For decades now, college athletes have been neglected. It shouldn’t be a debate whether or not college athletes should get paid. If an athlete is part of a billion dollar a year franchise and is a money machines for college programs, they should not still be a struggling, broke college student.

I have watched college athletics my whole life and followed this topic, which has been a huge sore spot in the college sports world for a while now. Many exceptional players have either decided not to play, went pro in other countries and even accepted money illegally from sponsors and boasters during their college career. This will continue to happen if there is no change in college sports.

Players for NCAA sports like basketball make college and corporations big money. For three weeks in March, college basketball is one of the most televised events in the world, making the NCAA $1 billion per year. According to multiple news outlets, in 2016, the deal between  the NCAA and CBS/Turner Sports for March Madness was extended from 2011 to 2032.
We’re talking almost $20 billion for THREE WEEKS of television per year. And, that is just one of the sponsors that the NCAA has. That does not include companies like Gatorade and Nike, other multi-billionaire companies. I’m sure these are also making the NCAA millions of dollars. After looking at these numbers, it is insane that college athletes do not get paid after all the work they put in for the NCAA and individual colleges.

However, the NCAA have proved stubborn on changing the rule the prevents athletes from being compensated. Even some of the top college coaches side with the NCAA. During an October 2018 news conference at the Atlantic Coast Conference for the NCAA college basketball season, Jim Boeheim, the coach at Syracuse said, “I think we can do as much as we can for players. The cost of attendance is good. They get more meals now so they can keep their meal money. I think those are all good things and I think more of those things should have been done.” Boeheim states the NCAA’s top reason not to pay athletes – simply because the university hooks these players up with food, clothes and a place to stay.

Personally, I think star college athletes deserve a little bit of the cut to what they earn for their program. However, I do not think the NCAA will budge anytime soon.