Students who add to their workload by being athletes for the school are in a tough situation. Having to balance schoolwork in addition to being a member of an athletic team can be challenging. And with the NCAA making millions for itself each year, it seems as though the NCAA profits off the hard work of said athletes.
Unlike sports played at the high school tier, collegiate athletes must learn to balance an entirely novel lifestyles, school and their own athleticism, while at the same time having their images beneath the public lens and media surrounding it.
The stress alone of school causes many students to crack under pressure. Yet, the needs of “the team” act as an additional oppression, akin to unpaid labor in a method to spread the school's image and increase the university’s merchandising profits.
The skills of exceptional participants are often harmful in the long term and potentially injurious, even if all regulations are met. Essentially, these student-athletes could wind up with life-altering injuries as a result for their work for the university.
The practices and games themselves make scheduling for a job or any work in general extremely limited to the point of near impossibility. Many people feel that, even with the likelihood of being injured and the lack of spare time, the benefits of being a student-athlete — like scholarships and athlete-only facilities — make up for the lack of pay. Given the evidence of the additional stressors placed on the competitors, I disagree.
This is particularly infuriating because of the irrationality of near-feudal labor levels for college athletes, who are being used serfs for their university with only the hopes of elevating themselves into a career from their degree. That’s not a guarantee for, even for students who must exclusively focus on academics.
As a result, all the money schools earn from hardworking athletes — who put their bodies on the line for passions that will likely lead down careers that have nothing to do with their athletic talents — should be parceled out and distributed amongst those used as mules for a merchandise-capitalist system that exploits the abilities of even the most skilled college athletes.
So, yes, college athletes should be paid a fair, honest wage just like everyone else.
Nate Benton is a freshman studying political science at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Nate by emailing him at nb393518@ohio.edu.
