College athletes put in hours of hard work for their sport while the schools make tons of money off the sale of tickets, merchandise, and promotions. So should the athletes see a percentage of this and get some type of cut? One of the issues that may be a problem with paying college athletes is the difference in revenue that each sport brings in through television contracts and other sources. According to Nick Kapur of the fool.com, he states “For the vast majority of schools (regardless of division), athletic programs are loss centers. College sports equal big business? Not really. Most universities have to work to keep them alive. According to the NCAA, in 2008, a mere 25 schools reported net positive athletic department revenues. From 2003-2008, only 18 schools consecutively reported positive net revenues. Based on this data alone, is a compensation structure really even necessary? What money is there to share?” According to the numbers, an average football team only nets about $4.2 million annually, while basketball delivers only $1.1 million. These are the premiere teams we are talking about here, not the lower ones which make even less. This makes one think why is this question even up for discussion?
Then again there are your top of the line schools that are raking in the dough for football (Texas, Florida, Ohio State, Alabama). Anywhere from $30 to $45 million a year which is pretty darn good. That comes out to about 600k per spot on the roster. The thing is, most of the money won in bowl games does not even go to the school that won. It goes to the conference and is divided up equally. With that being said, should these athletes get paid when the school/conference is marketing and promoting them to reel in huge revenues?
Student athletes are already paid for their hard work. They get it through scholarships, top coaching, alumni support, and various other opportunities, including exposure on a national level. Well wait, does that equal what the school gets? In reality, no, but the schools might not be making as much as you think (FBS schools losing money). I think a good solution would be that the athletes get a small percentage ($1000 – $3000) based on how much their program is bringing in. Also, some players could get a small cut from the merchandise that is sold using their number or name on a t-shirt. Overall, schools in general are not making as much as one might think and to pay these athletes would cost them even more. It is known that the NCAA is taking in all the money. Well if that’s the case, they could pay the athletes (what a novel idea!). I think the NCAA could give them a small stipend, but the chances of that are highly unlikely. Athletes, enjoy what you got because you are not getting paid anytime soon.