It’s time to pay student athletes

Over the past few months, numerous college athletes have been up in arms over their financial status. Many of these athletes have been struggling to make ends meet, knowing full well that they are very gifted athletes but aren’t recognized financially for it or for the money they bring into their schools.

Notably, Nigel Hayes, one of the Wisconsin Badger’s star basketball players, peacefully protested this issue at ESPN’s College GameDay in October.

Do these athletes have a right to be angry or are they simply being greedy?

I think they should be upset and should feel as if they are being taken advantage of. Because they are.

The only compensation they receive is free college tuition, and that is the best-case scenario. In other cases, some receive next to nothing and are expected to pay already absurdly expensive college tuition costs. The key issue is the relationship between college athletes’ financial struggles and the large university sports programs that make huge profits from the athletes who represent their institutions.

This is much bigger than the stereotypical broke college student story. Rather, it is large institutions making enormous amounts of money that simply does not belong to them. Universities need to pay their student athletes for their efforts; otherwise, the athletes are slaves to the universities.

College athletes draw an enormous number of viewers both on television and in stadiums. Television and ticket revenue generate millions of dollars, but many athletes remain dirt poor. According to Forbes.com, the University of Alabama’s football program turned a profit of more than $46 million during the Crimson Tide’s 2015 championship season. Alabama makes a killing from its football program, and its athletes are the driving force that generates this money. What do they get? Next to nothing for their efforts.

Alabama, of course, isn’t the only school that turns massive profits on its sports programs. Many Division 1 schools are in similar circumstances.

I would argue that a large portion of these profits should go to the athletes. Dividing up some of the profits would put a significant amount of cash in the athletes’ pockets, and granted, that could raise concerns. According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article by Pablo S. Torre, “78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce” within two years of their retirement. Would college athletes be any better able to handle the responsibility?

Maybe not, but universities could pay athletes in smaller amounts over many years, rather than in large lump sums. Such a system could decrease dramatically the number of ex-college athletes who struggle financially and leave them more stable regardless of their career path.

Given the enormous amount of money big time college sports programs make, it’s hard to believe that some athletes are left penniless. The NCAA should reform its policies. Athletes need to be paid the money that rightfully belongs to them.