Student athletes are some of the most influential athletes in the world. On college campuses kids go to class with these athletes and then see them on a national stage on the weekends. These athletes are admired. Imagining spending hours and hours working, but not getting paid, doesn't seem realistic. People work their whole lives to be rewarded for what they accomplish during the hours spent working. From the moment you turn 16, until the day you retire, you work in one way or another. Maybe it's doing chores around the house for pennies when you're young, or maybe working for minimum wage at a store down the street from your childhood home, or spending what seems like a lifetime in college to get a good job, it's it seems like it won't end. People say that "money is the root of all evil" and act as if it is not a necessity for life. What it should say is that greed is the root of all evil. Life is expensive. University is even more expensive. Student debt is extremely common in today's world and is easy to overlook. How do I know what challenge this is? I was a student athlete with no compensation. I have seen firsthand what scholarship and many non-scholarship student athletes face every day. Today's student-athletes travel multiple weekends a month, often during the week, which causes kids to skip class. Having thousands of dollars in debt. I got to experience this firsthand every day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAs you grow up, everyone says college is the best time of your life, but the years can also be the hardest, most challenging, and most challenging. also very confusing. Many people find difficulties in everyday life with various things, and money is probably one of the most common, no matter the age. Student athletes are no exception. They not only have to worry about their courses, but also their team and the team's track record with past and future events. That's no easy feat when you miss multiple classes every week during the season and practice for hours a day. Just looking at the surface, it's easy to point out right off the bat that these same student-athletes are making the university a lot of money, so why shouldn't they be compensated? It's no surprise that there's a lot of money in college sports, especially popular ones. Well, where would the money come from to pay for them? Taxpayers? Lessons for other students? Make it simple and only pay college athletes whose sport is profitable, it wouldn't be that complicated to figure out. Coaches are usually paid a comfortable salary, so it would make sense that the people who make this work possible are reimbursed for their hard work. These guys produce and generate so much revenue that they should see even a small portion of it. College sports are very important and people love to stay updated and cheer on the teams. Saying they wouldn't know how much to pay these student athletes is a lazy excuse. Universities have money equations for every book, professor, class credit in the book. Beyond that, there is so much more and how paying these student athletes would not only benefit them, but also the people they interact with on a regular basis. “Michigan, Alabama and Ohio State round out the top five most valuable college football programs. The Buckeyes and Wolverines rank first and second in average annual football ticket revenue ($54 million and $44 million), and eachranks in the top five in terms of sponsorship revenue.” Furthermore, paying these athletes encourages them to pay more attention and focus on their schoolwork would also take away relief from them and their parents. Making ends meet is difficult on your own for some, but trying to make ends meet without a job? Impossible. Finding a job while being a student athlete? It's not happening. Parents of these students are given more financial responsibility than any student attending college, at least right away. In some cases, maybe that's not what they wanted. Federal student aid is based on parents' income, although kids often don't have the luxury of having their parents write a check for half a hundred thousand dollars on a whim, perhaps even if it's available. Some call it tough love. This is a frustrating and controversial topic. Well, let's say they will help with school fees, how about spending money, grocery money, transportation... In most cases it is a thought that can stress people to the core. Compensating these student athletes, even if minimal, would help not only the students, but also the parents who are presumably responsible for paying tuition. “According to a 2011 NCAA survey, many students average 30 hours of practice per week, while some spend more than 40.” That's more time spent practicing than some people spend at their part-time job. Spending more than 40 hours per week could qualify you for a full-time job. Not compensated. Additionally, they will most likely take about 15 college credits with classes of about 15 hours per week, and then they will be expected to work on schoolwork and studying. Some people argue that these same athletes are already getting scholarships to play at a university, so there is no need to reward them beyond scholarships. The university decides who gets these scholarships and for how much. $60,000 isn't really pocket change, so it takes some planning to figure out where the tuition money is coming from. Let's say they get a scholarship, most of the time it doesn't even come close to covering the entire cost of tuition. I'm not advocating that student athletes should be paid $60,000 a year, as that's more than the national average for a family income, but anything would help. How about selling the jerseys these players wear or the autographs they deliver? out after the game? Not allowed, but why? What if a fan wanted to pay a couple of hundred dollars for the worn jersey? Why not. These athletes don't see a dollar of the money people pay for their jerseys/etc. from sporting goods stores. Not only jerseys that could be sold but also equipment. Even clothing. Once it becomes the property of the athletes, they can do what they want with it. If I was a football player I should be able to sell my soccer shoes, or if I was a hockey player I should be able to sell old hockey sticks. While this wouldn't be much of a gain, anything can help. Many of us are forced to stay on campus over the summer to continue training for our sports, as well as take classes and work on schoolwork. When should we work? We need money. At a recent speaking engagement I spent a couple of months talking to high school and college coaches. During my speech I talked about how influential we are as athletes and how we should be treated and rewarded for our work. Some didn't agree with me and said we weren't.