The question of should college players be paid has been highly talked about and questioned in the last few weeks. After Zion Williamson, Duke’s star power forward, ripped through his shoe leaving him with a mildly sprained knee, there has been a lot of buzz about college players risking their futures in college activities without any benefits.

On average, college athletes spend 20 hours a week or four hours a day with practices, lifting and games. With the rigorous college schedule, athletes do not get the time needed to fulfill a well-paying job. This is leaving most college athletes broke, while their coaches and staff put in around the same time and can earn more than $100,000 per year. Alabama’s head football coach, Nick Saban earns around $8 million per year while his players earn nothing but education for four years and the potential for a life long injury. If schools believe that spending $8 million per year on a single salary is a good investment, it is very hard to believe that the NCAA thinks these kids are not even putting in one percent of the effort the coach is.

On average, the NCAA brings in a whopping $11 billion per year through all it’s college activities. The NCAA is bringing in crazy amounts of money from televising these athletes and selling their merchandise. Senior Jake Miller said, “I believe with the net income the NCAA brings in every year that they should reward the time and effort these athletes are putting in. As a supporter, I much rather see the money I invest in the NCAA benefit the players I look up to and support rather than overpaying these universities and staff.” At the end of the day, kids are not buying jerseys to support a bunch of people in suits; they tune into to watch their favorite athletes.