Is it ethical for college athletes to get paid? (Research Paper Sample)

Is it ethical for college athletes to get paid? Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Professor’s Name Course Date Is it ethical for college athletes to get paid? Colleges in the United States allow students to play different sporting games and receive scholarships. Over 50,000 students advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships annually, engaging in competition in over 80 national championships. Based on its rule, the NCAA does not make any payments and prohibits athletes from accepting any outside payment or contracts that enable them to benefit financially from their association with sports. The main reason provided by the NCAA for the prohibition is the preservation of “amateurism,” a concept establishing that college athletes are not professionals and do not need compensation (Mint, 2017). The lack of payment has resulted in a prolonged debate as those supporting the NCAA’s decision claim that the athletes are still amateurs and paying them would distract their studying. In contrast, those against the decision argue that failing to pay athletes for their sports activities is unethical and exploitative. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA regulations limiting athletes’ payment are reasonably unnecessary to differentiate between college and professional sports, allowing athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (Creef, 2021). Based on the evidence reviewed, it is ethical for college athletes to get paid because they help generate increased revenues for the NCAA and colleges; they use their efforts and hard work that should be compensated. The current process facilitates double standards on payments and professionalism, allowing athletes to earn as professionals. It is ethical for college athletes to get payments because their sports generate increased revenue for the NCAA and colleges. One argument against the compensation of college players is that they are compensated through free scholarships, which should be enough because they can develop their careers as they engage in sports (Wojtys, 2016). Nevertheless, the money generated through the students’ efforts is enough to pay for their scholarships and compensate for their efforts. University sports are multimillion-dollar businesses surpassing academic departments’ resource generation (Wojtys, 2016). Reports evaluating the size, scope, and nature of the college sports industry established that the programs generate an increased amount, such as $14 billion in 2018, money generated through ticket sales, television contracts, merchandise sales, and gear deals (Mint, 2021). The money is also generated through sports advertisements that usually include college students playing on the field. Only 12% of the funds generated from the industry is directed to athlete grants, while 16% is used to pay the coaches’ salaries (Mint, 2021). The industry and its professionals benefit financially from the players, while the athletes’ compensation only entails free education without considering their daily financial needs, which are different from their academic needs. Evidence indicates that all professionals but the players who put in the effort are paid, which is exploitative and unethical. It is ethical to pay college athletes compensation for their efforts and hard work, which is equal to the training and hard work implemented by professional players. College sports are equally competitive as professional sports. Many fans invest in and follow these games, increasing the need for students to put in more effort to attract more fans (Creef, 2021). Therefore, they get up early to train, focus on keeping fit, and eat healthy while maintaining mental focus to concentrate on their studies and becoming successful players. Winning games and excellent performance from the players result in increased benefits for the school and the NCAA. For example, better performance results in more attention for the players and their schools, which increases the number of students enrolling in specific colleges. Also, more schools enroll in the NCAA while the organization generates additional revenue to continue its operations (Mint, 2021). Therefore, it would be ethical to compensate college athletes for their exhaustion and contribution towards the success of their schools and the NCAA. Paying student-athletes should not be a topic of debate. It should be a norm to compensate and encourage the players to continue putting in their efforts while providing them with the resources they need to maintain their health and acquire better treatment for their injuries. These athletes should be viewed and treated as partners with the NCAA, who deserve compensation for their professional input. It would be ethical to pay student-athletes in college because the lack of compensation is associated with double standards on payments and professionalism. As reviewed, the NCAA argues against paying college athletes because they are not professionals and should not be paid for their name, image, and likeness. Nevertheless, the coaches, scouts, and other professionals, including those in the NCAA, are compensated as professionals. According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics (2021), in 2019, the median salary for coaches and scouts training athletes in colleges and universities was $46,180, where half earned above this amount while others earned more. The argument is that the coaches and scouts are professionals paid to train the players professionally (Dennis & Acquaviva, 2012). These statistics indicate a double standard where the coaches training the players are viewed as professionals who must be compensated to prepare the players to a professional level. However, the players are considered amateurs who do not deserve payment. It is unethical to ignore the time and effort these players put in when training with professional coaches who expect high levels of discipline as they push the players toward success in the sports industry. The evidence indicates that failure to pay the players, their coaches, and other workers as professionals is unethical and exploitative to the young college players. Finally, it is ethical to pay college players because it provides an opportunity for athletes to earn as professionals. According to Santos, Uftring, Stahl, Lockie, Alvar, Mann, and Dawes (2020), college athletes focusing on the most popular games put more concentration and effort into these sports than their studies as they strive to become the best players from the best teams. The high concentration puts them at a disadvantage to find professions in their careers as their results are viewed as unsatisfactory, rendering them jobless. These students are also not allowed to work part-time as players to earn wages, which further strains their financial sustainability. Most also do not have time to make money in other jobs because they cannot juggle studying, the high schedule for athlete training, social life, and work (Brackpool & Neil, 2017). The inability to work real jobs as a student-athlete has adverse outcomes for their professional future. In most cases, other college students acquire internships or career-specific experiences during college. These are opportunities that student-athletes rarely get or have time for, limiting their experience in outside jobs (Brackpool & Neil, 2017). Therefore, ...