Every athlete wants to get paid, but at what level should these athletes receive a paycheck? Collegiate athletes all over the United States are fighting to get paid for the money they bring in for the school. There have been meetings and protests for college athletes to get paid. While there are plenty of people who disagree, the ones who do support the cause outweigh the ones who do not want it to happen.
Every year, College Athletic Departments all over the country bring in about $14 billion a year in revenue and how much of that goes to the players supporting that revenue? Not one dollar.
Collegiate athletes help bring in that revenue in many different ways. Some of these ways are through streaming games, buying a ticket to get into a game, parking, and concession stands. With all this money coming in, they can only send out the max $1800 scholarship and that does not cover out of state tuition. Not only are colleges making money off these athletes, big name brands like Nike, Under Armor and Adidas, all make money off these players too, but most athletes will never see a cent.
College to some is just another part of life, but to others, it could be a life changing jump. But if you’re not in the best finical situation, it can be some of the toughest four years of your life. If athletes got paid for the revenue they bring in, the players with close to nothing can enjoy their college experience and not stress over things they cannot control. For many athletes, a couple hundred extra dollars could mean they stay at the University one more year and if that happens, the school will make more money and profit off those athletes.
California is currently the only state that allows players to profit off their last name after Governor Newsom signed a bill to allow it. Other states did not agree with it as they will not sign off on the same bill. There has been talk that California does not play their cards right as they have an unfair advantage at getting kids to the Universities in California. With that bill being signed, players can now have marketing agents without losing any eligibility and can profit off the likeness of their last name. If other states were to follow the “Fair Pay to Play Act”, athletes would want to travel around the country more and experience more, it all comes down to what the Universities want to put in the money to bring the athletes to their teams.