All over the world, people are paid millions of dollars to play the sport they love. But it wasn’t until recently that college athletes could start earning money.
In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA to remove all their restrictions on the possible earnings of athletes. Their Name, Image and Likeness, better known as NIL, is what allows them to make money. The biggest reason that the NCAA had these restrictions on their athletes is because they wanted to preserve the amateurism that comes with getting to the next level. College sports are meant to be for personal growth on an individual level on and off the field/court. If they are not getting paid, the work and effort they show is solely based on drive for the game.
Nevertheless, some students believe that getting paid can also positively affect players’ ambition. If playing their best links directly to better sponsorships, then ambition is at an all time high.
How much are these athletes really making? It’s hard to categorize overall earnings of these athletes due to the ranking and amount of publicity their school is given. All division schools allow their athletes to make NIL deals but more widely known schools will produce more.
Some of the highest paid collegiate athletes are Bryce Young for Alabama University, Olivia Dunne for LSU, Sunisa Lee for Auburn and Paige Beuckers for UConn. Combined, these athletes make up more than four million dollars in sponsorship revenue and hundreds of thousands in social media earnings.
Varsity softball coach Richard Howard states, “I don’t believe college athletes should be paid. The point of college sports is to maintain the amateur feeling, and the majority of college athletes get paid in scholarships.”
However, football player Patrick Mullen disagrees, “A very small percentage of high school athletes make it to the college level. If you can make it that far, I believe you should be able to make money off of that accomplishment.”
I believe that athletes should be able to make money off their name. Things like jersey sales and all of their own personal social media should be a source of revenue for them.
Overall, sports at all levels continue to evolve to new heights. Athletes use social media and brand deals to help get noticed by teams.
