In recent weeks, the matter of paying college athletes has been thrust into mainstream and social media. This is due to the passing of a bill in California that will allow college athletes to hire agents and sign endorsement deals with companies like Nike or Adidas.

While this will not take effect until the year 2023, it has caused a lot of turmoil as the NCAA (the governing body of college athletics) remains staunch in their stance of paying college athletes: players should receive a degree and not payment for playing college athletics. This debate will only grow as other states begin to adopt laws similar to that of California, and the NCAA will have much to figure out if the push for payment increases as it has in the past years.

I believe college athletes should not be paid by the universities themselves, but rather be allowed to make money off of their image and likeness through outside sources just like the California law allows.

Many sports do not bring in enough revenue to warrant payment, so it would not be fair and/or to pay every athlete the same if the colleges were paying them. However, allowing students to seek endorsements and payment from their companies/agents will allow equal opportunity for each athlete to receive compensation for their hard work.

These athletes spend countless hours practicing their respective sports and working in the classroom, and it is unjust for them to be unable to receive payment. Many come from poor or unstable backgrounds, so some form of payment would only help provide for their families or themselves financially.

Those against payment say that it will take away from the amateurism of college sports; the NCAA argues that “amateurism is educational and if athletes make money it will hurt their educational outcomes because they will not try as hard in the classroom” (Global Sport Matters). Although this point may seem valid, many student-athletes do not receive the quality of education they are promised and are generally unprepared for post-college-athletic life. Due to this reasoning, I believe student-athletes should be compensated through endorsements or receive better treatment from the universities they produce revenue for.

Whether or not athletes will be paid in the future, the NCAA must address the issue and adapt to the times sometime soon. It will not be a quick or easy process, but a discussion must be had by the NCAA to satisfy both sides of the argument. Student-athletes are being deprived of equality and fairness by not allowing them to profit off of their image, and the NCAA needs to allow compensation by these kids for all they do in their college communities.