College Athletes – Pay for Play? For the past decade there have been ongoing discussions about whether or not college athletes should be paid to play. Many say they don't have time to get a real job because the requirements for the sport they play are too demanding. Others say these athletes are given full scholarships to attend the schools where they play the sport. However, regardless of the topic, I still believe that college athletes should NOT be paid to play. College athletes are not forced to play the sport they dedicated their time to during their secondary education years. They continue to play at the college level because of their love of the game. And because of this, many college athletes are offered full scholarships. Today, tuition at many schools is so expensive that without the scholarships some students receive, they would not be able to attend college. For these students, college sports offer a great avenue to obtain an education that otherwise would not have been available to them. This gives them the opportunity to study something they can use to build a better life for themselves and their families. Many people believe that the money generated by the sports played by these kids should be returned to them since they are the ones who attract fans to these events. Yet few realize how much small schools actually make money by participating in the National Colligate Athletics Association. A recent study by USA Today showed that there are only 40 schools that consistently profit from the sports they host. (Whiteside, USAtoday.com) This means that out of approximately 200 schools participating in division one sports, only 1/5 would actually have money on hand to give back to student athletes. Furthermore, it would be unfair to provide students who participate in sports with money from their events, instead of reinvesting the money in schools. Although these students participate and spend much of their time playing, they are no more special than the average student who attends school. Reinvesting the money in the school itself allows everyone a better education, rather than just a few students spending money. There are also arguments that, because of the rigorous sch...... middle of paper......" Says Myles Brand, president of the NCAA. (USAtoday.com) The program continually complains that providing the Players unauthorized funds ruins fair competition between teams, because some players will only want to go to schools with a reputation for providing players with extras such as money, cars, etc. Although there are several arguments in favor of a pay for play program, it disadvantage of these arguments outweighs any chance of a program ever being put in place. The NCAA claims it will never allow such programs, yet it is seeking to grant greater freedoms to student athletes. These freedoms include higher monthly salaries and more money awarded each year in the Special Assistance Fund. If these adjustments can be made, I have a feeling that a pay-for-play program will never be necessary, and the NCAA can maintain the integrity it hopes to achieve. Work Cited Page1) Whiteside, Kelly (2004) College Athletes Want a cut of the Action-http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2006-08-31-top-ten-number-7_x.htm (visited on November 28, 2006)2) Fleck Jon (2002) College Athletes–pay for play?- http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-9-2006-9123.asp (accessed November 28, 2006)