Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education

<!doctype html> <html lang="en" class="topic-desktop ui-ie7 ui-ie"> <head prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns# fb: https://ogp.me/ns/fb#"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133"> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js" /> <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.png" /> <meta name="description" content="Should Colleges and Universities Pay College Athletes?" /> <meta name="keywords" content="Paying College Athletes, encyclopedia, encyclopeadia, britannica, article" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate" /> <title>Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education | Britannica</title>  <script> !function(){"use strict";function e(e){const t=e.match(/((?=([a-z0-9._!#$%+^&*()[\]<>-]+))\2@[a-z0-9._-]+\.[a-z0-9._-]+)/gi);return t?t[0]:""}function t(t){return e(a(t.toLowerCase()))}function a(e){return e.replace(/\s/g,"")}async function n(e){const t={sha256Hash:"",sha1Hash:""};if(!("msCrypto"in window)&&"https:"===location.protocol&&"crypto"in window&&"TextEncoder"in window){const a=(new TextEncoder).encode(e),[n,c]=await Promise.all([s("SHA-256",a),s("SHA-1",a)]);t.sha256Hash=n,t.sha1Hash=c}return t}async function s(e,t){const a=await crypto.subtle.digest(e,t);return Array.from(new Uint8Array(a)).map(e=>("00"+e.toString(16)).slice(-2)).join("")}function c(e){let t=!0;return Object.keys(e).forEach(a=>{0===e[a].length&&(t=!1)}),t}function i(e,t,a){e.splice(t,1);const n="?"+e.join("&")+a.hash;history.replaceState(null,"",n)}var o={checkEmail:e,validateEmail:t,trimInput:a,hashEmail:n,hasHashes:c,removeEmailAndReplaceHistory:i,detectEmails:async function(){const e=new URL(window.location.href),a=Array.from(e.searchParams.entries()).map(e=>`=`);let s,o;const r=["adt_eih","sh_kit"];if(a.forEach((e,t)=>{const a=decodeURIComponent(e),[n,c]=a.split("=");if("adt_ei"===n&&(s={value:c,index:t,emsrc:"url"}),r.includes(n)){o={value:c,index:t,emsrc:"sh_kit"===n?"urlhck":"urlh"}}}),s)t(s.value)&&n(s.value).then(e=>{if(c(e)){const t={value:e,created:Date.now()};localStorage.setItem("adt_ei",JSON.stringify(t)),localStorage.setItem("adt_emsrc",s.emsrc)}});else if(o){const e={value:{sha256Hash:o.value,sha1Hash:""},created:Date.now()};localStorage.setItem("adt_ei",JSON.stringify(e)),localStorage.setItem("adt_emsrc",o.emsrc)}s&&i(a,s.index,e),o&&i(a,o.index,e)},cb:"adthrive"};const{detectEmails:r,cb:l}=o;r()}(); </script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel"> window.$UI = {}; window.Constants = {"LICENSE_URL": "/bps/license","DEFAULT_TEST_VERSION": "A","DEFAULT_STATE": "XX","QUIZ_URL": "/quiz","SPOTLIGHT_BROWSE_URL": "/stories/spotlight","CONTENT_TYPE_TEXT": "text/plain;charset=UTF-8","TOPIC_FACTS_DATA_URL": "/facts","QUIZ_BROWSE_IMAGE_QUIZZES": "images","TOPIC_MEDIA_PATH": "/images-videos","USER_PROFILE_URL": "/user","DEBUG_URL": "/debug","ONE_GOOD_FACT_URL": "/one-good-fact","ERROR_404_URL": "/error404","PROCON_CITED_IN_THE_NEWS_URL": "/procon/ProCon-in-the-News","PROCON_URL": "/procon","TOPIC_PAGE_CONTENT_AJAX_URL": "/topic-content/page","INFINITE_SCROLL_PREFIX_URL": "/scroll","TOPIC_TOP_QUESTION_BROWSE_URL": "/questions","CC_USD": "USD","domain": "britannica.com","PROCON_EDITOR_ID": "12941390","SURVEY_URL": "/survey","CATEGORY_BROWSE_URL": "/browse","STORY_BROWSE_URL": "/stories","COUNTRY_US": "US","OPEN_MEDIA_OVERLAY_PARAMETER": "/media","NEWSLETTER_SUBSCRIPTION_URL": "/newsletter-subscription","MAINTENANCE_ERROR_URL": "https://maintenance.eb.com","IMARS_EDITOR_ID": "12365882","PROFILE_EB_EDITOR_URL": "/editor","WEB_INF_RESOURCES_PATH": "WEB-INF/resources","AI_ABOUT_PAGE_URL": "/about-britannica-ai","TOPIC_ADDITIONAL_INFO_PATH": "/additional-info","SUDOKU_GAME_URL": "/games/sudoku","CC_INR": "INR","ARTICLE_PRINT_URL": "/print/article","FIRST_EDITION_URL": "/subscriber/firstedition","WW1_PORTAL_URL": "/discover/World-War-I","MENDEL_COOKIE": "__mendel","topicUrlClasses": "[topic, animal, art, biography, event, place, plant, science, sports, technology, procon, money]","DEMYSTIFIED_BROWSE_URL": "/stories/demystified","LIST_BROWSE_URL": "/list/browse","PROFILE_EXPERT_URL": "/contributor","ASSEMBLY_IMAGE_URL": "/image/assembly","DAY_IN_HISTORY_URL": "/on-this-day","DEFAULT_CURRENCY": "USD","CONTENT_TYPE_XML": "text/xml;charset=UTF-8","PORTAL_FINANCE_BROWSE_URL_PREFIX": "/money/browse","MONEY_IMARS_CATEGORY": "13000","AJAX_PREFIX_URL": "/ajax","TOPIC_BROWSE_URL": "/topic-browse","MARKETING_CONTENT": "/marketing-content","ENV_RUNTIME": "runtime","GALLERY_URL": "/gallery","topicUrlClassesList": "topic|animal|art|biography|event|place|plant|science|sports|technology|procon","CONTENT_TYPE_HTML": "text/html;charset=UTF-8","ENV_LOCAL": "override","MEDIA_OVERLAY_URL": "/media-overlay","CHATBOT_PAGE_URL": "/chatbot","NEWSLETTER_PAGE_URL": "/newsletters","ENV_DEV": "development","MEDIA_URL": "/media","TOPIC_TOP_QUESTION_URL": "/question","PORTAL_FINANCE_URL_PREFIX": "/money","PODCASTS_URL": "/podcasts","STAND_ALONE_VIDEO_URL": "/video","MORE_ON_THIS_DAY_URL": "/more-on-this-day","TOPIC_QUOTES_URL": "/quotes","SEARCH_PAGE_URL": "/search","PROCON_CLASS": "PROCON","KUSTOM_MENDEL_APPLICATION_ID": "1","TOPIC_CONTENT_AJAX_URL": "/topic-content/topic","ENV_BRANCH": "branch","ERROR_URL": "/error","MAIN_VERSION": "mainVersion","TOPIC_COLLECTION_URL": "/summary","LOGINBOX_URL": "/auth/loginbox","PROCON_DEBATE_TOPICS_URL": "/procon/Debate-Topics","ONE_GOOD_FACT_BROWSE_URL": "/one-good-fact/all-good-facts","QUIZ_BROWSE_URL": "/quiz/browse","BIO_BROWSE_URL": "/browse/biographies","LIST_URL": "/list","TIGHTROPE_QUIZ_URL": "/quiz/tightrope","ALPHA_BROWSE_URL": "/sitemap","CONTENT_TYPE_JSON": "application/json","DICTIONARY_URL": "/dictionary","COBRAND_IMAGE_URL": "/image/cobrand","PROCON_IN_THE_NEWS_URL": "/procon/pro-and-con-issues-in-the-news","PROCON_BROWSE_URL": "/procon","QUIZ_BROWSE_VOCAB_QUIZZES": "vocabulary-quizzes","SUBMISSION_URL": "/submission","EB_LOG_OUT": "/auth2/logout","ENV_PRODUCTION": "production","EXPLORE_PORTAL_URL": "/explore","TOPIC_AJAX_URL": "/ajax/topic","TOPIC_SUMMARY_BROWSE_URL": "/summaries","WTFACT_BROWSE_URL": "/stories/wtfact","VIDEO_CHANNEL_URL": "/videos","GALLERY_BROWSE_URL": "/gallery/browse","CACHE_URL": "/cache","PROCON_ABOUT_URL": "/procon/About-ProCon","COMPANION_BROWSE_URL": "/stories/companion","MEDIA_FOLDER": "/eb-media","SHOW_ALL_CONTRIBUTORS": "/additional-info#contributors","BRITANNICA_EDITORS_ID": "4419","ENV_CACHE_DISABLED": "mendelCache","CALCULATORS_BROWSE_URL": "/calculators","STORY_URL": "/story","DEFAULT_COUNTRY": "US","NAVBAR_URL": "/ajax/navbar","EB_LOGIN_URL": "/auth/eb-login","NEW_ARTICLES_URL": "/new-articles",}; window.CDN = "https://cdn.britannica.com"; window.CAM_SETTINGS_URL = "https://cam.britannica.com/settings"; window.CAM_LOGIN_URL = "https://cam.britannica.com/login"; window.CAM_SIGN_UP_URL = "https://cam.britannica.com/registration" window.Mendel = { "config" : { "domain": "britannica.com", "page": "Topic", "videoPlayerId": "UyMCoK2v", "sharedUrl": "https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate", "amuselabsUrl": "https://cdn3.amuselabs.com", "resourcesPrefixUrl": "https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/[url]?v=3.133.36", "date": 20250221, "userInfo": { "type": "ANONYMOUS" ,"currency": "AUUS" ,"country": "SG" ,"state": "XX" ,"timezone": "Asia/Singapore" ,"bcomId": "-2734976550664305459" ,"hasAds": true ,"testVersion": "C" ,"adsTestVersion": "C" ,"consumerId": "" ,"instId": "" ,"consumerUserName": "" ,"instUserName": "" ,"cognito": null }, "tvs":{ "r":[25,25,25,25], "a": [25,25,45,5]}, "isLoggedInAsUser": false, "isPhone": false, "isDesktop": true, "logoutUrl": "/auth2/logout", "selfServiceUrl": "https://myaccount.britannica.com", "cdnUrl": "https://cdn.britannica.com", "chatbotApi": "https://www.britannica.com/chat-api", "fetchOffset": 800, "mendelCookieName": "__mendel", "mendelCookie": {"surveyShown":false,"visitedTopicId":2256848,"currentDate":20250221}, "autocompleteToSearchPage": false,"topicUrl": "https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate", "freeTopicReason": "NO_REFERRER", "topicId": 2256848, "template": "PROCON", "type": "PROCON", "hasToc": true, "chatbotApi": "https://www.britannica.com/chat-api", "showPreview": false, }, "GA": {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} }; </script> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="1887621861548296"/ <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@britannica" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Should Colleges and Universities Pay College Athletes?"/> <meta property="og:type" content="ARTICLE"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education | Britannica"/> <meta property="og:description" content="Should Colleges and Universities Pay College Athletes?"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Encyclopedia Britannica" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="init opengraph"> Mendel.openGraph = {"type":"ARTICLE","title":"Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education","description":"Should Colleges and Universities Pay College Athletes?","imageUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg","imageType":"image/jpeg","pageUrl":"https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate"}</script> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/" > <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/icon?family=Material+Icons"> <link href="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/vendor-bundle.css?v=3.133.36" rel="stylesheet" /> <link href="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/mendel-css.css?v=3.133.36" rel="stylesheet" /> <link href="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.css?v=3.133.36" rel="stylesheet" /> <script type="text/javascript"> if (self !== top) { top.location = self.location; } </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/at.js?v=3.133.36" async ></script> <script> dataLayer = []; </script> <script type="text/javascript">(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= '//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-5W6NC8'); </script> <meta name="last-modified" content="2025-02-06" /> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"headline":"Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education","image":{"url":"https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg","@type":"ImageObject"},"author":[{"name":"The Editors of ProCon","url":"https://www.britannica.com/editor/procon-editors/12941390","@type":"Person"}],"keywords":"Paying College Athletes","wordcount":3954,"url":"https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate","datePublished":"2000-01-01T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2025-02-06T00:00:00Z","description":"Should Colleges and Universities Pay College Athletes?","publisher":{"logo":{"url":"https://corporate.britannica.com/wp-content/themes/eb-corporate/_img/logo.png","@type":"ImageObject"},"name":"Encyclopedia Britannica","@type":"Organization"},"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"article"} </script> </head> <body data-leg="C" class="new-topic topic-procon first-page-true user-ANONYMOUS user-ads md-desktop leg-c b-ie">  <script>Mendel.config.adProvider='cafemedia';</script> <script data-no-optimize="1" data-cfasync="false"> (function(w, d) { w.adthrive = w.adthrive || {}; w.adthrive.cmd = w. adthrive.cmd || []; w.adthrive.plugin = 'adthrive-ads-manual'; w.adthrive.host = 'ads.adthrive.com';var s = d.createElement('script'); s.async = true; s.referrerpolicy='no-referrer-when-downgrade'; s.src = 'https://' + w.adthrive.host + '/sites/61575e5c934c481d714b3ca9/ads.min.js?referrer=' + w.encodeURIComponent(w.location.href) + '&cb=' + (Math.floor(Math.random() * 100) + 1); var n = d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n); })(window, document); </script> <div class="ie-warning d-flex align-items-center align-self-center justify-content-center site-alert bg-orange"> <div> You are using an <strong>outdated</strong> browser. Please <a class="text-white text-underscore" href="https://browsehappy.com/">upgrade your browser</a> to improve your experience and security. </div> </div> <script id="json-navbar-info" type="application/json"> {"topSectionLinks":[{"title":"Ask the Chatbot","url":"/chatbot","navbarId":"CHATBOT"},{"title":"Games & Quizzes","url":"/quiz/browse","navbarId":"QUIZZES"},{"title":"History & Society","url":"/History-Society","navbarId":"HISTORY"},{"title":"Science & Tech","url":"/Science-Tech","navbarId":"SCIENCE"},{"title":"Biographies","url":"/Biographies","navbarId":"BIOS"},{"title":"Animals & Nature","url":"/Animals-Nature","navbarId":"ANIMALS"},{"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"/Geography-Travel","navbarId":"GEOGRAPHY"},{"title":"Arts & Culture","url":"/Arts-Culture","navbarId":"ART"},{"title":"ProCon","url":"/procon","selected":true,"navbarId":"PROCON"},{"title":"Money","url":"/money","navbarId":"MONEY"},{"title":"Videos","url":"/videos","navbarId":"VIDEOS"}],"selectedSuperCategory":{"id":7,"title":"ProCon","url":"procon","description":"Explore pros and cons lists for debated issues presented in a non-partisan format with supporting background information, statistics, and resources.","keywords":"Pros and cons, Debate topics, Opposing views, pros cons list, Controversial topics","classId":"PROCON","sortOrder":7},"selectedNavbarLink":{"title":"ProCon","url":"/procon","selected":true,"navbarId":"PROCON"}} </script> <script id="json-hamburger-menu" type="application/json"> {"britannicaMenu1":[{"title":"Home","url":"/"},{"title":"History & Society","url":"/History-Society"},{"title":"Science & Tech","url":"/Science-Tech"},{"title":"Biographies","url":"/Biographies"},{"title":"Animals & Nature","url":"/Animals-Nature"},{"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"/Geography-Travel"},{"title":"Arts & Culture","url":"/Arts-Culture"},{"title":"ProCon","url":"/procon"},{"title":"Money","url":"/money"}],"britannicaMenu2":[{"title":"Games & Quizzes","url":"/quiz/browse"},{"title":"Videos","url":"/videos"},{"title":"On This Day","url":"/on-this-day"},{"title":"One Good Fact","url":"/one-good-fact"},{"title":"Dictionary","url":"/dictionary"},{"title":"New Articles","url":"/new-articles"}],"browseByCategory":[{"title":{"id":5,"title":"History & Society","url":"/History-Society"},"links":[{"title":"Lifestyles & Social Issues","url":"/browse/Lifestyles-Social-Issues"},{"title":"Philosophy & Religion","url":"/browse/Philosophy-Religion"},{"title":"Politics, Law & Government","url":"/browse/Politics-Law-Government"},{"title":"World History","url":"/browse/World-History"}]},{"title":{"id":6,"title":"Science & Tech","url":"/Science-Tech"},"links":[{"title":"Health & Medicine","url":"/browse/Health-Medicine"},{"title":"Science","url":"/browse/Science"},{"title":"Technology","url":"/browse/Technology"}]},{"title":{"id":3,"title":"Biographies","url":"/Biographies"},"links":[{"title":"Browse Biographies","url":"/browse/biographies"}]},{"title":{"id":1,"title":"Animals & Nature","url":"/Animals-Nature"},"links":[{"title":"Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates","url":"/browse/Birds-Reptiles-Vertebrates"},{"title":"Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates","url":"/browse/Bugs-Mollusks-Invertebrates"},{"title":"Environment","url":"/browse/Environment"},{"title":"Fossils & Geologic Time","url":"/browse/Fossil-Geologic-Time"},{"title":"Mammals","url":"/browse/Mammals"},{"title":"Plants","url":"/browse/Plants"}]},{"title":{"id":4,"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"/Geography-Travel"},"links":[{"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"/browse/Geography-Travel"}]},{"title":{"id":2,"title":"Arts & Culture","url":"/Arts-Culture"},"links":[{"title":"Entertainment & Pop Culture","url":"/browse/Entertainment-Pop-Culture"},{"title":"Literature","url":"/browse/Literature"},{"title":"Sports & Recreation","url":"/browse/Sports-Recreation"},{"title":"Visual Arts","url":"/browse/Visual-Arts"}]}],"browseByFeature":[{"title":"Companions","url":"/stories/companion"},{"title":"Demystified","url":"/stories/demystified"},{"title":"Image Galleries","url":"/gallery/browse"},{"title":"Lists","url":"/list/browse"},{"title":"Podcasts","url":"/podcasts"},{"title":"Spotlight","url":"/stories/spotlight"},{"title":"Summaries","url":"/summary"},{"title":"The Forum","url":"/stories/the-forum"},{"title":"Top Questions","url":"/question"},{"title":"#WTFact","url":"/stories/wtfact"}],"moreFromBritannica":[{"title":"Britannica Kids","url":"https://kids.britannica.com/","newTab":true}],"menuType":"DEFAULT"} </script> <header id="header" class="bg-navy-dark"> <div class="global-nav-top-bar"> <div class="grid gx-0 h-100 justify-content-between align-items-center container-lg mx-auto p-0 position-relative"> <div class="d-flex align-items-center"> <button class="d-flex align-items-center justify-self-start js-toggle js-toggle-hamburger btn btn-link link-white btn-sm rounded-0 p-10"> <div class="hamburger-tooltip"> <em class="material-icons d-inline-block font-24" id="nav-toggle" data-icon="menu"></em> </div> <em class="material-icons d-inline-block font-24 global-nav-search-icon" id="nav-search-icon" data-icon="search" ></em> </button> <a href="/" class="d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center ml-10"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/eb-logo/MendelNewThistleLogo.png" alt="Encyclopedia Britannica" class="global-nav-logo global-nav-logo-left" /> </a> <div class="global-nav-top-search-bar global-nav-top-search-container global-nav-search-container" id="global-nav-top-search-bar"> <form method="get" action="/search" id="global-nav-search" class="md-search-form m-0 global-nav-search-bar-small"> <div class="search-box position-relative col-100"> <label class="sr-only" for="global-nav-search-query">Search Britannica</label> <input name="query" id="global-nav-search-query" placeholder="Search Britannica..." class="form-control form-control-lg rounded-lg font-16 search-query pl-20 pr-70 shadow-sm" maxlength="200" autocomplete="off" aria-label="Search Britannica" /> <button class="search-reset-btn btn btn-link px-10 position-absolute top-0 h-100 d-none" type="reset"> <em class="material-icons" data-icon="close"></em> </button> <button class="search-submit btn btn-link text-blue px-10 position-absolute top-0 right-0 h-100" type="submit" disabled> <span class="sr-only">Click here to search</span> <em class="material-icons search-icon" data-icon="search"></em> </button> </div> </form> </div> </div> <a href="/" class="d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/eb-logo/MendelNewThistleLogo.png" alt="Encyclopedia Britannica" class="global-nav-center global-nav-logo non-homepage-logo" /> </a> <form method="get" action="/search" id="global-nav-search" class="md-search-form m-0 global-nav-search-bar-small global-nav-center search global-nav-center-search-container"> <div class="search-box position-relative col-100"> <label class="sr-only" for="global-nav-search-query">Search Britannica</label> <input name="query" id="global-nav-search-query" placeholder="Search Britannica..." class="form-control form-control-lg rounded-lg font-16 search-query pl-20 pr-70 shadow-sm" maxlength="200" autocomplete="off" aria-label="Search Britannica" /> <button class="search-reset-btn btn btn-link px-10 position-absolute top-0 h-100 d-none" type="reset"> <em class="material-icons" data-icon="close"></em> </button> <button class="search-submit btn btn-link text-blue px-10 position-absolute top-0 right-0 h-100" type="submit" disabled> <span class="sr-only">Click here to search</span> <em class="material-icons search-icon" data-icon="search"></em> </button> </div> </form> <div class="col-35 col-sm-auto text-right order-3 mr-lg-15 align-items-center d-flex justify-content-end"> <div class="d-none d-md-inline-block"> <SPAN class="marketing-HEADER_SUBSCRIPTION_DESKTOP2 marketing-content" data-marketing-id="HEADER_SUBSCRIPTION_DESKTOP2"><a href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=global-nav&utm_campaign=evergreen-cap" class="subscribe-link btn btn-sm btn-orange py-5 mr-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> SUBSCRIBE </a></SPAN></div> <div class="d-inline-block d-md-none mr-5 mr-sm-10"> <SPAN class="marketing-HEADER_SUBSCRIPTION_MOBILE marketing-content" data-marketing-id="HEADER_SUBSCRIPTION_MOBILE"><a href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=global-nav-mobile&utm_campaign=evergreen" class="subscribe-link btn btn-xs btn-orange p-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> SUBSCRIBE </a></SPAN></div> <button class="js-toggle-user-dropdown js-toggle btn btn-sm btn-link link-white rounded-0 px-md-15 pl-5 pr-5"> <span class="d-none d-md-inline-block mr-5">Login</span> <em class="material-icons d-inline-block d-md-none font-16 font-sm-20" data-icon="account_circle"></em> <div class="d-none dropdown-menu-subscription-link">https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=nav-login-box&utm_campaign=evergreen</div> <em class="material-icons inactive-icon d-inline-block font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_down"></em> <em class="material-icons active-icon d-inline-block font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_up"></em> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none hamburger-menu-subscription-link"><DIV class="marketing-HAMBURGER_MENU_CTA marketing-content" data-marketing-id="HAMBURGER_MENU_CTA"><a href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=hamburger-menu&utm_campaign=evergreen" class="subscribe-link btn btn-sm btn-orange py-5" target="_blank"> SUBSCRIBE </a></DIV></div> <div id="global-nav-react"> <div class="d-none"> <ul> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/History-Society">History & Society</a></li> <li><a href="/Science-Tech">Science & Tech</a></li> <li><a href="/Biographies">Biographies</a></li> <li><a href="/Animals-Nature">Animals & Nature</a></li> <li><a href="/Geography-Travel">Geography & Travel</a></li> <li><a href="/Arts-Culture">Arts & Culture</a></li> <li><a href="/procon">ProCon</a></li> <li><a href="/money">Money</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="/quiz/browse">Games & Quizzes</a></li> <li><a href="/videos">Videos</a></li> <li><a href="/on-this-day">On This Day</a></li> <li><a href="/one-good-fact">One Good Fact</a></li> <li><a href="/dictionary">Dictionary</a></li> <li><a href="/new-articles">New Articles</a></li> </ul> <a href="/History-Society">History & Society</a> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/Lifestyles-Social-Issues">Lifestyles & Social Issues</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Philosophy-Religion">Philosophy & Religion</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Politics-Law-Government">Politics, Law & Government</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/World-History">World History</a></li> </ul> <a href="/Science-Tech">Science & Tech</a> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/Health-Medicine">Health & Medicine</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Science">Science</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Technology">Technology</a></li> </ul> <a href="/Biographies">Biographies</a> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/biographies">Browse Biographies</a></li> </ul> <a href="/Animals-Nature">Animals & Nature</a> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/Birds-Reptiles-Vertebrates">Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Bugs-Mollusks-Invertebrates">Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Environment">Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Fossil-Geologic-Time">Fossils & Geologic Time</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Mammals">Mammals</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Plants">Plants</a></li> </ul> <a href="/Geography-Travel">Geography & Travel</a> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/Geography-Travel">Geography & Travel</a></li> </ul> <a href="/Arts-Culture">Arts & Culture</a> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/Entertainment-Pop-Culture">Entertainment & Pop Culture</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Literature">Literature</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Sports-Recreation">Sports & Recreation</a></li> <li><a href="/browse/Visual-Arts">Visual Arts</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="/stories/companion">Companions</a></li> <li><a href="/stories/demystified">Demystified</a></li> <li><a href="/gallery/browse">Image Galleries</a></li> <li><a href="/list/browse">Lists</a></li> <li><a href="/podcasts">Podcasts</a></li> <li><a href="/stories/spotlight">Spotlight</a></li> <li><a href="/summary">Summaries</a></li> <li><a href="/stories/the-forum">The Forum</a></li> <li><a href="/question">Top Questions</a></li> <li><a href="/stories/wtfact">#WTFact</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="https://kids.britannica.com/">Britannica Kids</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </header> <div class="bg-navy-dark"> <div class="container-lg p-0 d-flex justify-content-center global-nav-categories-bar overflow-hidden"> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 global-nav-slider category-snap-slider"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex font-14 overflow-hidden text-nowrap mx-5"> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-CHATBOT " href="/chatbot">Ask the Chatbot</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-QUIZZES " href="/quiz/browse">Games & Quizzes</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-HISTORY " href="/History-Society">History & Society</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-SCIENCE " href="/Science-Tech">Science & Tech</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-BIOS " href="/Biographies">Biographies</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-ANIMALS " href="/Animals-Nature">Animals & Nature</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-GEOGRAPHY " href="/Geography-Travel">Geography & Travel</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-ART " href="/Arts-Culture">Arts & Culture</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-PROCON selected selected" href="/procon">ProCon</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-MONEY " href="/money">Money</a> <a class="nav-bar-category mx-5 category-link-VIDEOS " href="/videos">Videos</a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <main> <div class="md-page-wrapper"> <div id="content" class="md-content"> <div class="md-article-container template-procon"> <div class="infinite-scroll-container article last"> <script> Object.assign( window.Mendel.config, { "infiniteScrollList": [{"p":1,"t":2256848},{"p":1,"t":404594},{"p":1,"t":2250068},{"p":6,"t":40966},{"p":1,"t":18707},{"p":18,"t":428005},{"p":1,"t":2226688},{"p":1,"t":1991598},{"p":1,"t":259787},{"p":1,"t":762559}], "sequence": 1, "topics": {} }); </script> <article class="article-content container-lg qa-content px-0 pt-0 pb-40 py-lg-20 content md-expanded" data-topic-id="2256848"> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate">Paying College Athletes</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#refref-table-2256848"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref-table-2256848">Pros and Cons at a Glance</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref398155"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398155">Pros</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref398156"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398156">Pro 1: The NCAA, colleges, and universities profit unfairly from the work and likenesses of college athletes.</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref398157"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398157">Pro 2: College athletes are risking their bodies as well as their future careers and earning potential to play for colleges and universities while often receiving a sub-par education.</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref398158"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398158">Pro 3: College athletes are often valued at more than $1 million, but they (and their families) frequently live below the poverty line.</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref398159"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398159">Cons</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref398160"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398160">Con 1: Scholarships are fair financial compensation for college athletes, especially considering the precarious finances of athletic departments.</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref398161"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398161">Con 2: Very few college athletes will go pro, so athletes should take advantage of the education being offered in exchange for playing a college sport.</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref398162"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398162">Con 3: Paying college athletes would not solve the real problem: the American amateur sports system is broken.</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref398163"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398163">Take Action</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref398164"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398164">Sources</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/paying-college-athletes-debate">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2256848/282272" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-004-C61387F7/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg" alt="2022 NCAA champions" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Read Next </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/pro-and-con-college-education"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/34/230834-131-D392BB8E/College-graduation-graduates.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="College graduation. University graduates in caps and gowns." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/pro-and-con-college-education" >Pro and Con: College Education</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/pro-and-con-free-college"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/216088-131-77CA1622/college-graduates.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Graduation asian female friends hold diploma. cheerful students hugging shoulders arms with thumbs up beautiful cheerful women students looking each other smiling" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/pro-and-con-free-college" >Pro and Con: Free College </a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/what-makes-hbcus-unique"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/47/244147-131-263FF5C5/Human-Jukebox-Southern-University-Marching-Band-Baton-Rouge-Louisiana.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Human Jukebox - The Southern University Marching Band perform during a college football game at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Southern University "Human Jukebox" Marching Band" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/what-makes-hbcus-unique" >What Makes HBCUs Unique?</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-discover"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Discover </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/6-classical-dances-of-india"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/162489-131-1E685B1B/Dancer-Indian-odissi-dance.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Odissi Indian classical female dancer on white background. (Indian dancer; classical dancer; Indian dance)" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/6-classical-dances-of-india" >6 Classical Dances of India</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/10-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-fish"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/173996-131-3DDAD81A/Fish-Lionfish-Lion-fish-Turkey-fish-Red-lionfish.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/10-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-fish" >10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/how-does-wi-fi-work"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/197118-131-00A7D6AF/Computer-Code-Binary-Internet-Password-Data-Technology.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Binary Computer Code, Binary Code, Internet, Technology, Password, Data" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/how-does-wi-fi-work" >How Does Wi-Fi Work?</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/story/nikola-teslas-weird-obsession-with-pigeons"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/13/173513-131-C6E1BD52/mourning-dove-North-America.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="bird. mourning dove. pigeon and dove. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) family Columbidae." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/story/nikola-teslas-weird-obsession-with-pigeons" >Nikola Tesla's Weird Obsession with Pigeons</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/5-unusual-olympic-sports"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/74/190974-131-C920E3BC/man-skeet-shooting-shell.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Young man skeet shooting with airborne shell" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/5-unusual-olympic-sports" >6 Unusual Olympic Sports</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/6-deadliest-earthquakes"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/166941-131-E27FD3A6/Yingxiu-school-China-Sichuan-earthquake-May-2008.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/6-deadliest-earthquakes" >The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/secret-service-code-names-of-11-us-presidents"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/45/189145-131-45FF672E/Secret-Service-Agent-Earpiece.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/secret-service-code-names-of-11-us-presidents" >Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button class="drawerToggle btn position-sticky border btn-xs btn-white btn-circle rounded-sm d-none d-lg-flex " type="button" aria-label="Toggle Drawer"> <em class="material-icons font-18 text-blue" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="h-100 ml-0 pr-lg-0 "> <div class="h-100 grid gx-0 gx-lg-20"> <div class="h-100 col-sm"> <div class="h-100 infinite-pagination-container d-flex flex-column position-relative"> <div class="position-absolute top-0 h-100 w-100"> <div class="toc-sticky-header d-none d-lg-none bg-gray-50 px-10 px-sm-30 position-sticky w-100 "> <div class="toc-sticky-header-inner-container align-items-center d-flex mx-auto h-100 w-100"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-sm btn-white text-blue border-2 border-gray-100 gtm-mobile-toc-header-button js-sections-button d-lg-none p-10"> <em class="material-icons my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Contents </button> <div class="header-ai-simplify-button-placeholder"></div> <div class="header-ai-ask-button-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="grey-box w-100 grey-box-top grey-box-bottom"> <div class="grey-box-content mx-auto w-100"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "position" : 1, "item" : { "@id" : "/procon", "name": "ProCon" } } ] } </script> <nav class="mt-10"> <a class="procon-label font-weight-semi-bold font-14 super-category-badge rounded" href="/procon">ProCon</a> </nav> <div class="page2ref-true topic-content topic-type-REGULAR" data-student-article="false"> <script class="page-description-json" type="application/json"> { "url": "/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate", "shareUrl": "https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate", "browserTitle": "Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education", "firstTopicPage": true, "topicId":2256848 } </script> <div class="reading-channel"> <div class="desktop-header-image module-spacing"> <figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-20 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="13684" data-asm-type="image"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"> <a style="min-height: 160px;" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/2256848/282272"> <picture> <source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg?w=300"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop" alt="2022 NCAA champions" loading="eager" /> </picture> <button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"> <em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </button> </a> </div> <figcaption class="card-body"> <div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"> <span> <a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/245654-050-FF593456/Kansas-Jayhawks-celebrate-NCAA-basketball-win-against-North-Carolina-Tar-Heels-2022.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2256848/282272">2022 NCAA champions</a> <span><span>Members of the University of Kansas Jayhawks celebrating their win over the University of North Carolina Tarheels in the NCAA championship, 2022.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Paying College Athletes</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">Should Colleges and Universities Pay College Athletes?</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-inline-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="2256848"> <button class="js-tooltip btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border pr-10 border-2 text-nowrap" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="more_vert"></em> More Actions </button> <div class="md-more-popover popover popover-sm p-0 font-14 z-1"> <div> <button class="js-print-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=2256848] .md-print-modal" > <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="print"></em> Print </button> <div class="md-print-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10">print</em> Print </div> <div class="mt-20 mb-10"> Please select which sections you would like to print: </div> <form action="/print/article/2256848" method="post" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <div class="print-box-items"> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li><label><input class="mr-10" type="checkbox" name="sequence[]" value="0">Table Of Contents</label></li> </ul> </div> <input type="submit" class="btn btn-blue md-disabled" value="Print" /> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-modal qa-cite-modal-button btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=2256848] .md-cite-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="verified"></em> Cite </button> <div class="md-cite-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom mb-15"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10">verified</em>Cite </div> <div class="font-serif"> While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="The Editors of ProCon" data-authors-initial="The Editors of ProCon" data-title="Paying College Athletes" data-published-date="6 Feb. 2025" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=2256848] .md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Paying College Athletes" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate">https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate</a> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-feedback-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal=".md-feedback-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="message"></em> Feedback </button> </div> </div> <div class="md-feedback-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom"> Feedback </div> <form method="post" action="/submission/feedback/2256848"> <div class="my-20"> Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 d-none mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-header-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/procon-editors/12941390" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of ProCon</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">ProCon's editors write and verify new content and update existing content. ProCon presents the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of ProCon</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-06T00:00:00CST" >Feb 6, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <section id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><em>ARCHIVED TOPIC: This topic was archived on Mar. 22, 2024 and will no longer be updated.</em></strong></p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Collegiate-Athletic-Association" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)</a> is a nonprofit organization formed in 1906 that regulates college athletics, including game rules, athlete eligibility, and college tournaments. As of Mar. 2021, the NCAA was composed of “[n]early half a million college athletes [who] make up the 19,886 teams that send more than 57,661 participants to compete each year in the NCAA’s 90 championships in 24 sports across 3 divisions.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-1">[1]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-2">[2]</a></p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The NCAA is seemingly the final authority to decide whether college athletes should be paid to play college sports. However, in 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Play Act that allows college athletes to hire agents, sign endorsement deals, and be paid for the use of their likeness. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-3">[3]</a></p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">California was the first state to pass a NIL (name, image, and likeness) law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023. But California was quickly followed by more states. As of June 10, 2021, 18 states have passed NIL laws; five more states have passed bills that were awaiting the governor’s signature to become law; 14 states have introduced NIL bills; and one state has a bill passed by the Senate and awaiting a House vote, according to the Business of College Sports. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-3">[3]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-4">[4]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-5">[5]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-6">[6]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-7">[7]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-8">[8]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-9">[9]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-42">[42]</a></p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The NCAA was scheduled to vote on new NIL rules in Jan. 2021, but it then postponed the vote, citing “external factors.” Days before the scheduled vote Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice under the Trump administration, questioned the proposed rules’ compliance with antitrust laws. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-10">[10]</a> <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-11">[11]</a></p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case (<em>National Collegiate Athletic Association</em> v. <em>Shawne Alston, et al.</em>) about whether the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by restricting college athletes’ compensation. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-12">[12]</a> The Supreme Court heard arguments on Mar. 31, 2021 as the NCAA March Madness tournament heads into Final Four games just days later on Apr. 3. Respondents were split 50/50 in a June 1, 2021 <em>New York Times</em> survey about whether the NCAA strictly limiting paid compensation is constitutional. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-13">[13]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-14">[14]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-41">[41]</a></p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Gabe Feldman, Professor of Sports Law, Director of the Sports Law Program and Associate Provost for NCAA compliance at Tulane University, noted that the last time the NCAA was at the Supreme Court was in 1984 (NCAA vs. the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma). The ruling changed the broadcast regulations for college football. Feldman explained, “That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. And ever since that 1984 decision, courts have been relying on that language to try to interpret antitrust law applies to all NCAA restrictions, including player compensation.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-15">[15]</a></p><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the NCAA cannot ban certain payments to student athletes under the premise of maintaining amateurism. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated, “traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated. Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. The NCAA is not above the law.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-43">[43]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-44">[44]</a></p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">On June 28, 2021, the NCAA Division I Council recommended to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors that student athletes be allowed to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Schools would not be allowed to pay students and no one could offer compensation for students to attend a particular school. If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-45">[45]</a></p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">On June 30, 2021, fewer than 12 hours before some states’ NIL laws went into effect, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors issued an interim ruling stating that Bylaw 12 (the rules that say athletes cannot receive payment) will not be enforced. Divisions II and III of the NCAA followed suit and the changes went into effect for all three divisions on July 1, 2021. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-46">[46]</a></p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. UNC athletes will be able to earn money for NIL marketing including UNC trademarks and logos in groups of three or more athletes. For example, a student athlete will be compensated for the sale of a jersey featuring their name, or for a sponsorship deal in which they appear wearing a UNC jersey. Group licensing deals in theory can allow lesser-known players to reap the benefits of appearing alongside a well-known player. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-47">[47]</a></p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD12 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">By Jan. 2022, without a clear NIL structure from the NCAA, some schools were questioning how to navigate deals for players or whole teams without violating NCAA policy. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-48">[48]</a></p><span class="marker MOD12 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD13 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">NCAA president Charlie Baker sent a letter on Dec. 5, 2023, to the 362 Division I member schools calling for reformations including creating a separate division for the top-earning schools that would mimic professional sports and updating NIL regulations so female athletes could better benefit. The rule changes will have to be considered by the NCAA governing boards, a process which could take up to a year. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-50">[50]</a></p><span class="marker MOD13 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD14 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">A 2019 Seton Hall Sports Poll found that 60% of those surveyed agreed that college athletes should be allowed compensation for their name, image, and/or likeness, while 32% disagreed, and 8% were unsure. This was quite a change from polling conducted in 2017, when 60% believed college scholarships were enough compensation for college athletes. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-16">[16]</a></p><span class="marker MOD14 mod-inline"></span></section><section class="summary"><h2 class="h1" id="ref-table-2256848">Pros and Cons at a Glance</h2><table class="pro-con"><thead><tr><th>PROS</th><th>CONS</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Pro 1: The NCAA, colleges, and universities profit unfairly from the work and likenesses of college athletes. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398156">Read More.</a></td><td>Con 1: Scholarships are fair financial compensation for college athletes, especially considering the precarious finances of athletic departments. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398160">Read More.</a></td></tr><tr><td>Pro 2: College athletes are risking their bodies as well as their future careers and earning potential to play for colleges and universities while often receiving a sub-par education. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398157">Read More.</a></td><td>Con 2: Very few college athletes will go pro, so athletes should take advantage of the education being offered in exchange for playing a college sport. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398161">Read More.</a></td></tr><tr><td>Pro 3: College athletes are often valued at more than $1 million, but they (and their families) frequently live below the poverty line. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398158">Read More.</a></td><td>Con 3: Paying college athletes would not solve the real problem: the American amateur sports system is broken. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398162">Read More.</a></td></tr></tbody></table></section><section id="ref398155"><div class="mb-15"><h2 class="h1 d-inline-block mb-0">Pro Arguments </h2> <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398159">(Go to Con Arguments)</a></div><section class="pro" id="ref398156"> <h2 class="h2">Pro 1: The NCAA, colleges, and universities profit unfairly from the work and likenesses of college athletes.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD15 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The NCAA reported over $1.06 billion in revenue in 2017 (the most recent available numbers). In 2018, NCAA president Mark Emmert was paid more than $2.7 million. Nine other NCAA executives were paid more than $500,000 in 2018, with one paid more than $1.3 million. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-18">[18]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-19">[19]</a></p><span class="marker MOD15 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD16 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Michael Sokolove, author of <em>The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino</em> (2018), explained, “If you look at a program like [University of] Louisville, …they generate about $45 million a year in revenue. They give out 13 scholarships. That adds up to about $400,000 a year. The rest of it gets spread out to the coach, who makes $8 million a year, to the assistant coaches, who make as much as a half-million dollars a year. All throughout the athletic department, people are making six-figure salaries. It does not go to the players, what I call the unpaid workforce.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-3">[3]</a></p><span class="marker MOD16 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD17 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">As of Nov. 17, 2020, the University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was the highest paid NCAA college football coach, making $9.3 million per year. 81 other head football coaches made more than $1 million annually and another 29 more than $500,000. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-20">[20]</a></p><span class="marker MOD17 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD18 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The highest paid men’s basketball coach was the University of Kentucky head coach, John Calipari, who was paid $8.2 million per year. 69 other head men’s basketball coaches were paid more than $1 million annually, and another three more than $500,000. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-20">[20]</a></p><span class="marker MOD18 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD19 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who was forecast to earn about $11 million in 2023, says, “I would take less money for the players to have a share. I hope other coaches would use their voice to express the same thing.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-50">[50]</a></p><span class="marker MOD19 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD20 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">College athletes, arguably the stars of the show who earn millions year after year for the well-paid NCAA executives, coaches, and staff, were forbidden by the NCAA from not only being paid for their work-, but from seeking other related compensation such as endorsement deals. And, as John I. Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick, President and Athletics Director of Notre Dame University argue, “We have been vocal in our conviction that student-athletes should be allowed to… profit from their celebrity — for one simple reason: Other students are allowed to. If a college student is a talented artist or musician no one begrudges him the chance to make money from his skills. And athletes should as far as possible have the opportunities other students enjoy.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-49">[49]</a></p><span class="marker MOD20 mod-inline"></span> </section><section class="pro" id="ref398157"> <h2 class="h2">Pro 2: College athletes are risking their bodies as well as their future careers and earning potential to play for colleges and universities while often receiving a sub-par education.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD21 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Governor of California Gavin Newsom, stated, “Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line — their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. Colleges reap billions from these student athletes’ sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. That’s a bankrupt model.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-3">[3]</a></p><span class="marker MOD21 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD22 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Zachary Kerr, Researcher at the University of North Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, stated, “I definitely think research indicates strong evidence that injuries during one’s sports career can potentially be associated with adverse health outcomes later in life.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-21">[21]</a></p><span class="marker MOD22 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD23 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 2017, 67% of former Division I athletes had sustained a major injury and 50% had chronic injuries, 2.5% higher than non-athletes. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-21">[21]</a></p><span class="marker MOD23 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD24 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Azmatullah Hussaini, President of the New York/New Jersey chapter of the American Muslim Health Professionals, and Jules Lipoff, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, offered additional context: especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, “[g]iven that athletes are disproportionately Black in the biggest revenue-generating sports — football and basketball — this dynamic also evokes America’s horrific history of unpaid slave labor. It’s hard to ignore the racist undertones when the financial benefit to these institutions is based on the unpaid work of young Black men.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-22">[22]</a></p><span class="marker MOD24 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD25 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The NCAA requires players to have health insurance but does not pay for that insurance and can refuse to pay medical expenses for sports injuries, some of which can have life-long consequences for the players’ bodies and career opportunities. The NCAA also does not prohibit schools from canceling injured athletes’ scholarships, leaving athletes without a sport or education. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-23">[23]</a></p><span class="marker MOD25 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD26 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Adding insult to sometimes literal injury, college athletes are also frequently denied the NCAA’s other form of “compensation”: a quality education. As Jon Solomon, Editorial Director for the Sports and Society Program at the Aspen Institute explained, “The most glaring example occurred when the University of North Carolina was found by outside parties to have organized fake classes that enabled dozens of athletes to gain and maintain their eligibility… of the 3,100 students who took the fake classes over 18 years, 47.4 percent were athletes… North Carolina avoided NCAA penalties by essentially arguing that the NCAA should stay out of irregularities in college courses.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-24">[24]</a>The NCAA polices athletes’ finances but does not ensure a quality education.</p><span class="marker MOD26 mod-inline"></span> </section><section class="pro" id="ref398158"> <h2 class="h2">Pro 3: College athletes are often valued at more than $1 million, but they (and their families) frequently live below the poverty line.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD27 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Pro 3 College athletes are often valued at more than $1 million, but they (and their families) frequently live below the poverty line. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the top two college football positions–the quarterback and wide receiver–were worth $2.4 million and $1.3 million per year respectively, while starting men’s basketball players in the Power Five schools were worth between $800,000 and $1.2 million per year. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-25">[25]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-26">[26]</a></p><span class="marker MOD27 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD28 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">If college players earned about 50% of their teams’ revenues like the NFL and NBA players do, the average football player’s yearly salary would be $360,000 and the average basketball player’s yearly salary would be $500,000. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-25">[25]</a><a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-26">[26]</a></p><span class="marker MOD28 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD29 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The study found that “[t]he player-level analysis reveals that the existing limits on player compensation effectively transfers resources away from students who are more likely to be black and more likely to come from poor neighborhoods towards students who are more likely to be white and come from higher-income neighborhoods.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-25">[25]</a></p><span class="marker MOD29 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD30 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">College athletes are required to make up the difference between NCAA scholarships and the actual cost of living. Tuition shortfalls amount to thousands of dollars per year and leave about 85% of players to live below the poverty line. For example, fair market value for a University of Texas football player was $513,922. However, players lived $778 below the federal poverty line and owed $3,624 in tuition. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-27">[27]</a></p><span class="marker MOD30 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD31 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">About 25% of Division I athletes reported food poverty in the past year and almost 14% reported being homeless in the past year. Erin McGeoy, a former water polo athlete at George Washington University, explained, “a common occurrence was that we would run out of meal money halfway through the semester and that’s when I started to run into troubles of food insecurity.” She turned to boarding dogs in her no-dogs-allowed apartment in order to pay rent because housing costs increased each year but her housing allowance remained static. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-28">[28]</a></p><span class="marker MOD31 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD32 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The NCAA keeps players in poverty and denied them ways to earn money, while making millions on their performance.</p><span class="marker MOD32 mod-inline"></span> </section></section><section id="ref398159"><div class="mb-15" id=""><h2 class="h1 d-inline-block mb-0">Con Arguments</h2> <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#ref398155">(Go to Pro Arguments)</a></div><section class="con" id="ref398160"> <h2 class="h2">Con 1: Scholarships are fair financial compensation for college athletes, especially considering the precarious finances of athletic departments.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD33 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">According to the NCAA, the organization provides “more than $3.6 billion in athletic scholarships annually to more than 180,000 student-athletes.” Divided equitably, each student would receive about $20,000 per year. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average total cost of public college (tuition, fees, room, and board) for the 2017–18 academic year was $17,797. Considering other scholarships and aid are widely available and not all college athletes require financial aid, the NCAA scholarships are generous. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-29">[29]</a>[<a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-30">[30]</a></p><span class="marker MOD33 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD34 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Further, most college programs do not generate the income needed to run their athletic programs, much less pay athletes. In fiscal year 2019, the collective expenses of the 65 Power Five schools–the largest and richest Division I schools in the NCAA–exceeded revenue by $7 million. Other Division I schools had an almost $23 million collective difference between revenue and expenses. No Division II or III schools’ revenue exceeded expenses. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-31">[31]</a></p><span class="marker MOD34 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD35 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">If students were paid, the NCAA argues, many colleges and universities would have to offer fewer scholarships and the remaining scholarships would be distributed unfairly to top football and men’s basketball players because those two sports bring in the most revenue. Schools would also have to cut unprofitable sports including gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-32">[32]</a> Discrepancies between men’s and women’s sports such as the weight room during the 2021 NCAA basketball tournament would only worsen. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-40">[40]</a></p><span class="marker MOD35 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD36 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Paying players would also limit the literal and figurative playing fields to elite universities with large budgets. As John Thelin, Research Professor of History of Higher Education & Public Policy at the University of Kentucky, explained, “paying salaries to players will increase [athletic] program expenditures without necessarily increasing revenues… [and] a handful of powerful programs will stand to gain in competition for athletic talent simply because they can afford to pay salaries. Others will mimic as they try to keep up but eventually will fall short in trying to outbid Auburn University, Florida State, the University of Southern California or the University of Texas in the college player arms race.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-33">[33]</a></p><span class="marker MOD36 mod-inline"></span> </section><section class="con" id="ref398161"> <h2 class="h2">Con 2: Very few college athletes will go pro, so athletes should take advantage of the education being offered in exchange for playing a college sport.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD37 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The reality is that the vast majority of college athletes will never play professionally. Of the 36,011 college baseball players, only 8,002 are eligible to play professionally each year. 1,217 will be draft picks, but only 791 will be drafted yearly, meaning about 9.9% of college baseball players will go pro, which is the largest likelihood in NCAA sports. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-34">[34]</a></p><span class="marker MOD37 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD38 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The major money-makers, football and men’s basketball, have very low odds. Of the 73,712 NCAA football players, about 16,380 are draft-eligible and 254 will be drafted, meaning about 1.2% of college football players will go pro. Of the 18,816 male basketball players, 4,181 are draft-eligible and 60 will be drafted, but only 52 will go pro, or a 1.2% chance a college basketball player will play professionally. The odds are even lower for women’s basketball at 0.6%. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-34">[34]</a></p><span class="marker MOD38 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD39 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The NCAA noted, “[p]rofessional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a high school or even college athlete becoming a professional athlete is very low. In contrast, the likelihood of an NCAA athlete earning a college degree is significantly greater; graduation success rates are 86% in Division I, 71% in Division II and 87% in Division III.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-34">[34]</a></p><span class="marker MOD39 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD40 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In other words, it would be more prudent and more profitable for college athletes to focus on education as their compensation.</p><span class="marker MOD40 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD41 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Data analyzed from the Department of Labor showed nine out of 10 new jobs were going to employees with college degrees in June 2018. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-35">[35]</a> Further, a Gallup poll of “74,385 U.S. adults with a bachelor’s degree, finds that college graduates who participated in NCAA athletics experience a host of positive long-term life outcomes at greater rates than non-athletes.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-36">[36]</a></p><span class="marker MOD41 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD42 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Those positive outcomes include: 70% of NCAA athletes graduated in four years or fewer, 50% agree that college was worth the cost, 39% earned an advanced degree, 33% have “good” jobs after graduation, and 24% “are thriving at the highest levels,” all higher percentages than their non-athlete peers. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-36">[36]</a></p><span class="marker MOD42 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD43 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Amy Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, said of the Gallup findings, “It’s a positive report for the educational benefits for college sports, and it reinforces the point that we’ve tried to make over the years. There’s an important role for college sports in higher education, and that role needs to be placed in the proper perspective as part of the educational mission, not apart from it.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-37">[37]</a></p><span class="marker MOD43 mod-inline"></span> </section><section class="con" id="ref398162"> <h2 class="h2">Con 3: Paying college athletes would not solve the real problem: the American amateur sports system is broken.</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD44 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Football and basketball players cannot play professionally immediately after high school. The NBA requires players to be at least 19 and a year out of high school, while the NFL requires players to be three years out of high school. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-38">[38]</a> These rules can effectively limit players’ options to playing in college or choosing another profession altogether. Most players have no real “amateur” sport option and those who would rather not go to college have no other established feeder system to make it to a professional team.</p><span class="marker MOD44 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD45 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Further confusing the issue, the NCAA does not have a consistent or fair definition of “amateurism” and allows some significant forms of financial compensation. College athletes are allowed to compete in the Olympic Games and be financially compensated, such as Joseph Schooling, a University of Texas swimmer, who earned a $740,000 bonus for winning Singapore’s first gold medal ever at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games for the 100m butterfly. College athletes may also play a second sport professionally and be compensated, such as Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker who earned a $1.4 million baseball signing bonus from the Colorado Rockies in 2010 while still playing football for the Tigers. Tennis players may earn up to $10,000 in prize money yearly while playing college tennis and college football players may earn up to $550 in bowl gifts. <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-24">[24]</a></p><span class="marker MOD45 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD46 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">B. David Ridpath, Associate Professor of Sports Administration at Ohio University, noted, “The only amateur quality about college athletics is that colleges refuse to pay their players.” Ridpath explained, “The United States is the only country in the world that has a significant portion of elite athletic development and commercialized sport embedded within its education systems. Consider that ten of the biggest outdoor sports stadiums in the world (excluding auto racing venues) are American college football stadiums. None of the largest ones are NFL stadiums.” <a href="/procon/paying-college-athletes-debate#pcref-2256848-39">[39]</a></p><span class="marker MOD46 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD47 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">To fix the problem, and separate athletes who are getting an education just because they want to play a sport from those who actually want to go to college, the United States needs a true amateur or minor league that feeds into professional sports.</p><span class="marker MOD47 mod-inline"></span> </section></section><span class="marker h4"></span><section data-level="1" class="takeaction" id="ref398163"> <h2 class="h1">Take Action</h2> <ol><li><div>Consider the pro position of the <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncpanow.org/about-us" data-show-preview="true">National College Players Association</a> that paying college athletes is a civil rights issue.</div></li><li><div>Explore the <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncaa.org/" data-show-preview="true">NCAA site</a> and think critically about the organization as the governing body of college athletics.</div></li><li><div>Analyze the argument that paying athletes would “ruin college sports” from <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/opinion/pay-college-athletes.html" data-show-preview="true">Cody J. McDavis</a>, former college basketball player.</div></li><li><div>Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.</div></li><li><div>Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S.  <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm" data-show-preview="true">senators</a> and <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative" data-show-preview="true">representatives</a>.</div></li></ol> </section><section class="sources" id="ref398164"><h2 class="h1">Sources</h2><div class="sources"><ol><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-1">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “National Collegiate Athletic Association,” britannica.com, Sep. 14, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-2">NCAA, “What Is the NCAA?,” ncaa.org (accessed Mar. 1, 2021)</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-3">Colin Dwyer, “California Governor Signs Bill Allowing College Athletes to Profit from Endorsements,” npr.org, Sep. 30, 2019</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-4">Rudy Hill and Jonatha D. Wohlwend, “Florida Law Will Allow College Athletes to Profit from Name, Image, and Likeness Starting Summer 2021,” June, 25, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-5">Ben Pickman, “Colorado Governor Signs Bills Allowing NCAA Athletes to Profit Off Name, Likeness,” si.com, Mar. 20, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-6">Christian Dennie, “Governor of Nebraska Signs Name, Image, and Likeness Bill into Law,” bgsfirm.com, Aug. 28, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-7">Gregg E. Clifton, “UPDATE: Michigan Joins Growing Number of States Granting Name, Image, Likeness Rights to Collegiate Student-Athletes,” natlawreview.com, Jan. 1, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-8">Suzette Parmley, “Murphy Signs Bill Paying NJ College Athletes and Allowing Them to Hire Attorneys/Agents,” law.com, Sep. 14, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-9">Student Player, studentplayer.com (accessed on Mar. 1, 2021)</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-10">Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg, “NCAA Delays Vote to Change College Athlete Compensation Rules,” espn.com, Jan. 11, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-11">Sarah Polus, “NCAA Tables Name, Image and Likeness Vote after DOJ Warns of Potential Antitrust Violations,” thehill.com, Jan. 12, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-12">Adam Liptak, “Supreme Court to Rule on N.C.A.A. Limits on Paying College Athletes,” nytimes.com, Dec. 16, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-13">Dennis Dodd, “Breaking Down the NCAA’s Forthcoming Supreme Court Battle with Its Big Brother Status and Amateurism at Stake,” cbssports.com, Feb. 3, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-14">NCAA, “2021 March Madness: Complete Schedule, Dates,” ncaa.org (accessed Mar. 1, 2021]</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-15">Jessica Gresko, “High Court Agrees to Hear NCAA Athlete Compensation Case,” nsjonline.com, Dec. 16, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-16">Daniel Roberts, “Poll: 60% of Americans Support College Athletes Getting Paid Endorsements,” finance.yahoo.com, Oct. 8, 2019</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-17">NCPA, “NCAA Refusal to Vote on NIL Pay Is ‘Slap in the Face’ to Athletes,” ncpanow.org, Jan. 11, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-18">Bloomberg, “The NCAA Raked in Over $1 Billion Last Year,” fortune.com, Mar. 7, 2018</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-19">Steve Berkowitz, “NCAA President Mark Emmert Credited with $2.7 Million in Total Pay for 2018 Calendar Year,” usatoday.com, June 2, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-20"><em>USA Today</em>, “NCAA Salaries,” usatoday.com, Nov. 17, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-21">Ian McMahan, “Athletes Are Paying the Physical Price of Playing College Sports,” si.com, Oct. 31, 2017</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-22">Azmatullah Hussaini and Jules Lipoff, “Op-Ed: COVID-19 Is Making the NCAA’s Exploitation of Student-Athletes Even More Obvious,” latimes.com, June 23, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-23">Meghan Walsh, “’I Trusted ’Em’: When NCAA Schools Abandon Their Injured Athletes,” theatlantic.com, May 1, 2013</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-24">Jon Solomon, “The History Behind the Debate over Paying NCAA Athletes,” aspeninstitute.org, Apr. 23, 2018</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-25">Craig Garthwaite, “Who Profits from Amateurism? Rent-Sharing in Modern College Sports,” nber.org, Oct. 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-26">Tommy Beer, “NCAA Athletes Could Make $2 Million A Year If Paid Equitably, Study Suggests,” forbes.com, Sep. 1, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-27">NCPA, “Study: "The Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sport" - 9/13/2011,” ncpanow.org, Sep. 13, 2011</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-28">Mary Kate McCoy, “Survey: Nearly a Quarter of Division I Athletes Face Food Insecurity,” wpr.org, May 6, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-29">NCAA, “Scholarships,” ncaa.org (accessed Mar. 3, 2021)</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-30">National Center for Education Statistics, “Fast Facts: Tuition Costs of Colleges and Universities,” nces.gov, 2019</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-31">NCAA, “Finances of Intercollegiate Athletics,” ncaa.org (accessed Mar. 3, 2021)</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-32">NCAA, “NCAA Defends Scholarships for College Athletes,” ncaaorg (accessed Mar. 3, 2021)</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-33">John Thelin, “Paying College Athletes,” insidehighered.com, Feb. 12, 2018</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-34">NCAA, “Estimated Probability of Competing in Professional Athletics,” ncaa.org, Apr. 8, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-35">Steve Goldstein, “Nine out of 10 New Jobs Are Going to Those with a College Degree,” marketwatch.com, June 5, 2018</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-36">Gallup, “A Study of NCAA Student-Athletes: Undergraduate Experiences and Post-College Outcomes,” gallup.com, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-37">Greta Anderson, “Study: College Athletes Have Better Academic, Life Outcomes,” insiderhighered.com, June 24, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-38">Griffin Connolly, “Wealth distribution is bad — except when it comes to college athletes’ money, top Republican senator suggests,” theindependent.co.uk, Sep. 15, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-39">B. David Ridpath, “A Path Forward for Reforming College Sports,” jamesgmartin.center, Jan. 15, 2020</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-40">Molly Hensley-Clancy, “NCAA Vows to Improve Conditions at Women’s Basketball Tournament, as Outcry Continues,” washingtonpost.com, Mar. 19, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-41">Adam Liptak and Alicia Parlapiano, "What the Public Thinks about Major Supreme Court Cases This Term," nytimes.com, June 1, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-42">Business of College Sports, "Tracker: Name, Image and Likeness Legislation by State," businessofcollegesports.com, June 10, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-43">Adam Liptak, "Supreme Court Backs Payments to Student-Athletes," nytimes.com, July 21, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-44">US Supreme Court, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20-512_gfbh.pdf" class="md-crosslink sources" data-show-preview="true">"Syllabus National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston et al.,"</a> supremecourt.gov, July 21, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-45">Alan Blinder, "College Players May Make Money Off Their Fame, Powerful N.C.A.A. Panel Recommends," nytimes.com, June 28, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-46">Alan Blinder, "College Athletes May Earn Money from Their Fame, N.C.A.A. Rules," nytimes.com, June 30, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-47">Becky Sullivan, "UNC Becomes the First School to Organize Group Endorsement Deals for Its Players," npr.org, July 21, 2021</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-48">Josh Moody, "Lack of Clear-Cut NCAA Rules Creates Confusion about NIL," insidehighered.com, Jan. 4, 2022</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-49">John I. Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick, "College Sports Are a Treasure. Don’t Turn Them Into the Minor Leagues.," nytimes.com, Mar. 23, 2023</li><li class="marker" id="pcref-2256848-50">Billy Witz, "N.C.A.A. Proposes Uncapping Compensation for Athletes," nytimes.com, Dec. 5, 2023</li></ol></div></section></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"PROCON","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":2256848,"pageLength":3954,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Paying College Athletes | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Sports, Compensation, and Education | Britannica