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Essay on College Athletes

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Submitted By kpc24
Words 2066
Pages 9
Professor D.S.
English Comp 112
8 March 2015
To Pay or Not to Pay
Paying for a college education is one of the vast struggles of being a student. If a student is gifted with intelligence or stifling speed and athleticism they have a chance to earn a scholarship that virtually pays for their entire college experience. In recent history it is apparent that for some student-athletes this money is not enough, bringing up a burning question in college sports: should college athletes be paid? Some believe that it is essential for them to be paid for their hard work and dedication. Others believe that they are already relieved of future college debt, so why give them more? Each spectrum of this argument provides clear and concise evidence making it difficult to decipher which route may be the most reasonable. College is an expensive endeavor and student-athletes already gain a financial advantage and significantly larger benefits over the majority of the student population.
The NCAA has always been considered an amateur league. According to the
Oxford English Dictionary, an amateur is defined as, “one who cultivates anything as a pastime, as distinguished from one who prosecutes it professionally; hence, sometimes used disparagingly, as = dabbler, or superficial student or worker.” In 1957 the NCAA came to the conclusion, after years of avoiding the pressure, to subsidize and grant athletic scholarships. As young sports fans we aspire to be like our favorite athletes, but in reality only a small fraction of these students become professional level athletes after

their college careers conclude. College athletes are taking advantage of the financial opportunities that any other college student would be ecstatic to have. “Collegiate sports is not a career or profession. It is the students' vehicle to a higher education degree”
(Horace 17).

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