Storyline: Billions of dollars are generated each year via the efforts of college athletes who play major college football and men’s basketball. Even though many of these athletes come from revenue-strapped families they don’t get paid for their efforts. Written by Alizera Jabalameli, Camarillo, CA
The NCAA has been around since we all can remember. Each every year the organization gains more and more attention.
For example, The Final Four in men’s basketball generated a total of 27 million views with multiple broadcasting channels providing viewers all over the world. But if you wanted to attend the 2016 Men’s Final Four basketball game a single ticket would have cost you over $1200 (source: CBS Detroit).
That outcome leads us to a question: With all of that money why aren’t players getting paid?
Letterman jacket with a dollar symbol
It’s time for the NCAA to change its system and pay athletes who bring in billions of dollars each year. An astonishing 86% of college athletes come from families below the poverty line and the NCAA still expects a full-ride scholarship to be enough. If the NCAA paid them a fair wage they’d be able to provide for their families and stay in school longer.
According to ESPN’s Jay Bilas the NCAA needs to take the matter seriously. Cases like Reggie Bush’s are wrong under the NCAA. But, morally speaking, he did the right thing trying to provide for his family.
Put yourself in the athletes’ shoes. Many come from nothing and are using their God-given talents to generate billions of dollars for their schools and the NCAA.
Not providing them with portion of that profit is flat-out wrong.
