Over the past few years, paying college athletes has become a controversial topic. There are many people, who believe that college athletes should be paid by their school, however, a better way a college can compensate their athletes is by paying for their college. At the end of the day, high school athletes go to school and play their sport, but they aren’t getting paid, so what should be different about college? Playing a sport in college school is a decision, not a profession, therefore you shouldn’t get paid. You could kind of think about it like an internship, you’re getting experience in something to eventually do it at a higher level.

Nowadays, since social media has taken the world by storm, college athletes can be paid via NIL deal. A NIL deal is an agreement or arrangement between a student-athlete and a company, brand, or individual. Different states have different takes on whether or not student-athletes should be able to receive money through these deals, but in my opinion, I believe they should be. Receiving money through these deals is no different than any other celebrity. If an athlete gains enough recognition even to be allowed to have a brand deal, I believe they deserve their fair share of the money. 

The sad part about NIL deals is that many athletes, more specifically women, don’t enter the drafts for national league sports because they make more money in college than they would at the higher level. For example, in college basketball Caitlin Clark made around 750,000 dollars alone in 2023 just off of NIL deals, however, the average salary in the WNBA is only 100,000 dollars. The sad thing is that the minimum pay in the NBA is 1.1 million dollars meaning 10 times more than the WNBA. This is causing a large amount of women’s athletes to not continue to the higher level. 

Because of availability, it is hard for college athletes to make money from a normal day-to-day job. However, if they aren’t making money from their sport, NIL deals should be accepted in every state and at every school. Many student-athletes still need to provide for themselves, and their families, and if they aren’t on scholarship, they need to pay for their school as well. There is no harm in NIL deals, if anything it is giving these student-athletes a lot of recognition which can inspire future generations. 

Overall, I believe that College athletes shouldn’t be paid by their schools, but instead have their school paid for them. I also believe that student-athletes at any school and in any state should be able to receive compensation from NIL deals. And I also believe that if the pay from NIL deals is so much more than in the big leagues, the higher level of sports pay should be raised.