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Should college athletes be paid?

Posted at 5:00 AM on March 29, 2011 by Eric Ringham (43 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Education

As the end of March Madness draws near, TV ratings for the tournament series are the highest they've been in years. The NCAA tournament generates billions of dollars in commerce, though not for the players themselves. Today's Question: Should college athletes be paid?

Update: We posed this question to sources in our Public Insight Network. Below is a collection of some of the responses we received. Press the play button to get started.

Should college athletes be paid? on Prezi

Comments (43)

I believe that college players should get paid. There are multiple reasons why I believe this and one of them is they make so much money for their schools that it is mind blowing. The players also put the school on the map so that other students want to go there. Which in-turn makes the college a ton of money. The money that the college makes in profit is in the millions and the players only get a good set of warm-ups or nice shoes. That to me is not fair because if it wasn’t for the players then the college would just be normal and would not stand out to others. There would not be any issues with players taking money to go to a school. As of now that is illegal to except money or benefits to go to a certain school. However, if they would get paid something then they wouldn’t try and get paid illegally. It makes the players, coaches, and even the schools look bad.
The first issue I brought up was that the players make the schools a lot of money. In the NCAA basketball tournament alone, the NCAA generates 771 million in TV revenue. Now my question is where does all the money go. I would think some is used for hotels, bus rides, jerseys, coaches, and etc. I know for sure that there is a ton of money still left over that the colleges just put in their pockets. Why not just pay the players when their making you millions of dollars. Some might say that if they get paid then they would not go as hard during a game. I personally think that is a dumb comment because if you 18 years old and are offered a lot of money then I am pretty sure you will try your hardest to get the pay check. It would be like any other professional player, the harder you work the more money you will get.
Another topic I brought up was that without these players, then the more prestigious schools wouldn’t stand out. For example duke, North Carolina, UConn, Florida, and Ohio State. These are some of the big schools in college sports and where would they be if they didn’t have the players preforming like they do to make their school look good. All of those top schools would be like any other school if it wasn’t for the players. I really think it would be nice to reward them for all they do to make school look good. Why not just give them some money to show that you care about what they are doing for your institution. I would almost bet my life that if you would give the players money they would perform much better than if they didn’t get paid.
The players want more than nice jerseys and shoes. At the moment all the players get are nice jerseys, shoes, and a nice arena to play in. The thing that does not make sense to me is that the players earn millions of dollar for the school and all they get are a couple nice things. It does not seem fair to me when the people not doing anything get all the money. I am not saying the president doesn’t do anything for the university, but he does not do too much with athletics. He reaps all the benefits of the athletic teams at the colleges like the money and fame. With some much money to go around I think the players should get a lot more than just jerseys and shoes.
An additional huge issue is when players take money or benefits to go to a school. This is one of the biggest issues in college sports and can easily be prevented. If the colleges would pay their athletes then there would not be any problems with players getting money from people they should not be taking from. If they would tell the players they will get a salary when they join the team then there would not be a point in taking money from some guy illegally. It just is not fair to the players when some guy offers them, for example, 100,000 dollars to go to a school they cannot even afford. They are 18 years old so they are still naive and can easily be taken advantage of. If the colleges would just pay them then nothings illegal would take place and everyone can be happy.
I truly believe that the only way to be fair back to the players is to pay them some money. They do way too much for the schools and make them way too much money. To not see any of it is unbelievable and should be changed as soon as possible. I understand that it will not be changed anytime soon, but I at least want the head commissioner to think about it.

Posted by Kyle S | April 5, 2011 12:23 PM

No, they should not. They are already being compensated quite well. The cash equivalent of a college scholarship is a lot more than most 18 year olds could make. I favor a market-based solution: set up professional minor leagues. It works for baseball, those players who don't want to go to college can go to the minor leagues. Why should colleges be free farm programs for the NBA and NFL? Let the major leagues pay for their own player development. Players would have a choice to make, they could go to college, and get their tuition, room and board and books paid for, or they could go to the minor leagues, where they would get paid, but not much: minor league salaries are low. There are thousands of players who play college football and pay their own way through college, either because they play for a school that doesn't offer scholarships, or because they are playing without a scholarship. Why should there be different classes of players in college, with some getting paid and some not?

Posted by Robert | April 5, 2011 11:21 AM

I believe that college players should get paid. There are multiple reasons why I believe this and one of them is they make so much money for their schools that it is mind blowing. The players also put the school on the map so that other students want to go there. Which in-turn makes the college a ton of money. The money that the college makes in profit is in the millions and the players only get a good set of warm-ups or nice shoes. That to me is not fair because if it wasn’t for the players then the college would just be normal and would not stand out to others. There would not be any issues with players taking money to go to a school. As of now that is illegal to except money or benefits to go to a certain school. However, if they would get paid something then they wouldn’t try and get paid illegally. It makes the players, coaches, and even the schools look bad.
The first issue I brought up was that the players make the schools a lot of money. In the NCAA basketball tournament alone, the NCAA generates 771 million in TV revenue. Now my question is where does all the money go. I would think some is used for hotels, bus rides, jerseys, coaches, and etc. I know for sure that there is a ton of money still left over that the colleges just put in their pockets. Why not just pay the players when their making you millions of dollars. Some might say that if they get paid then they would not go as hard during a game. I personally think that is a dumb comment because if you 18 years old and are offered a lot of money then I am pretty sure you will try your hardest to get the pay check. It would be like any other professional player, the harder you work the more money you will get.
Another topic I brought up was that without these players, then the more prestigious schools wouldn’t stand out. For example duke, North Carolina, UConn, Florida, and Ohio State. These are some of the big schools in college sports and where would they be if they didn’t have the players preforming like they do to make their school look good. All of those top schools would be like any other school if it wasn’t for the players. I really think it would be nice to reward them for all they do to make school look good. Why not just give them some money to show that you care about what they are doing for your institution. I would almost bet my life that if you would give the players money they would perform much better than if they didn’t get paid.
The players want more than nice jerseys and shoes. At the moment all the players get are nice jerseys, shoes, and a nice arena to play in. The thing that does not make sense to me is that the players earn millions of dollar for the school and all they get are a couple nice things. It does not seem fair to me when the people not doing anything get all the money. I am not saying the president doesn’t do anything for the university, but he does not do too much with athletics. He reaps all the benefits of the athletic teams at the colleges like the money and fame. With some much money to go around I think the players should get a lot more than just jerseys and shoes.
An additional huge issue is when players take money or benefits to go to a school. This is one of the biggest issues in college sports and can easily be prevented. If the colleges would pay their athletes then there would not be any problems with players getting money from people they should not be taking from. If they would tell the players they will get a salary when they join the team then there would not be a point in taking money from some guy illegally. It just is not fair to the players when some guy offers them 100,000 dollars to go to a school they cannot even afford. They are 18 years old so they are still naive and can easily be taken advantage of. If the colleges would just pay them then nothings illegal would take place and everyone can be happy.

Posted by Kyle | April 5, 2011 9:42 AM

The solution is obvious. Don't pay them, offer instead a B.S. in the major sports at division I schools. Curriculum would reflect courses like pass reception, tackling, reading a playbook etc.
They walk out with a degree, acceptance into grad school (pro teams) is based on their class standing and the required courses on principles of coaching would assure a job if not accepted for post graduate studies.

Posted by Terence Kennedy | March 30, 2011 9:46 PM

"Star Athletes get scholarships that allow them access to an education they may not have access to otherwise. It gives them a chance to mature into a responsible adult that can handle bigger responsibilities of adulthood."

I hate to break it to you, Matt, but it's not working. "Responsible" and "adult" are not adjectives I would use to describe much of the behavior of NFL and NBA pros.

Posted by Steve the Cynic | March 30, 2011 7:48 AM

College athletes are getting some compensation for what they do, and better compensation than their peers. But perhaps the larger picture here is the greater good. Star Athletes get scholarships that allow them access to an education they may not have access to otherwise. It gives them a chance to mature into a responsible adult that can handle bigger responsibilities of adulthood. And certainly for football players, it gives them a chance to fully develop physically before they move onto professional sports.

As for the athletes getting paid, well I would say they are working for a greater good. I would like to point out the team they play for is a college or university that is a non profit, and uses the proceeds to further our research and education for many people. Without the revenue producing sports colleges would be too expensive for most people. Only the rich would be able to afford a college education, and we as a society and country would languish or certainly stagnate in the world. So all athletes at a college add to the experience of the all students, alumni and parents. Without them the universities would not be as interesting, or vibrant, or diverse. Include in the benefits of the lessons learned on the playing field, as well as the opportunity to network with fans and alumni around a sport and the athletes have many opportunities to improve their professional lives beyond just the degree they are working toward.
Now, if the people running the team were reaping all the monetary benefits from the Athletes work then yes they should get paid. If for example the final four television deal provided 9 billion dollars revenue for 30 college deans, then the athletes should get paid a salary, and not be expected to complete their education. But when the television deal is spread out among all the the teams, and that money goes to make tuition lower for everyone, and provide state of the art equipment to teach students, and yes provide bigger stadiums to bring in more money, then they are working for the greater good. A better thing to do for them is to make sure they complete an undergraduate degree, so they have the opportunity for prosperity beyond college, earning them higher paying job, thus the real pay for all their hard work.

Posted by Matt Drenth | March 29, 2011 10:21 PM

To flesh out my earlier comment....

College football and basketball players bring in more money to the schools they play for than the value of the scholarships they receive. If that were not so, why are there periodic scandals that involve unauthorized payments and perks, or academic fraud in support of keeping players eligible? If college football and basketball weren't extremely lucrative, why are head coaches paid more than university presidents? The players are clearly being paid less than their value to the schools, which is the very definition of worker exploitation. It's only fair that they be paid at least a living wage in addition to their scholarships.

The other question is whether colleges should be involved in big-money sports at all. To that, I would answer no. The NBA and NFL should set up farm systems like MLB has.

Posted by Steve the Cynic | March 29, 2011 6:24 PM

The vast majority of college athletes will not become professional athletes. For those pursuing a career as a professional athlete, college provides benefits beyond education. Athletes get professional training, use of advanced equipment, competitors to hone skills against, and a stage on which to demonstrate skill. Doing well in college sport increases the perceived value of the athlete, yielding a more lucrative professional contract. Athletes can choose to leave college early (or bypass it entirely) if there is sufficient opportunity for a professional contract.

Paying cash to college athletes is a bad idea.

Posted by kennedy | March 29, 2011 4:20 PM

This should be studied as part of a broader issue. Are colleges and high schools in other countries better because they don't have high priced sports to consider when they fund their schools? Maybe we could learn from other countries.

Posted by Ann | March 29, 2011 3:58 PM

No. With the exception of intermurals sports there shouldn't even be student athletes! Get the universities out of the entertainment business. If pro sports need minor leagues let them form their own franchises separate from the universities.

Posted by Al | March 29, 2011 3:32 PM

I think they are being payed. I would love to get a free ride to college instead of having to pay for everything myself.

Posted by Jen | March 29, 2011 3:30 PM

No, a scholarship is still a great deal. What is needed are professional minor league teams, like in baseball, to provide the primary pool of young athletes to be recruited for all professional sports teams. If this were the case, young athletes could choose a college scholarship because they primarily want an education and if they only wanted a professional sports career they could choose the minor league route and start being paid to play right away. It is really on major league sports to fix the problems because they currently are taking advantage of college sports.

Posted by John | March 29, 2011 3:13 PM

I'm convinced MANY take a pay cut when moving to the professional ranks.

The Pros should be paying these athletes, as they do with other farm teams.

Posted by Glenn | March 29, 2011 2:08 PM

Are you kidding? The way the Gophers played last year, I'd like to pay them NOT to play and save us the embarrassment. So they build a new stadium, fire/hire the coach and the Gophers are the worst in the NCAA. What a waste of money. Now if athletics is such a "cash cow" as some posters have noted, why is it every year they raise tuition? I don't give a rodent's posterior about college athletics. It's essentially over glorified high school bowl at tax payer's and student's expense.

Posted by Hein | March 29, 2011 1:12 PM

No. Pretty sure that a world-class education should be reward enough. Not to mention that if you're a good enough athlete to be drafted by the pros, they would be making millions in their own right. And if you're not, you earned a college degree for free.

I am fairly certain there are athletes all over the world who would love the deal we Americans afford our kids. Let's not get even more greedy, here. A free ride to play a sport is a HELL of a deal.

Posted by Michelle | March 29, 2011 1:11 PM

These athletes are cash cows who provide a service that generates millions of dollars in revenue to their University. And to keep the cash flowing, the athletes are directed towards meaningless degrees (i.e., communication) that normally does not maximize their earning potential, if likely, after graduation so they can maintain NCAA requirements. Yes! Compensate them in the form an education. Allow them to return later in life and re-coop a degree of their choosing free of charge whether it is a BS, MS or Ph.D. that would allow them to maximize their educational and earning potential after their bodies are aged and minds more mature. The NCAA owe it to our young men and women who are a major source of income to a vast majority of Universities in the US.

Posted by Johnx | March 29, 2011 12:38 PM

Personally, I would eliminate athletic scholarships and deemphasize college athletics. I don't really expect that to happen.

Failing that, I would pay athletes. The first 10 hours/week of practice, travel and game time would be unpaid (or covered by the scholarship.) All hours beyond 10/week would be $50/hour.

With this policy:
- adminstrators would need to think twice about demanding 20, 30, 40 hours a week from the student athletes
- the student athletes would "share the pot" and have spending money without resorting to other ways to earn it
- agents and boosters would lose their clout
- student athletes would have more time to be students

Posted by Neil | March 29, 2011 12:16 PM

can not believe that MPR bothers with such a story when there are so many other real pressing events affecting everyone; e.g. Middle east chaos, no energy policy but we have an Obama supported corrupt EPA moratorium on being oil independent right here in the USA. BTW, how many know that each university gets more federal funding based upon their tuition rates?? The more tuition goes up, the more the schools get tax payers funds handed over to them.

Posted by Raul | March 29, 2011 11:52 AM

I'm not sure this question has an easy answer. College football and basketball for Division I schools is a terrific marketing tool for the school. If I don't know a lot about Ohio State, but I see the Buckeyes win a National Title, I might be tempted to see what OSU has to offer. In contrast, college baseball, track and field, golf, tennis, swimming, and gymnastics isn't a large marketing tool for the university, and they generally don't draw large crowds. But, there's something more at work here too. Most colleges try to make the college experience about learning, working, and playing. They talk about the clubs students can join and the activities they can do when they catch a break from studying. Unlike high school, college is about atmosphere, not just studying, even among religious institutions. Therefore, if the student is contributing to that, a scholarship seems fair to receive. Last, colleges offer a ton of scholarships for grades. Getting more students to apply for those and getting more students to take high school course work seriously are challenges out of colleges' range.

Posted by Lawrence | March 29, 2011 11:22 AM

I'll put "the hell" in NO!

Posted by Philip | March 29, 2011 11:07 AM

The college athletes should not be paid by the schools. Colleges' primary goal should be the quality education of their student bodies, not the entertainment of the general public.

Posted by Joe Schaedler | March 29, 2011 11:02 AM

No.

They already are.
And they have people at the college working with incentive to help keep them in college giving them a unfair advantage even if they are not doing well in college. And maybe because they might be having trouble in college.

I know a lot of athletes who are great students who were in college. Loved the fact they were not capitalistic PIGs and humble, knowing they are there for the education. That their chance to be PRO is a joke, but at least a option.

I also saw students who were part of scandals at the University of Minnesota who were being looked into for getting answers to tests and homework that OTHER legitimate students DID not get.

So when the light hit the coaches and assistants behind this they suddenly had to actually do the work. I was in the office of students with Disabilities office seeing one begging for help with his homework, but could not think of a reason to have them help him.

I sat there watching him in disgust.

Also note the money in the system gained from college sports often is used as the scholarships to others who would not normally have funding, but are actual academic geniuses.

Best use of the money in my opinion, what there is.

Posted by Kevin VC | March 29, 2011 11:00 AM

No. Because the system is awash in money, everybody wants their slice. Why create a market that would further corrupt the educational mission of the college and university? Would we then start paying those promising high school athletes? Should two division one athletes who marry be subsidized because these alums might produce future stars?

Posted by Tracy Farr | March 29, 2011 10:55 AM

As cynical as Steve's comments are wont to be, this time it's very accurate. Student athletes at Division I schools truly are exploited. Seems that most people here view all of them as prima donnas who have everything in life handed to them on a platter and are getting more than they deserve by some unjust system that rewards athletes at the expense of the smart kids. It actually reminds me of the bitter struggle between the jocks and the nerds in high school, but wait, I thought we grew up? The athletics at big time universities force young athletes to sacrifice their bodies and their chances for a good education in the hope that they will get a shot at a professional playing career, as their chance to get themselves and their families out of poverty. It's not the athletes fault that the eligibility rules that govern scholarships and athletics are designed to protect the university's investment in a player, not the student themselves. Ironically these very rules cause most of the talented athletes to seek early careers in the pros rather than risk their bodies for additional time getting a college education that everyone knows will not amount to anything because the system has brought them to the university to play, not to study.

I don't think paying them is the answer, but don't blame student athletes for a broken system that exploits their abilities in order to pump money into the university. (Money that funds not only most of the schools athletic programs, but often academic scholarships as well)

Posted by CHS | March 29, 2011 10:53 AM

I have a daughter in dental school who will graduate with a six figure loan to pay back and one who recently graduated as a veterinary doctor with a six figure loan and one who is working on her master's degree who will end up spending nearly as much money on her education.

Their academic performance was extraordinary but there were no free tuition programs for them.

What does that say about our society's value system? Should a student with great athletic ability really be treated as more valuable to our society than students like my daughters?

Posted by Charlie | March 29, 2011 10:40 AM

A lot of people have the misconception of that these athletes are getting free education and should not complain. First of all it is not free, they practice twice a day, they travel extensively and they barely have time to study. Second, if they find time to study, do you think they major in engineering, computer science or Finance? I don't think so. It is only logical that they would pick an "easy" and worthless major such as ethnic stdies, Amer.studies, philosophy...you get the point. My suggestion is that they should be paid what any another amatuer athletes get paid. In Europe amatuer soccer players get paid around 100K which is pretty comfortable for a young struggling athlete.

Posted by Mustafa | March 29, 2011 10:26 AM

A resounding NO. Higher education should be about just that: Education. These athletes are being paid to play, not study, and it's disgraceful that colleges and universities are providing scholarships for the purpose of bringing in the crowds (and the revenue) at game time when there are students in desperate need of real financial assistance who truly deserve and desire to be in school. No academic discipline enjoys as much preferential treatment as sports, either financially or academically. Redirect the funds that are practically being wasted on prima donna players towards promoting research and academics, and bringing in the students who want to learn and would truly benefit from the support.

Posted by David Norris | March 29, 2011 10:24 AM

My biggest concern with paying college athletes is that the school with the biggest payroll will then have the best program. My favorite part of college sports is that the field seems level, there is almost always a surprise winner every tournament.

Posted by Josh | March 29, 2011 10:23 AM

I believe that getting free (or discounted) schooling is enough of payment. They are trading their ability to entertain/compete for an education many people spend the next 10 years of their lives paying off.

While most of the commenters so far have focused on basketball there are many other college level sports which may not be as widely viewed as basketball but take just as much talent. Should these athletes be paid as well? What determines how much they are paid?

While I'm mostly against colleges paying the athletes I have no problem with them doing sponsorships. If they can get paid for being in a commercial go for it.