No matter what your stance is on the subject we all realize that the NCAA and the top Universities make a boat load of money because of the athletes. And according to some, the athletes don't get anything. However that is a load of crap. Athletes who are on scholarship do get a lot. Here is a list of things a scholarship athlete receives.
- Free Gear. Most Universities have licensing deals with either Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour. Each of the athletes receive a ton of gear. Shoes, sweat shirts, sweat pants, wind suits, coats, and even book bags. Do regular students gets that, nope. Unless they want to buy them at the book store.
- Meals. Regular college students that live on campus can purchase a meal plan where they either get to eat a certain number of times a day or week. But athletes get access to all meals for free. And most of the time they get access to special cafeterias or training tables that regular students don't get or have to pay extra for. Even athletes that don't live on campus get these for free too.
- Tutoring and Help. So your struggling with your grades. Maybe you need a tutor. Sure some colleges or classes offer free tutoring but most of the time you might have to pay for it. Athletes, get it for free. They have access to top notch tutors and much more. Another thing that students get is in the form of "Life Skills." A lot more Universities are providing extra help to their athletes to help them succeed in life. Maybe its resume writing, bringing in experts to show them how to network, and just helping them for life after college. Now do regular students get these perks.....nope.
- Room and Board. One part of college life is living on campus in the dorms. It can be a lot of fun, but its also pretty expensive. However part of the athlete's scholarship is paying for where they live. So they get to stay in the dorms for free. But what about those players who live off campus. Yup they get that payed for too. The students all get the same amount of money. So if an athlete lives off campus he still gets the money that another athlete would get if they lived in the dorms. And if their rent is less than that of the dorms, they get to keep it.
- Tuition and Books. This is the biggest things the athletes get and it often times is the one thing that everybody tends to forget. Lets remember that these athletes are getting their education payed for. What we payed thousands of dollars for they get for free. What some of us are still paying off, they didn't have to worry about. These athletes (some who never would be able to go to college without playing a sport) get to set themselves up for life for free. They get their books for free too. I remember having to spend hundreds of dollars for books and then sell them back for a fraction of the cost. They don't have to.
Still think that Universities should pay athletes?
Here's a solution. Treat it like financial aide. We all can agree that not every athlete needs extra money. One player might come from a family that has money to buy them a car or give them money for rent. But there are many others that come from very poor families where they are struggling to get buy. So instead of giving money out to everybody, let players apply for this money. If a student fits into the criteria they could receive a certain amount of money (maybe around $3,000 a year at $250 a month). This would allow those players some extra money for stuff they actually need. This is the best way and only fair way that students could be helped out.
Tell me what you think on the topic.
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