Reflecting on the Shame of College Sports: Should NCAA Div 1 Basketball and Football players get paid?

I understand the side against this argument; after all, most athletes are living for free and going to school for free as long as they play for the team(s). Why should you pay students to play after you are paying for their housing, food and school?

However, as a student, I do see the importance of having some money to buy things here and there. Every college student should have a job; jobs teach us fundamental values like appreciating things as opposed to just getting things and learning to work with others. There are some students who are fortunate enough and privileged to have parents who deposit money into their accounts and/or pay their credit cards, now that would be great if all of our parents could afford that, but that is not the case.

Seeing the dedication and time commitment that a collegiate sport entails, it basically is a job. These games require a lot of time and preparation. Aside from studying and class time, all they really do is train, work out, and play the sport. Maybe getting paid hourly, weekly &/or biweekly might not be the solution, but I do believe athletes should get something. Possibly a stipend? That can teach them to be more financially responsible. After reading about how quickly retired athletes go broke because they do not know how to take care of their money we really should consider this payment idea. In order to receive this stipend, athletes could attend a workshop for money management and financial literacy. This would actually be insightful for them for their future.

I am not saying they should walk around with "money to blow" but they should have a little extra money. They do bring in thousands of dollars a year into the university every year.