Should College Athletes be Paid?

By Jasper Townsend Class 707

While college athletes earn their schools millions of dollars a year, they are not 

given an actual paycheck. Instead they receive an academic scholarship, which pays for 

school, but not all living expenses, and this this has caused much debate between the 

NCAA and many college athletes across the nation. College sports is big business in 

the US and for all that these players do for their schools, they deserve some of these profits 

on top of their scholarships to ease the burden of daily living expenses.

One reason that college athletes should be paid is that many of them are living in 

poverty. According to www.ncpanow.org, “University of Texas football players’ fair 

market value was $513,922 but they lived $778 below the federal poverty line and had a 

$3,624 scholarship shortfall.” This shows that while they were generating money for 

their school and becoming stars, they were living under the poverty line. Another piece 

of evidence found by www.dailyfinance.com proves this point even further. “The report 

also found that the room-and-board provisions in a full scholarship leave 85% of players 

living on campus and 86% of players living off campus living below the federal poverty 

line.” This shows that athletes need paychecks so they are not living in poverty or at 

the very least, they should receive a stipend for living day to day. 

Another reason college athletes should be paid is that they do not have enough 

money for daily necessities. As said by www.theweek.com, “Because even full-ride 

athletic scholarships don't cover the full cost of attending school, athletes are often short 

a few thousand bucks for ancillary expenses on top of tuition, room and board, books, 

and fees: Money for gas, shampoo, and, yes, maybe a few beers.”  This quote shows that many 

students do not have enough money for basic objects and activities. In another source, 

www.dailycamera.com says “Miller, from Littleton, sympathizes with his out-of-state teammates 

who have to stretch their stipends even further to pay for flights home.” This shows that these 

players need to stretch their stipends so much thay even have to use it for airplane tickets to visit 

nephews.

Some may say that college athletes should not be paid because the athletes are 

not eligible for any other support. Students can be supported by their schools by 

receiving stipends. As said in an interview with Julian Hayes on the Hawks on 

www.usatoday.com, “There are simple things like gas money, toiletries, clothing — things that 

people take for granted. A student who is on an academic scholarship has time to bring in some 

extra income, whereas a full scholarship player most likely is not able to do that.” If the 

student receives a stipend, it is legal and helpful. 

College athletes should be paid living wages. Many of them are struggling to meet their 

daily needs, and these talented, young stars of tomorrow deserve better . They generate millions 

for their school, and  they deserve some of the profits.

Works Cited 

"Boulder DailyCamera.com: Colorado, News, Business, Sports, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information - Boulder Daily Camera." Boulder DailyCamera.com: Colorado, News, Business, Sports, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information - Boulder Daily Camera. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. <http://www.dailycamera.com/>. 

"DailyFinance." .com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/>. 

"Home | National College Players Association." Home | National College Players Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. <http://www.ncpanow.org/>. 

"USA TODAY: Latest World and US News." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/>. 

"The Week Magazine: Political News and Cartoons, Current Events and Entertainment Online." The Week. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. <http://www.theweek.com/>.