Whether to pay college athletes remains one of the most explosive issues in sports, as media-rights fees have exploded.

One recent change has provided college athletes access to an income source. After a recent Supreme Court ruling, the NCAA was forced to change its rules.

The Supreme Court's June 21, 2021 ruling in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston, et. al. The Supreme Court decision re-affirmed a lower court's ruling that blocked the NCAA from enforcing its rules restricting the compensation that college athletes may receive.

As a result of the ruling, college athletes now have the right to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) while retaining the right to participate in their sport at the college level. Meaning that college athletes are now allowed to sign endorsement deals and do commercials.

The prohibition against colleges paying athletes directly remains in effect.

Several states have passed laws that allow such compensation. Colleges and universities in those states must abide by these new laws when devising and implementing their own policies toward NIL compensation for college athletes.

There are many reasons why student athletes should be paid, but there are also valid reasons why student athletes should not be paid in certain circumstances. The lifting of NCAA restrictions on NIL agreements for college athletes has altered the landscape of major college sports but will likely have little or no impact on the majority of student athletes, who will continue to compete as true amateurs.

The argument raised most often in favor of allowing college athletes to receive compensation is that colleges and universities profit from the sports they play but do not share the proceeds with the athletes who are the ultimate source of that profit.

Opponents to paying college athletes rebut these arguments by pointing to the primary role of colleges and universities: to provide students with a rewarding educational experience that prepares them for their professional careers. These are among the reasons they give for not paying student athletes.

 

 

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Should NCAA College Athletes Get Paid?