Pay the Athletes !
Eduardo López
Every year , the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) brings in upwards of a billion dollars that come from television deals and sponsorships among other things . However , the supposed “ non-profit ” organization has become more of a lucrative business than a way to help organize athletic competitions around the United States . The association is known to prohibit the payment of the athletes and this offense is taken very seriously . Apart from prohibiting colleges to pay their athletes , these athletes are not allowed to receive payments from agents , sponsorship , or really anything else that benefits them economically . The NCAA claims that all earnings are put back into the league through marketing costs and scholarships granted by the league . However this only accounts for 10 % of their annual income . While this huge business is divided between a few beneficiaries , 86 percent of student-athletes who are part of the NCAA community try to survive under the poverty line . Many of them are expected to help supply for their family needs and are pulled away from their homes with hopes that they get to bigger leagues that actually pay them . While this sounds like a good plan , it is a dream for many that ends up getting crushed given that less than 2 % of NCAA student-athletes actually go pro and make a living out of their sport . This leaves around 470,000 current student-athletes in a tough situation having dedicated between 3-4 years to their dream without any financial benefit or help . Some might claim that schools give the athletes education and in a way should be grateful for such since it can get them a job later in their lives . While this may be true , education does not pay for their bills back home . Families struggle to maintain themselves and live in degrading conditions which would not be the case if these studentathletes were paid . These athletes are not making a profit and their image is constantly being used and exploited . However there seems to be no reward for this whatsoever . The league earns enough each year so that it could manage to pay students a decent wage that , while it may not take them out of their harsh economic situation , might reduce the sacrifice being made by choosing to follow their dreams . Corruption surrounds the world we live in , and sports are certainly not the exception . After the hard work that athletes put in as they dedicate their life to sports , the rich are just getting richer . While some might claim that not having a certain wage may be for the best of the league , the fact that the NCAA prohibits and severely punishes any type of sponsorship just highlights the fact that the league is afraid of losing control of the players . In a world of so many injustices it is ridiculous that big organizations such as these hold back players on having a better life .
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