🏈🤑

I believe that college football players should be paid because of the money they bring into the college, the time they devote to the team, and for their own financial security once they stop playing. It is very important for college institutions to change their policies to ensure that there is fair compensation for their athletes. Together, we should advocate for fairness and equality in collegiate athletics by recognizing the invaluable contributions made by these committed athletes.

College players are a huge asset to both the college they represent as well as the NCAA. A study done by Drexel University found that the average market value for a D1 football player is around $127,608. However, the players see that none of that is actual cash. If a team makes it to a bowl game, the max a player can get for participating is $550 in prizes while the coaches can make a bonus of around $850,000. This disparity in pa is extremely unfair as players contribute just as much of their time to the sport as the coach does.

According to a survey done by the NCAA, college football players often spend more than 40 hours per week on their sport. With this sort of commitment, players really dont have much time outside of school and their sport to focus on other hobbies or even school. This is why many college athletes need tutors for their classes or just don’t focus on school very much. This lack of attention to academics plays a big role in the amount of opportunities for the athletes when they eventually get out of college.

Speaking about an athlete’s future, another big issue is the financial security of athletes after college. For many athletes, college is the end of the road for them when it comes to their sport. However, this poses a pretty big issue since the athlete had just dedicated the last 4 years of their life to their sport and now have to figure out what to do with almost no money and an education they didn’t prioritize. In fact, the NCPA did a survey that found that 86% of college athletes live below the federal poverty line. So once they get out of college they almost have to restart from a blank slate given that they weren’t able to put much effort into their degrees. 

In conclusion, college athletes should really get paid for their time and dedication. They bring in a ton of money for their schools and the NCAA, they put in an enormous amount of time for their teams, and they deserve to feel financially secure for the years following their graduation. Colleges seriously need to change their rules to make sure these athletes get fair compensation. We should all push for fairness and equality in college sports by recognizing how much these players actually contribute.