Opinions Writer
College sports are a big deal for any school, and bring in big funds. Student athletes make up a significant portion of CSU Bakersfield’s student population. College can be stressful, especially for student athletes. They often have to balance time with their schoolwork while keeping up with playing sports, and/or a job.
Student athletes barely have the time to fit all their homework in, let alone hold a job. It can be very stressful to manage their sport with classes, especially when they have to travel to compete and practice every day.
Student athletes should be paid, especially if they are endorsing their school’s athletic programs. Students need money outside college needs, such as making car payments or paying for groceries. If a student puts as much time and effort into playing a sport as they would with a job, then they should get paid.
Pahola Osorio, a senior psychology major, believes that athletes need the money outside school.
“They don’t have time to work, they also need money for academics and for themselves, like to pay for their apartment or things like that.” said Osorio. She believes that they invest so much time in their sport, and they do not have the time to invest in a job.
While some may argue that it is unfair to pay students who already have scholarships for their athletic talent, student athletes have to put in double the work. Whereas some students receive scholarships for good grades, student athletes must maintain their academic performance alongside their athletic performance. Any student who holds a GPA below a 2.0 will be put under academic probation as per CSUB’s policy. Some majors require more work than others, but the workload is still a lot regardless.
Kylie Kiefer, a freshman biology major, wanted to try out for CSUB’s soccer team, but her major required too much work for her to play soccer as well.
“It’s hard to manage school and soccer, so they should earn something for managing it.” said Kiefer. Kiefer played club soccer before attending CSUB, and would love to play if she had time for it.
Mayte Quintana, a sophomore psychology major, does not believe an athlete who is receiving a sports scholarship should be paid.
She believes it is a good idea to pay them, because that way they won’t struggle with money, but does not believe they should get both a scholarship and payment for playing.
Business Insider stated “The 231 NCAA Division I schools with data available generated a total of $9.15 billion in revenue during the 2015 fiscal year.” CSUB’s basketball team is a NCAA Division 1 team. If a student athlete endorses a school that brings in a significant amount of revenue, they should be paid. It’s as simple as that.
