Today, people are saying the one way to prevent another Ohio State mess from happening again is to pay the players.

That's essentially what happened here, right?  Wouldn't giving cash to the players solve everything?  Shouldn't we just pay college athletes?

College athletes should not get paid.

No way.

Their college scholarship is payment enough.

Athletes should be happy with the free education. If they don't like it, they should try paying for the tuition without scholarships.  They get a free education, I didn't.   We're talking about $200,000 for 4 years.

These days, college isn't just a luxury, it's a necessity.  Those who don’t go to college will be left behind with no measurable skills for employers.  Most jobs today require a college degree!

How many universities would take students with borderline test scores if they had no athletic abilities? Without their skills, they wouldn't get an education.

The athlete isn't FORCED to take a scholarship. Nobody is forcing him to go to college! This is the sense of entitlement argument I don't like.

Most students DO STRUGGLE to make ends meet.  Most students work during the school year – to pay for college! Every kid I knew that worked during college, did it for school – not to take their girlfriend out to the movies or get a pizza.

If you decide to pay them, that’s going to open the floodgates.  When is it too much?  The $1,000 a month soon becomes $50,000 a month.  It would be out of control because the student-athletes would feel like they weren't being paid enough.  I don't know one person that feels like their job pays them enough and these kids would be no different.

Have we forgotten that these kids are there for an education? The percentage of football players getting drafted is 2%. That's two percent!  The other 98% will have college degrees if they stick it out. That’s 98% of them that are essentially getting a $200,000 education for free.

You want college football players to be paid to play when the NFL doesn't think 98% of them deserve to get paid?  That's just silly.

Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
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There are 80 scholarship players on each of the 112 Division 1-A teams.  This means it costs a university $16,000,000 to pay for an entire roster over 4 years.

If you want to pay the players, how do you determine the dollar amount?

Does the basketball team make less than the football team?  What about the soccer team?  Cheerleading?  Rowing?

Does everyone on the team get a salary?  What if your school is only good at football and your basketball team stinks?  What if you’re only good at basketball and your football team sucks?

How much more should a senior be valued than a freshman?  Should a quarterback or running back be given more than a lineman or a kicker?

What if a high school prospect is not producing as expected?  What if a player is injured and is not contributing to a school’s revenue?  What about if a player leaves early for the NBA or NFL?

It just doesn't make sense to pay the players.  Do you agree?

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