When it comes to college athletes the question always arises, should they get paid? College athletes provide entertainment for just about everybody in the world, sometimes they feel a scholarship is not enough. It’s gone from Chris Webber complaining about not being able to buy a Big Mac in college but having his jersey being sold for $50 to Shabazz Napier who complained about going to bed hungry some nights.
Although these players eventually played professionally, there were hard times and it proves sometimes a scholarship is not enough.
Samantha Sakos, who was a former soccer player at the University of Houston is comparing work study programs to the experience of college athletes. Sakos feels that being a student athlete is the equivalent of at least minimum wage and is filing a lawsuit against the NCAA and millions of other Division-I schools.
The NCCA makes $6 billion dollars annually off of players who put their careers on the line and they don’t see any of that money except in their scholarship award letter. Athletes such as Isaiah Austin who was expected to be a mid-first round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft brought the NCCA and Baylor University tons of money with his exceptional play. Isaiah Austin also had a career ending injury, Marfan syndrome which prevented him from playing competitive basketball. It is not fair that college students work hard on the field, track, court, or rink and bring money in with their talents but are not being compensated for it.
It’s time to pay up.