9A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Interview 1: I talked to one of my roommates. He told me that he wouldn’t mind if athletes would get paid. He also has no idea how the whole NCAA system works, but in his opinion they should get paid because what they are doing is already kind of professional, and professional athletes should get money. 

Interview 2: I asked my one of my friends from home in Germany what he thinks. He is a normal student and was never in a sports program. He thinks that athletes shouldn't get paid because in his opinion, it’s the athlete’s choice and free time to be in a sports team. He loves to watch sports, but doesn’t think they should get paid unless they play in a major league as professionals. 

Interview 3: The 3rd interview was with one of the students that sits next to me in one of my classes. He played football in college, but retired when he went to college. He thinks that it would be great if athletes would get paid, but thinks that it will not happen in the next years because it’s too difficult with recruiting. Some of his friends went to play football in college, and he said that it’s always a big deal who gives the best scholarship, and who offers the best all around package. Money would influence the most athletes too much. A lot of his former teammates’ families were not the richest, and it’s clear that the athletes would do everything to get some money to feed their family. He would love to see athletes getting paid, but it’s too hart to realise. 

Interview 4: This interview was very interesting because I spoke to a person I met at the POD market. He wore cleats and gloves. He told me that he plays football with his friends twice a week. They play really serious and competitive. I thought that he would support it if athletes would get paid, but he declined that. He said that also athletes are just students, and they are here because they are student-athletes, not athlete-students. He thinks that athletes should care about their academics instead of getting paid for their sport.

Interview 5: The last interview I had was with a German student athlete from FSU. He is a swimmer like me. He said that he thinks that it is a good idea to pay athletes because they contribute so much money and reputation to their university that they should get paid. The athletes invest so much time and effort in their sport that they should get something for that. Universities like Alabama or Clemson are mostly known for their sports teams, and that’s why the athletes should get a piece of the big pie. He is confident and sure that the NCAA and the athletes will find a way to pay athletes in the future. 

To summarise it, I think I found out that the opinion if athletes should get paid or not relies on your opinion on athletes. I think that the persons that have a “problem" with athletes don’t want them to get paid because they can’t relate and understand it. They don’t understand how much time and effort they invest in their sport, for them they just are normal students with a hobby. People that can relate more to sports support that athletes get paid. They understand how hard it is, and how much the athletes give their universities. Overall, I think you have to see the whole picture to decide if it’s wrong or not. A lot of people just look at one side without trying to understand the other side, and I think that’s why the opinions are so different.

Inside the boundary: 

Who is in: College athletes 

What the need is: The allowance that athletes can get paid 

Why does the need exist: Because they contribute so much money to their universities and invest so much time and passion in their sport 

Outside the boundary:

Who is not: students that are not part of a sports team

What the need is not: The university could use the money to improve the resources

Alternative explanations: Most of the athletes are on a scholarship anyways and don’t have to pay for everything.