Should College Athletes Get Paid?

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Should College Athletes Get Paid?
Introduction
The trend in modern sports today is a clear shift from the conventional fun and games into business and this trend is observable even in college sports. College sports, especially at the division 1 level has been a huge source of income for universities and over the years, athletes have been giving their best towards sports they have been working hard for on a daily basis (West Virginia University 1). Through the hard work and years of 100% input in training and output on the field, the athletes have displayed their abilities and talents in different sports that are now being recognized. Universities are receiving millions of dollars in form of ticket sales, sports merchandise, and television contracts among other revenue related benefits. However, looking at "student-athletes" a term coined by the National Collegiate Athletic Association they have been engaged in a long revenue controversy with universities and sports governing bodies. These athletes are given scholarships that cater for the tuition fee but at the same time, they have to work hard in class, practice, and during games. Therefore, there is no evident difference between them and other students, as they are required to pay for other necessities they require. This raises a critical question for all the bodies and individuals on whether there is a need to pay these college athletes that are already on scholarships CITATION Des13 \p 2-3 \l 1033 (Desrochers 2-3).
College athletes are already on scholarships and receive extra benefits from their universities. Therefore, in essence these students are already being paid for the services they are offering. The scholarships cover tuition, boarding, books, and food; therefore, they receive all they require. These students receive extra benefits, in addition, to the scholarships, for example, free tutors, trainers, coaches, equipment, facilities, and clothing. These benefits in some institutions add up to approximately $200,000 for the four-year period (Chamberlain and Dorsey 2).
In addition, prior to joining these institutions, the students are required to sign a letter of intent. This is an agreement that the athlete will offer his/her services in exchange of the scholarship and only the benefits contained in the contract, therefore, the athlete is aware of what is expected. Therefore, they agree and commit to represent the university and not themselves. These athletes hence represent the university in all capacities including the brands that sponsors them. Companies might be sponsoring the college but at the same time sponsor the athlete, therefore, receives merchandise for being part of the University’s team. These student athletes are reported to spend over 7 hours outside their scheduled practice. If these student demand to be paid, they raise the possibility of eliminating sports in some institutions as all universities ...