Every Saturday, millions tune in to watch college football and basketball — the energy is electric, the competition fierce, and the profits astronomical. Yet the athletes, the stars of the show, see none of the billions flowing through the NCAA’s pockets. Is this tradition, or legalized exploitation?
Let’s be real: college athletes are not just “students who play sports.” They’re full-time performers, generating revenue that sustains entire athletic departments. Their schedules rival those of professionals, and the pressure to perform is brutal. They risk career-ending injuries and mental exhaustion, all while being told that a scholarship is payment enough.
Meanwhile, coaches sign multimillion-dollar contracts. Universities rake in sponsorships. Networks like ESPN earn billions off their sweat. The NCAA even once argued in court that paying athletes would “ruin the spirit of amateurism.” Please. That “spirit” is built on unpaid labor.
Opponents argue that paying athletes would ruin college sports. But what’s more damaging: athletes getting fairly compensated or a broken system that profits off their backs while they struggle to afford meals?
The truth is, the NCAA is running a billion-dollar business disguised as education. It’s time to call it what it is — exploitation.
Until players are paid, the integrity of college sports will always be tainted by hypocrisy.