For a quick second, you can find out which sport you love the most. Most athletes like to watch their favorite sport on television whether it is professional or collegiate, but in most cases, collegiate comes first. Most of us know the National Collegiate Athletic Association also known as the NCAA. We are all aware that this association is the reason why you can watch your favorite sport at the collegiate level. The NCAA’s revenue in 2015 was 912.3 million dollars, and it’s clear that these guys generate crazy amounts of money. If you look at a broken down version of how they made their money from 2011-12, 81 percent of the money they generated was from television and marketing rights fees. When I say television, that means for the people viewing NCAA sports from their houses. Now, a recent topic has been brought up not too long ago and still lightly exists now. This topic is a question, and that question is whether college athletes should get paid for the performances on live and national television, just like the NBA, NFL, NHL, etc. Well, I am here to talk about the reasons why this idea is not up to par.
The first reason is going to be observing which sports from the NCAA are receiving the most attention or the most views. Let’s look at the professional level for a bit. Regarding American created sports, it is clear that American football and basketball are currently the most popular games to be viewed. For the National Football League, their television viewing record is 111.9 million since 2005. For basketball, their record is 30.8 million, and these are the top two. When you translate these sports to the collegiate level, 74.81 million watched a college football event while basketball acquired 55.2 million. So, looking at the numbers, comparing them to other sports, these two are the most prevalent at both levels.
Based on statistics, basketball and football are the two most watched sports. For the athletes that play at the professional level, it is their job to do what they do, and it’s truly a blessing, playing a sport that you love and getting paid for it. Now let’s switch over to the collegiate level. For example, if you are playing college basketball on a full scholarship, in a sense, it's also your job, a coach has given you a full tuition, and you don't have to pay a dime to go to school. So what if you were to get paid at the collegiate level. Well, think about it this way. Professionals get paid millions of dollars to risk their body and risk injuries every time they play. Since that is the case, if college athletes were to receive checks for the performances, they might as well play at a professional level, where they have far more better perks than the college level. There is also another reason why this cannot happen. Players cannot just drop out of school and play at a pro level. In this world, and facing reality, trying to become part of a pro organization is tough, and this is one reason why they should get paid.
There is one more reason I want to cover. In 2009 Sports Illustrated posted an article about football and basketball athletes and what they did what their money. In that 2009 article, a study showed that 60 percent of former NBA players became broke within five years of retirement. They also studied the athletes for the NFL, saying that 78 percent of former NFL players became bankrupt within their “first two years of hanging up their cleats.” Now looking at these numbers is absorbing but also scary. In today’s sports world, many sports critics question the idea of young college athletes leaving school early to play a game professionally because they don’t know if they are mature enough. It’s shocking that maturity level is still an issue with some grown adults, but at the same time, it’s because the transition to college and professional is very drastic. So, looking at those numbers, if college players were to get paid this early, wouldn’t that be setting them up to become broke earlier in their careers? Of course, the situations doesn’t occur to everyone, but 60 percent and 78 percent is a big number. Looking at those statistics, I believe they should just keep everything the way it is now.
The first reason is going to be observing which sports from the NCAA are receiving the most attention or the most views. Let’s look at the professional level for a bit. Regarding American created sports, it is clear that American football and basketball are currently the most popular games to be viewed. For the National Football League, their television viewing record is 111.9 million since 2005. For basketball, their record is 30.8 million, and these are the top two. When you translate these sports to the collegiate level, 74.81 million watched a college football event while basketball acquired 55.2 million. So, looking at the numbers, comparing them to other sports, these two are the most prevalent at both levels.
Based on statistics, basketball and football are the two most watched sports. For the athletes that play at the professional level, it is their job to do what they do, and it’s truly a blessing, playing a sport that you love and getting paid for it. Now let’s switch over to the collegiate level. For example, if you are playing college basketball on a full scholarship, in a sense, it's also your job, a coach has given you a full tuition, and you don't have to pay a dime to go to school. So what if you were to get paid at the collegiate level. Well, think about it this way. Professionals get paid millions of dollars to risk their body and risk injuries every time they play. Since that is the case, if college athletes were to receive checks for the performances, they might as well play at a professional level, where they have far more better perks than the college level. There is also another reason why this cannot happen. Players cannot just drop out of school and play at a pro level. In this world, and facing reality, trying to become part of a pro organization is tough, and this is one reason why they should get paid.
There is one more reason I want to cover. In 2009 Sports Illustrated posted an article about football and basketball athletes and what they did what their money. In that 2009 article, a study showed that 60 percent of former NBA players became broke within five years of retirement. They also studied the athletes for the NFL, saying that 78 percent of former NFL players became bankrupt within their “first two years of hanging up their cleats.” Now looking at these numbers is absorbing but also scary. In today’s sports world, many sports critics question the idea of young college athletes leaving school early to play a game professionally because they don’t know if they are mature enough. It’s shocking that maturity level is still an issue with some grown adults, but at the same time, it’s because the transition to college and professional is very drastic. So, looking at those numbers, if college players were to get paid this early, wouldn’t that be setting them up to become broke earlier in their careers? Of course, the situations doesn’t occur to everyone, but 60 percent and 78 percent is a big number. Looking at those statistics, I believe they should just keep everything the way it is now.
