Why College Athletes Should Get Paid
Sports play a significant role in students’ development in various professions. Participation in games complements the development process according to the available facilities that promote the student-athlete identity (Navarro et al.). Hence, there is a need to motivate the students’ engagement in sports, which creates a controlled self-exploration process leading to the establishment of commitment in a defined direction. However, the topic of paying college athletes has led to controversial opinions scholars and organizations such as the National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA). The opponents in paying the college athletes believe in amateur athlete concept due to competition among the students. On the other hand, the supporters argue that the athletes sacrifice a lot of their time while risking injuries to generate income for the schools and the sports organization (Navarro et al.). Therefore, it is worth noting that the students need some motivation in addition to the scholarships since they serve as the schools’ brand ambassadors to attract income for both their school and other stakeholders.
Motivation creates the desire to explore the different aspects of life among the students in both sports and academics. Unfortunately, the athletics stakeholders like the NCAA lacks an organized source of motivation. For instance, the NCAA believes that the spirit of competition is the key driver towards athletes among college students. As Navarro et al. posits, the stakeholders like the NCAA argue that offering stipends to the college student-athletes would depict them as employees, hence diminishing the armature athlete notion. The NCAA contends on the premise that the students participate in the competitions to benefit from the free education provided under the scholarship opportunities (Navarro et al.). However, the idea of amateur athletes has a detrimental effect on students’ motivation. A permanent injury would imply the termination of the scholarship since the student is rendered unproductive in sports, causing demotivation. Therefore, the lack of financial motivation for student-athletes has a negative impact by prohibiting talent promotion through the student-athlete identity.
College athletes risk their bodies to permanent injuries during the training sessions and actual competitions. One of the most significant aspects of sports in colleges is the players’ zeal and enthusiasm (Navarro et., al). The love and passion they have for these games is admirable and immeasurable. However, in the conquest to give their best when playing, most college athletes undergo severe injuries that mostly end their careers at a young age. Damaging a knee and suffering concussions that result in dementia and depression are some of the permanent injuries these students are unfortunately likely to get. Nevertheless, the students set aside the worrying fact that the injuries might end to their scholarships. Therefore, the students deserve remuneration for sacrificing for the team and the school.
Secondly, vast sums of money are budgeted in college sports, which should be used to motivate them. Big companies such as NCAA are the main sponsors of college athletes. According to Zema, these companies profit off of branding college athletes by merely branding themselves on the sports apparel (206). Therefore, these players are used for advertising the company’s goods and products to the world without receiving a token of appreciation as they think paying the athletes will ruin the purity and magic of the game. However, this is not the case. It is very heartbreaking as the athletes are given nothing, not even a single cent. As such, these athletes feel as if they are being used (Zema 211). Therefore, paying the athletes will serve a great deal in encouraging the athletes to participate in the competitions fully.
College student-athletes act as ambassadors of the institution as part of the college’s advertising team by building an excellent reputation for school in the corporate society. Universities and colleges typically take pride in athletes’ success in sports competitions as this positively impacts the school’s reputation (Navarro et., al). The school’s reputation grows tremendously following big wins in the game, consequently influencing the school’s admission. More students will be attracted to the school, and the number of entries would significantly rise. Moreover, the school will entice potential sponsors and brand agencies to promote and invest in the school, hence, improving the school’s standards (Zema 199). Therefore, college athletes should be paid since they play a significant role in promoting institutions’ reputation in a bid to attract more benefits.
The college athletes sacrifice a lot of time in sports, which may harm their academic performance. Hence, the commitment and hard work that the athletes portray in studies and games deserve appreciation. Colleges and universities make millions of dollars through games, with the players receiving nothing. The schools must understand what these players go through to have those big wins (Zema 192). The students face a challenge in balancing the tight schedules between education and sports. For instance, they are used to a strict routine of waking up early for workouts that go for hours and sometimes even days. Navarro et al. underscore that, unlike other students, the college-athletes have very little time to rest and concentrate on their studies. The athletes are committed to attracting huge crowds by creating a good impression on sports fans. Therefore admittedly, the athletes deserve a stipend for motivational purposes.
Arguably, the college athletes face financial constraints which should be reduced through receiving payments. Hence, a small monthly stipend can cater to and reduce the athlete’s necessary expenses, such as rent and other living expenses (Zema 200). The provision of full scholarships to study and, in return, play for education is not enough. Also debatable, the athletes lack sufficient motivation despite their appreciation through scholarships. Hence, although these players receive some allowances, these incentives cannot adequately cater to their expenses. They, too, are humans, with basic wants to fulfill.
It is horrible to hear that some of their managers still buy the idea that the student-athletes are ‘amateur athletics. As Navarro et al. argue, there is no much difference between them and other professional athletes playing in big clubs such as NBA, the only difference being that they are students playing for education in small league competitions. Therefore, there is a need to appreciate the students’ efforts through payment, which will assist them in catering for personal expenses.
The college athletes should get paid, considering the great sacrifices that they make to benefit the institutions and the sport’s stakeholders. The risks they take to play the games, vast sums of money that sponsors the game, and the school’s advertising team justify the importance of offering a stipend to the student-athletes. Moreover, their commitment, hard work, and lastly, the need to cater to their living expenses is sufficient to demand their pay. However, some individuals claim that college students should not be paid buying to the idea that they are likely to prioritize sports over academics as well as burdening smaller schools. Nevertheless, the athletes’ hard work and passion for sports should be appreciated to promote young talents in sports athletics.
Reflection Letter
The editing of my document has been a great learning process for me. Arguably my writing capability has improved tremendously since the editing required critical evaluation of my ideas and sentence construction. I have realized that it is essential to think about my work in the global and local perspectives in a bid to become a proficient writer. Therefore, I have focused on the global areas such as the development of the thesis statement to add more ideas and the local editing like sentence construction and grammar while reflecting on the significant strengths that I have gained over the course.
The global editing entailed the introduction and development of the central theme of the essay. I did a substantial revision of the introduction paragraph, which introduces the main idea and the purpose of the piece. The previous version of my article lacked a clear definition of the goal, which was to justify the need for college athlete payment. Therefore, I had to rewrite the whole paragraph to introduce a significant argument while highlighting the existing controversies to portray the current situation facing the college athletes. Besides, I edited the thesis statement to incorporate all the ideas that I discussed in the essay.
Also, I wrote a new transition in a bid to develop the argument in the essay. The main developments entail the introduction of a paragraph after the introduction section. The change in this section forms the idea of controversial opinions regarding the issue of paying college athletes. The part has added an argumentive mechanism on the essay, thus making it more engaging while providing evidence to the controversial issue.
The delivery of the arguments and ideas in an essay is a crucial consideration in proficient writing. The local revision aims at attaining correctness and clarity in delivery in an article. Thus, I focused on editing the sentences to correct any grammatical errors that would hinder the flow in the previous section. I had a keen interest in the topic sentences that introduces the main idea in each paragraph. The topic sentences are essential in developing the ideas presented in the thesis statement by creating good flow and transitioning from one idea to another. Also, I edited the conclusion sentences in each paragraph to mark the end of an argument and prepare the reader for the next discussion. Besides, I wrote the conclusion to reflect on the additional ideas in the essay. Therefore, the editing was successful with a particular interest in the change of wording for correctness, clarity, delivery, and engagement.
The course has been quite helpful to me since I have experienced significant improvement in my writing skills. Worthy of debate, writing is an essential skill that is applicable in many areas of career life. The powers that I have obtained, such as content writing and the delivery of persuasive essays, are crucial in career development. I have gained significant improvement in sentence construction, which helps in improving the delivery of an article. Also, I was able to develop the analytical skills of resources that are necessary for providing the relevant content in essay writing. Therefore, I have developed powerful writing skills that are necessary for me to succeed in my academic activities and future career path.
Works Cited
Navarro, Kristina M., Lisa Melanie Rubin, and Geoffrey Mamerow. Implementing Student-Athlete Programming: A Guide for Supporting College Athletes. Routledge, 2019.
Zema, Phillip. “Should Student-Athletes Be Paid?” Sport, Ethics, and Philosophy 13.2 (2019): 198-212.