Posted by: John S Kiernan

College athletics generate nearly $1 trillion in annual revenue for the NCAA and its member institutions, yet relatively little of that goes to the real stars of the show. The average top-tier football or men’s basketball player earns his school roughly $200,000 per season, according to NCAA data, while being compensated to the tune of $14,000 in education, food and housing each year. And all of that can disappear just as quickly as an ACL can tear, as scholarships are not guaranteed.           Meanwhile, more than 100 football and men’s basketball coaches earn more than $1 million per year, as do nine athletic directors and at least 30 school presidents, according to WalletHub research. Even teaching assistants make nearly $16,000 per year.

So the question remains: Should college athletes receive direct monetary compensation for their efforts, or is amateurism too precious of an ideal to let go of just yet?

College Athletes SHOULD Be Paid < >

• Steve Baker Bay Area Sports Attorney and Law Professor at Golden Gate Law School
• Earl Smith Emeritus Professor of Sociology and the Rubin Distinguished Professor of American Ethnic Studies at Wake Forest University
• Peter Goplerud Dean and a Professor of Law at Florida Coastal School of Law
• Richard Karcher Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Eastern Michigan University, School of Health Promotion & Human Performance
• Shawn E. Klein Philosophy Instructor at Arizona State University and blogger at SportsEthicist.com
• Kenny Zuckerman President of Athlete Representation and Partner at Priority Sports & Entertainment

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Image: Alex Belomlinsky / iStock.

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