Downfalls of College Athletes Earning Paychecks
Story by: Kaitlyn Nichol

A common subject people bring up when it comes to college sports is whether or not college athletes should be paid. While these athletes contribute an extreme amount of their time to play sports, being a college athlete is a privilege and a choice in which they can choose not to make at any point.
One main reason why collegiate athletes should not be paid is because many of these athletes are allowed the opportunity to attend multi-thousand-dollar colleges for free. According to the NCAA, more than 150,000 college athletes receive $2.7 billion in athletic scholarships each year. Scholarships alone should be enough to persuade students to want to pursue their education through being a student athlete.
Paying student athletes could also result in tension between players due to unfair or unevenly distributed pay. If one athlete were to be paid more than another, it could cause certain athletes to feel lesser of their teammates or to feel unworthy.
The last issue with paying student athletes is the fact that colleges do not have the money available to pay their athletes. They are not professional athletes and, therefore, they do not individually bring in enough income to be paid like professionals are.
Ultimately, being an athlete is a choice, and while it might require dedication of the majority of one’s time, it is a choice and a privilege to partake in it. College athletes should not be paid due to many issues in payment and reasoning behind paying them.