An athlete is in the gym, working harder and harder each day while spending endless hours striving to get better at his or her game. Countless nights are given up to look over plays, films, and comments on his or her performance. What happens if one does not become a professional in his or her sport? Was all of the hard work wasted for nothing? Should college players be paid for their devotion? According to The New Yorker, “If a high-school football prodigy reported that he chose Michigan not for its academic quality, tradition, or beautiful campus but because it outbid all other suitors, a connection to the university’s values would be lost” (The New Yorker). College players should not get paid because tuition is covered by the school, college athletes are not professional players, and schools can not afford to pay student athletes.
First, amateur college players should not be paid because they  receive a free education for their athletic abilities. While players are working 70 plus hours a week to get better, they do not have to worry about paying for their college tuition and textbooks. According to US News, “But on the flip side, the argument can be made that the opportunity to both receive an education …  more than compensates the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A) athletes for their efforts” (US News). Despite hours spent daily on a sport,  the N.C.A.A believes that because the schools pays for their tuition that it is fair that the college players do spend these hours. Furthermore, according to a news analysis source, KQED, the school gives the athletes an education, pays for their living expenses, and allows players to get media exposure. Giving athletes a free education and giving them money to play is just too much money for the college to spend. Additionally,  according to US News, “What is needed is a national movement of faculty and others to support multi year scholarships that extend to graduation (five year maximum). …  A five-year scholarship is priceless if it leads to a real education” (US News). Giving student athletes the chance of going into the professional level and the chance also to receive a real education is a very generous gift. Some may say that, college players deserve more than just a free education, but giving athletes a free education and the opportunity to play is priceless. Even if the athlete does not make it to the professional level, the student athlete still has the chance to get a job with his or her education. Clearly, a free education is a payment that the athletes receive.
Second, college athletes are not considered professionals. To play a sport in college, one is recruited or can try out for the team. In fact, According to U.S. News, “Students are not professional athletes who are paid salaries and incentives for a career in sports. They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports” (U.S. News). College football is not classified as a professional sport, but rather an extracurricular activity. For example, students who do math club or engineering club do not receive a salary because this is not a job it's just a club that they take part in. Specifically, the N.C.A.A. classifies Division 1 players as amateurs, not professional, students-athletes not employees (New York Times). This is because  students have other responsibilities in addition to their sport; academics should be first and foremost in their college life. Professionals only responsibility is to the game they play.

Furthermore, “Student-athletes are amateurs who choose to participate in intercollegiate athletics as a part of their educational experience …” (U.S. News). When they choose to join the sport they agree to working hard, putting in the hours, and doing whatever it takes to get better without receiving pay or any other incentives. A New York Times writer argues, “They [college players] sacrifice their bodies all year without pay, and then literally jump for joy, like kids on Christmas, at the thought of a tablet” (New York Times). With college players putting their body on the line for a sport game more than makes sense why college players should get paid. However, the writer fails to understand that college players are already paid. Players are receiving a large sum of money by  their tuition being paid. In essence, they are receiving payment.

Lastly, many schools will not have the budget to pay college players. When one thinks about the money being spent on Division I sports the public may assume the budget is limitless. But the fact is many Division I schools are in debt. Sport programs cost a great deal of money to operate. According to UTK, “Surveys have told us that most athletic budgets are currently operating in the red” (UTK). With schools already working in the red how do people expect to pay college players?  According to The Sport Journal, “The other Division I football and basketball programs as well as sports such as baseball, softball, golf, hockey, women’s basketball (minus a couple of notable programs), and just about all Division II sports not only fail to make money, but actually drain their athletic budgets” (TSJ). While basketball and football make money to support themselves most of the time, less popular sports fail to make ends meet. Sport programs consume most of the budget the athletic department _____ them. Paying athletes could potentially cause the school to go bankrupt. According to UTK, “ Even though a school may have a lucrative football program, a lot of the money goes towards other athletic programs and other expenses. The N.C.A.A. has released reports that show that on average fourteen colleges in the United States turn a profit every year” (UTK). With only a few colleges making money, the majority of colleges lose money. While players put in the work some may say paying athletes  fair. However, some may fail to see that paying college athletes will destroy the whole athletic budget, because schools have so many sports and many players that pay on their sport.  So paying college athletes would just make the budget worse. If college players get paid, schools can run out of money in their athletic department.

All in all, players will receive an education for free, still will be classified as amateurs, and the schools will still not have enough money to pay the players. When colleges start paying their athletes their are more negatives than positives. Not paying athletes it can show today's society that there is more to education than people think. College players should not get paid because it does not matter if a college has the next Kobe Bryant or Darrelle Revis everybody has to work to make themselves better without receiving anything.