or protests from students which will cause school to lose money and lose students.

Next, we will talk about how smaller school will suffer from student athletes getting paid. Nick Canepa who is a sports columnist for the San Diego sports tribune stated that "If athletes are paid, the rich may not get significantly richer, but the poor will become poorer." Athletes getting paid is a burden for small schools. Smaller schools will have a much harder time recruiting the best players because they won't have as much of money as bigger teams to sign those players. By not signing good players those smaller schools might be pushed to extinction since they won't be generating any money at all. Paying college athletes will be very hard as there are just too many negatives that will cause too many problems. It's not fair that smaller schools won't be able to support their teams and the fans will also be disappointed every season because their team isn't as good as a top ranked team who will easily win every year.

Lastly, we will talk about the overall idea of the money aspect. According to Gregory Melick, "Paying the players would also encourage them to neglect their studies. There have been multiple instances where athletes are not held to the same academic standards of other students at the school." Gaining money and fame from sports those athletes will be distracted easily and will have a harder time focusing on their homework and tests. If student athletes are getting paid a lot of money, they won't care about getting a degree as they already have a lot of money saved up for their future. The athletes already earn scholarships and free school for playing sports which I believe is enough for them already. They are basically getting a free degree for doing something they love. Another controversy is that the pay won't be equal among the players. Some players will make triple the money then their teammates which can cause a lot of Lockeroom issues within the players. If student athletes get paid, then the cost of tuition will skyrocket as colleges will need more money in order to pay players. It won't be fair for students as many students won't be able to afford going to big schools as the tuition can be doubled which is just insane.

In conclusion, Student athletes should not get paid by their universities. Paying student athletes will lead to the cutting of other programs, smaller schools will suffer majorly and there would be too many money problems by paying student college athletes. Do you think college athletes should get paid?

Works Cited

-, A. L., By, -, & Laurence, A. (2021, September 1). Alexandra Laurence. The Baylor Lariat. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://baylorlariat.com/2021/08/31/student-athletes-shouldnt-be-paid-by-their-universities/#:~:text=If%20a%20university%20starts%20paying%20student-athletes%2C%20it%20could,to%20sustain%20the%20program%20would%20definitely%20get%20cut.?msclkid=16d050c1cffb11ec94a439e44191b382

Canepa, N. (2019, August 10). Column: Paying college athletes would shortchange smaller programs. Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sports-columnists/story/2019-08-10/canepa-sezme-paying-college-athletes-ncaa-emmert#:~:text=Column%3A%20Paying%20college%20athletes%20would%20shortchange%20smaller%20programs,significantly%20richer%2C%20but%20the%20poor%20will%20become%20poorer?msclkid=1a6337a8d00011ec9a4cf18c6f76f1c8

GREGORY MELICK | October 25. (2018, October 25). Opposing viewpoints: The problem with paying college athletes. Letter. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2018/10/the-problems-with-paying-student-athletes?msclkid=1ae82315d00411ec9a1c4534999cce92