In recent years, the conversation surrounding college players has been expanding, and amid the current NCAA FBI investigation, this debate has only grown larger. College athletes have been playing without pay for years, but is it time for change? Not only would paying players paint the NCAA in a more positive light, but it would also legitimize something that occurs frequently anyways: the payment of college athletes.

At the current moment, the NCAA hasn’t exactly earned high respects amongst the general public due to the fact that universities garner millions of dollars due to their college players, but don’t compensate them with anything it return. In addition, the athletes will have a motive to stay and continue to play for their university for multiple years, as opposed to heading to professional leagues and drafts. Colleges would be able to keep some of their best talent on the team and the players would be more than happy to stay as well, which would greatly shift the current climate of college athletics away from the mindset of leaving school early and perhaps skipping college altogether and playing professionally directly from high school.

One of the main reasons why college athletes leave school early is to earn money so they can support themselves and their families, especially considering the fact that many college players come from lower class families. Additionally, if players have an incentive to stay in school they will have a greater chance of graduating and obtaining a 4 year-degree, which will greatly help them in the future when sports no longer becomes a sustainable profession.

Joe Mairs 20’ brings up another aspect of this argument by stating, “I don’t think college players should get paychecks, but they should be allowed the ability to agree to endorsements”. Considering that many popular college athletes are widely known and iconicized around the country, the notion that they should be allowed to receive money from endorsement deals is a reasonable one. At the moment, college athletes aren’t allowed to make any money whatsoever, even if the source of the funds is outside of the NCAA. By allowing endorsements for their college athletes, universities wouldn’t even have to worry about salaries for their individual players, and instead they could allow for clothing brands or athletic companies to partner with their athletes and supply them with revenue.

It’s time for college athletes to be allowed to make money off of their athletic successes. Whether it’s an endorsement deal or a paycheck, a monetary incentive is crucial to the success of the NCAA going forward.