Pay to Play

By: Mason V.N.

As the sun sets, the game begins on one of the richest programs in college football. The roaring Alabama Crimson Tide get ready to take the field. It is one of the best programs in college football, yet only 25 players are getting paid because of Name Image Likeness (NIL) deals, a sponsorship deal on the name, image, and likeness of a player. Alabama has an average of 100 players on their roster. About 75% of the players are risking their lives for free.

On average, every Division 1 school brings in around $31.9 million every year. Only 25% of players have NIL deals of some kind. The rest are risking their lives trying to get millions in the pros, but lots never make it. Only 1.6% of college football players go pro. Sports journalist Jamie Hersch who covers the NHL shared her thoughts on this, “Some athletes may never play again.” Athletes have been playing a very dangerous game for no reward. Sports Beat writer for Rutgers Athletics Brian Fonseca had to say, “They should have been paid over a decade ago, long overdue.” Coaches and staff, on the other hand, make millions. The average salary amount is about $5.75 million. 

Coaches and staff help to prepare these athletes every week, but the amount of money they are making is mostly off of the athletes. I believe they deserve a percentage of that money.  Here’s a list of the head coaches with the most money: Lincoln Riley from University of South California: $10,000,000+, Nick Saban from Alabama University: $9,753,221, Brian Kelly,  Louisiana State University: $9,500,000, Mel Tucker from Michigan State: $9,500,000 (Sports Chicago). The minimum salary for NFL players is $660,000. All D1 schools are worth hundreds of millions of dollars  and 10 percent of that is merchandise, which consists of jerseys with players’ names and numbers on it. Colleges make so much money off the players, and yet the players don’t get any percentage of the money.

Scholarships also need to be considered, but colleges only give out about an average of $14,270 per student per year. Even though this is some money, it is not enough for players to survive. That scholarship money is for books, classes, and materials. Many athletes have a hard time living and are forced to get second jobs to pay for things they need.  Only up until this summer NIL deals were allowed, so for decades, college athletes had to deal with this problem. School is already challenging enough, and the stress of playing a sport in front of a lot of people piles more on these athlete’s shoulders. On top of that, they have to worry about housing, cars, and food. Conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) could ruin someone’s life forever. This is caused by repeated blows to the head and concussions. This is often associated with American football and boxing. Often symptoms include depression, mood swings, and headaches. There are four stages of this condition. Stage 1 includes loss of concentration and headaches. Stage 2 includes mostly explosivity and short term memory loss. Stage 3 and Stage 4 start to get serious with full-blown dementia as well as paranoia, depression, and visuospatial difficulties. According to a health website called the JAMA Network, “Former collegiate players may also be at increased risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In a sample of deceased college football players from a brain bank with acknowledged potential ascertainment bias, 48 of 53 (91%) were neuro pathologically diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.” With every play on the field, players are putting them closer and closer to this brain condition and other possibly fatal injuries. But players still play the game they love for free. Some may never make it to the big payday, but they hope that they will get in the pros because of this. In conclusion, college football athletes should be paid because they are risking their lives, their health, their sanity, and their future.

Student Bio

Mason V.N.

2022 - WoS Kearny - Summer Camp

Social Share