The NCAA also known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association is a non-profit or at least claims to be non-profit organization that regulates college athletics. One of the main issues that always arises is the ethics of them profiting over the work of their student athletes and not rewarding with payment for what they are doing. Obviously arguments on both sides of the issue make convincing points however I believe the way the NCAA treats its athletes is wrong and that athletes need to be better compensated for the work that they do.
Some say athletes are compensated with their scholarship which is true they are getting their tuition payed but sports can be a grueling thing to do sports carry with it a risk of injury. To say a player will make his money in the pro ignores the risk that every game carries with it a chance that a player will get injured. Every year, there are a couple players who get career ending injuries just because of random chance. They should be compensated for that risk, because if something happens to a player such that he can never play at a high level anymore, his scholarship can be revoked and he’ll receive no compensation for what he did. Its crazy to think an athlete can put their body on the line day in and day out and not receive any compensation or healthcare if a serious injury were to arise.
There are also issues with boosters paying players. Boosters are alumni or other fans of a sports program not actually affiliated with the college itself. If they want to give these kids perks, why should the NCAA interfere with what is essentially a transaction between two adults. Instead, the NCAA rules are so crazy that a coach can not even take his players to dinner or anything simple like that. No other type of corporation operates like that. An example of this is Johnny Manziel who was one of the most popular players in college football a few years ago. A sports memorabilia company paid him around $7,500 to autograph a bunch of merchandise so they could resell it. There's really nothing being done wrong by both sides. Why shouldn't Manziel be able to profit off of his popularity if he can. The issue of boosters could be easily solved if the NCAA compensated its players so the players don’t have to search for other avenues to make money. Manziel who isn't even in the NFL anymore should of been allowed to profit for his athletic prowess and his popularity during his college years.
The final reason the NCAA should compensate its players somewhat is because it clearly can if it ever wanted to. As recent as 2014 the NCAA ended the year with an 80.5 million dollar surplus. It doesn’t sound like a lot after divided up to each player, but it doesn’t have to be a lot, to a college student who has no time to work and make money and kind of compensation helps. Very few athletes will go pro and this is the only chance for them to make money off of their abilities.
The NCAA is a corrupt organization that values profit over morals and that needs to change.
