Should College Athletes Be Paid?

Which of the following is the debatable claim?

• Football and basketball players are there to make money for the school.

• The athletes are students first.

• Fans do not care if athletes get paid.

What is supporting claim #1?

• College sports players are "students first"

• College athletes do not get much of an education because the team comes first.

• College football and basketball are multi-billion dollar businesses.

What is one piece of evidence that backs up supporting claim #1?

• "They have billion-dollar TV deals and corporate team sponsors"

• "The coaches for these teams earn millions."

• Men's basketball and football players are there to make money for the school.

What is another piece of evidence that backs up supporting claim #1?

• "They have billion-dollar TV deals and corporate team sponsors."

• "Schools have money for fancy training facilities, charter jets, and arenas."

• Men's basketball and football players are there to make money for the school.

What is supporting claim #2?

• Putting the word "athlete" first would at least let everybody know what the priorities are.

• Players have to choose classes that do not interfere with practice.

• My belief is that football and men's basketball players should be paid.

What is one piece of evidence that backs up supporting claim #2?

• "The team comes first"

• "The coaches for the teams earn millions"

• Fans do not care if players get paid

What is another piece of evidence that backs up supporting claim #2?

• "The NCAA men's college basketball tournament is known as March Madness"

• 75 college football head coaches earn more than $1 million

• "Players put in 50 hours a week on their sport"

What is the opposing view?

• The truth is that fans would not care if players were paid

• Players choose classes that do not interfere with practice.

• ESPN pays approximately $600 million to broadcast college football playoffs

BONUS: What is another opposing view found in the article?

• The NCAA and college sports establishment argue that the players are "students first" and are amateurs

• My belief is that football and men's basketball players should be paid

• March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events in the country

What is the rebuttal?

• Advertisers pay up to $1.5 million for a 30-second TV ad during the March Madness Tournament

• Assistant coaches make hundreds of thousands of dollars

• College sports establishment uses the self-serving argument about amateurism because it has helped them get rich