Exploratory Essay !!

TaJay Williams

English II- MS. McKoy

Block 1

 Sept 4, 2013        

We Should Be Paid To Play

              It’s been a wild year with the NCAA. So many people have argued that college athletes should receive pay. I’ve notice many college stars over the years have major punishments because they were accused of receiving illegal pay. Players like Dez Bryant and Reggie Bush were a few of the ones whose punishments were harsh. Reggie had his Heisman taken away and Dez was suspended his senior for ten games because the NCAA thought he was receiving illegal pay. Those players put in a lot of work and their body on the line for basically nothing. Every star college athlete should receive some type of pay.

              In my research I’ve notice many people argue on both sides of this topic. I'm on the side that says college athletes should receive payment. There are many reasons why you could say the athletes should get paid. In the article “is pay for play ok for college athletes” by Al Neuharth it states that “Students need to experience earning money honestly and legally, in addition to getting good grades.” This was actually stated by Steve Spurrier , the South Carolina Gamecocks head coach. This quote shows that we are not the only ones who believe the college athletes should be getting paid. Head coaches of many big programs, such as South Carolina, believe athletes need to be paid. Also in that same article, Coach Spurrier says “College scholarship students who spend a lot of time in sports or other extracurricular activities deserves cash rewards, in addition to free tuition and room and board.” This statement shows that coach Spurrier understands how college players think. Even though the college athlete received a free tuition they still have needs they have to buy like food and clothing. Being so busy with sports and classes they don't have time to get a job and be able to afford the things they really need. I'm pretty sure a coach would much have a player that’s alive then dead because he couldn't afford to buy food. 

           There is a reason why I decided to do this topic. I never understood why college athletes put in all that hard work for nothing but a “congrats” at the end of the game. I want to see the exact reason why it’s illegal to pay a star college athlete. I can see why some might argue and say that the school is already paying for the student to attend the school, but that’s not the case for every student. Some college stars today didn't get a scholarship; they were actually walk ons who never was seen by the school. There has to be more to the reason why it’s so illegal. We can pay an NFL rookie one million dollars but we can't pay a well-known college star a single dime. I don't know about you but that doesn't make any sense at all. It brings me back to my question, why can't a star college athlete receive any type of payment?