The popularity of college sports has grown exponentially over the past few decades. Thanks to this, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has greatly increased its revenues. This increase in money has led to a lot of debate about the people who make college sports happen - the student-athletes, and whether they should be paid. Student-athletes should be paid because of the huge amount of money the NCAA makes from it, and so that those student-athletes can have money to support themselves or their families. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Student-athletes are the foundation of college sports, without them the NCAA would cease to exist. Even though the NCAA is very successful with all of its games and tournaments, student-athletes do not receive any form of monetary compensation. This seems very foolhardy since “the NCAA currently generates nearly $11 billion in annual revenue from college sports” (Forbes). This shows how student-athletes are truly taken advantage of. College sports may not be the same as professional sports, but many fans still follow college sports religiously. Buy lots of merchandise such as tickets, jerseys, food and fan accessories. And the people who drive it all (the student-athletes) don't get a dime. This leads many athletes to feel discouraged and mistreated, because they are the catalysts running the entire operation, but they receive nothing in return. People may ask, “If student-athletes are paid, what will that money be used for?” which is a good question. Students can use this money to buy better meals because they lack time to work. Others may use the money to support their families. Many athletes come from lower-class urban families and being able to provide money for their families could be a game-changer. Many students will leave college early so they can be drafted into professional sports leagues so they can start earning money and be able to support their families. If student-athletes were paid in college, they could complete their education and still support their families. This would really be the best case scenario, because there are no guarantees in professional sports, so it would make things even worse if a student-athlete decided to leave college early to get drafted, but was then let go by his team and found himself without a job. and no diploma. People argue that student-athletes shouldn't be paid because then college sports would no longer be considered amateur. However, how is this going to affect college sports one way or another? The Olympics were also once held to a strict code of amateurism, but in 1988 the Olympics allowed professional athletes to compete in the Olympics and it appears the Olympics are still in good shape. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a paper custom now from our expert writers.Get a custom essay The entire college sports industry revolves around these student-athletes, and without them, it would be non-existent. The NCAA profits greatly from the work of student-athletes but is too stubborn to pay for it. . That.