Demetrius Walters
UNIV 150 Writing
Ms. Lsenkul
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11a.m.
October 24, 2014
Essay #3
Judge Claudia Wilkens of United States District Court in Oakland, California issued an
injunction against current rules that prohibited athletes from earning or receiving money from
the use of their names and images in video games and television broadcasts. This ruling open
the door for athletes to receive a portion of the proceeds for their athleticism and likeness.
Horace Mitchell, a writer for the U.S. News and World Report, wrote an article on January six,
two thousand fourteen in response to the ruling. Mitchell argument was that “students are not
professional athletes” (US News and World Report). In response to his article, I provide reason
as to why student- athletes should be paid while in college. Scholarships do not cover everything
associated with colleges expenses for athletes; the image that the student-athlete is creating for
themselves; the money that the athletes is creating for the colleges should be shared with the
athletes.
Students-athletes attending college on a sport scholarships is rewarding within itself.
Even though it seems that the student –athlete is receiving a free education, it is not free within
itself. Student-athletes are using their given abilities and talent to pay the college back. College is
exploiting their talents on a national stage. When colleges offer the scholarship, education is
secondary to the sport. Scholarships do not cover all the expenses that come with college
expenses. Students-athletes have a demanding schedule.
Most student-athletes cannot get a job and maintain their demanding schedule. Unable to
socialize, go out with classmates or even buy a three piece chicken dinner are the result of these
hardships from accepting scholarships. Therefore, by paying students-athletes a small portion of
the money generated from the profits can reduce some of the financial hardships that student-
athletes endure.
Another reason why student-athletes should be paid while attending college is the
image that they are building for their future. This could be like on the job training to student-
athletes. While professional baseball and basketball allows for high school athletes to enter their
perspective drafts, college football does not allow it. Indeed, college football does produce more
revenue and profits than basketball, college football programs would spend more money paying
it athletes.
Student-athletes showing casing their talents in college do generate billions of dollars in
proceeds and revenues. Although not all colleges receive the millions of dollars from the profits,
the coaches’ salaries are on the rise into the millions of dollars, sport facilities are seeing large
upgrades from the student-athlete talents. A portion of these proceeds should go to the student-
athletes because it is their ability that is helping the program receive this money at the end of the
year.
College is a business full of opportunist and crooks. The way that college administrators
limited student-athletes from obtaining money in order to survive college is not right. Personal
items that belong to student-athletes should could have the authority to sell it in order to obtain
money in a legal way. Applying rules to halt someone from obtaining financial stability is only
making student-athletes leave school early.