Over decades, Division I athletes have been pouring their heart and soul into their sport they worked so hard for day after day, week after week. For years, athletes’ love of the game has got them to a university where they can showcase their ability and talent. When you are at the Division I level it is more or less a business, and your job is to bring in a profit for the university. A true athlete plays the game that their heart desires. In recent years, there has been a controversial question that lingers in every athlete’s mind: should students who play a sport get an extra benefit by being paid because they are a college athlete? In this paper I will discuss the effects of paying student athletes on the university and other athletes. Also, addressing issues such as the role the coaches play in deciding an athlete’s future.
All of us have had some kind of emotion after winning a big game. Nothing can ruin the joy and excitement; you are on top of the world. In these moments nothing matters but the win, no thought of money or revenue runs through your mind. “About two percent of high school athletes are awarded athletic scholarships to compete in college” (NCAA, 2011). It is a privilege to get the opportunity to play at the collegiate level, let alone be awarded an athletic scholarship. This opportunity should not be taken for granted. To play at the collegiate level is something all athletes dream of and for most, it is the highest level of competition. College athletics is based on heart, drive, and passion to succeed in the sport and in life. I, being a student-athlete myself, think that student-athletes should not be paid. The role the head coach plays during this process is probably the most important of all. Athlete’s look to their coaches as the temporary parent and will just about accept anything the coach say as the absolute final truth. But what happens when the coach has a very different motive than the athlete’s best interest? Who should the...