Every year, thousands of parents across the country sign their kids up for youth sports. Many of these children grow up with high hopes of taking their talents to college or the professional level. Given the time commitment and hard work required to compete collegiately, there have been more debates on whether or not college athletes should be paid.

As the sister of a former college decathlete, I’ve witnessed firsthand the blood, sweat, and tears that go into college athletics. My brother treated being an athlete as a full time job, all the while being a full time student. He was one of the many players that received a scholarship. This brings up one of the arguments of many who argue against student athlete compensation; why pay them if they’re already getting scholarship money?

Scholarships help to make college more affordable, but they are nowhere near a full ride. The average N.C.A.A. athletic scholarship is only $8,707. Meanwhile, Nick Saban, the head coach of the University of Alabama’s football team makes over $11 million per season. Saban's team brings in $81 million every season, with $36 million going toward expenses.

My belief is that if big college athletic programs are making a huge profit off of their players, the players themselves should ideally see some of that money. This would apply to any SEC school’s football team, or Duke’s basketball team. Teams that are in smaller conferences, or those that bring in less revenue, shouldn’t receive compensation if they’re not bringing in million of dollars to the university.

This brings up a separate question entirely; if college athletes are paid for their athletic performance and not academic, won’t that push them to only focus on athletics entirely? Possibly, but this system already exists. The fact of the matter is that no one works to get a spot on a team in hopes of getting rich while still in school. A lot of college athletes are hoping to get drafted in their professional leagues, making them career athletes. Athletes want to play in college for the networking and experience. As students, they’re not driven by money. The coaches are aware of this, which is why athletes aren’t paid. If thousands of people would willingly play for just the experience, why pay them?

If it were me personally spending 30 hours a week perfecting a skill that my university profits off of, I’d like to see some of the money. With this being said, there is still a symbiotic relationship that exists between players and their coaches. What college athletes don't receive monetarily is made up for with the countless perks of their programs, including facilities and trainers. And let's not forget, there's always the love of the game.