An FBI investigation on the University of Arizona men’s basketball coach Sean Miller, wiretapped, of a conversation with his assistants on how much to give to former University of Arizona basketball player and now NBA prospect DeAndre Ayton. This investigation sparked a question… College basketball players getting payed? All around the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) the subject is brought up. Should student athletes get payed throughout their college careers? In my opinion, I think they should not. There are various reasons why they should not and likely will not.
           

Young adults with futures in professional basketball, getting payed to be an athlete and a student. It has never been heard of. With the future ahead of the players, why give them money now. Only 1.1% of NCAA college basketball players go pro, and only 20-30 of those 1.1% will be millionaires for possibly the rest of their lives. Just because there is such a minimal amount of men that will make that money, and have bright futures, does not mean that the other 98.9% should receive payments during their colleges careers. Those who don’t go pro, still have an opportunity to get a degree, and pursue unique jobs.
           

As these teenagers get recruited to play college basketball, do most of them say, “I cannot wait until I get drafted into the NBA”. No, they do not because there are 18,000 Division I college basketball players, and only about 100-150 of them have a legitimate chance to even sign with a team, with no guarantee to play and make the money they expect. The (NLI) National Letter of Intent is what high school athletes sign when they make their official commitment to a university. Along the recruiting process, universities do not offer payments. However, this Arizona investigation proves that in order to get recruits, universities are willing to pay money, which is illegal. This money does not come from the university, it is out of pocket money from coaching staff’s all around the nation. Lastly, this proves that there is no structure in payment for college basketball players so it would not be able to happen. Where does a university find the money to pay 15-20 basketball players over $50,000? No university in the world has enough money in their budget to make illegal payments to the players.
         

Not every collegiate basketball player wants to get drafted into the NBA, some athletes use their scholarship to get a good education and play basketball. Aside from basketball, some of the players have educational and life goals that they want to achieve. These student-athletes still want to pursue careers and have a successful life outside of basketball. Finally, college athletes to should not get payed legally or illegally by the universities, and there is both evidence and common sense behind the statement.