College athletics, the activity that brings peoples together, and the thing that heats up rivalries, the thing that causes controversy. Today, there is a new argument swirling around. Should college athletes be paid to play? Many say yes. I say no.

In the world today, college scholarships are hard to come by, especially for athletics. In the United States, college sports are one of the most popular and broadcasted events on television. For instance, in 2014 The NCAA collected nearly 1 billion dollars in revenue alone… 1 billion! But these are reasons college athletes don’t get a cut.

College athletes are at their school to play their respective sport and to get a higher form of education. So in short, their athletic scholarship should be the compensation they receive. Even though athletes receive scholarships, they still abuse the system. From what we’ve seen in the past, some players don’t excel in the classroom but luckily their play overshadows their grades. This is one reason why I believe college athletes should not get paid. If they don’t work in the classroom. They shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Recently in 2014, a poll was conducted on whether or not college level athletes should be paid. The NCAA allowed 65 schools from the all higher-level conferences (SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10 and Pac 12) to pay their college athletes. How much you might ask? Around 2,000 to 5,000 dollars. Is this right?

Bob Jones football player Aaron Decoux said, “They’re getting paid to go to school, and if they have their name and number on a jersey or any other type of merchandise, than they could get paid.”

Whether college athletes get paid or not they are still entertainers, they still draw crowds, and they are still continuing to gain a higher level of education and an opportunity to play professional sports.